If you are walking down the street or going for a jog in the park, there’s the same inevitable “enemy” thrown everywhere on the ground: the plastic.
Plastics are polluting all corners of the planet, from the Arctic to the ocean depths, with as yet unknown consequences for human health. Already 11 million metric tons of plastic waste enter the oceans every year. Without radical change, the amount of plastic waste generated worldwide could double by 2040.
In the battle to stem the tide of plastic waste, companies and academics are developing new ways to reduce plastic packaging—the single largest source of this waste.
The solution is to design plastic packaging so that it’s easier to recycle.
The easiest to recycle are PET which are used to make soft drinks bottles or containers.
Other businesses are boosting recyclability by using more clear plastic. Drinks bottles are made of easy-to-recycle PET, but if dye is added to them, the colours merge during recycling and produce a grey plastic that is hard to then sell.
Recycling levels are very low in many parts of the world. In 2018, Europe collected just 32 percent of its 29 million metric tons of plastic waste for recycling, according to the European Environment Agency.
Many brands have set their own targets to increase the use of recyclable plastics or recycled content. Brands are shifting to recyclable materials under pressure from consumers and government regulations.
So those substitute materials—the algae and fungi containers and paper bottles—will have some role to play. Paper will need to come from sustainably managed forests.
Overall, making the changes necessary to stem 80 percent of plastic pollution entering the ocean by 2040 is possible, but not easy.
11th Grade from Technological High School of Services “Sfântul Apostol Andrei” Ploiesti Romania