Circular Economy – Why We Can’t Completely Do Away with Plastics

Humanity’s relationship with plastic is rather schizophrenic. Plastic waste has become so ubiquitous that the planet is seemingly drowning in its litter. The trend began in the 1990s when the world became addicted to single-use, disposable plastic because it was cheap, easy to produce, and durable.

Currently, we produce about 380 million tons of plastic waste each year. At least 10 million tons of these plastics end up in our oceans. Simply put, that is the equivalent of one rubbish truckload every minute, at the least!

So, why is this the case? Well, it is because only 16 percent of plastic waste is recycled to make new plastics, while 40 percent is sent to landfills, 25 percent to incineration, and 19 percent is dumped.

In monetary valuation, this results in an estimated 80-120 billion US dollars’ worth of plastic material that is lost to the economy each year.

The packaging sector is responsible for almost half of the plastic in the world. According to a KPMG report, if the growth of plastic production continues at the current rate, the plastic industry could account for 20% of the world’s total oil consumption by 2050. Almost a third of all plastic packaging leaks out of collecting and sorting systems and ends up in the soil and the ocean.

This is the sole reason why environmentalists identify plastics as a big problem when it results in issues such as pollution, depletion of limited fossil fuels, and the loss of economic value.

Perhaps the mountainous issue of the whole thing is the planet’s severe dependency on plastic. It is incredibly difficult, if not nearly impossible, to do away with plastics – it is simply too useful and effective for its numerous applications, and as of yet no other material has come close to matching its cost-effectiveness ratio.

Why we Can’t Completely Do Away with Plastics

Plastics are highly beneficial for food packaging. However, there is ongoing debate as to how best to balance food and plastic waste and food safety. The argument is that plastic is necessary to prevent food waste; roughly one-third, or 1.3 billion tons, of the food produced for human consumption, gets lost or wasted every year.

Plastic packaging supports the safe distribution of food over long distances and minimizes food waste by keeping food fresher for longer, and it provides a barrier against bacteria.

For example, 1.5g of plastic film wrapping a cucumber can extend its shelf life from three to 14 days, and selling grapes in plastic bags or trays has reduced in-store wastage of grapes by 20%.

Consider another example, plastic water bottles that are sold around the globe. If we were to do away with them and replace them with glass bottles, it may seem like a good idea at first, but after considering the logistics of it, it is evident that it is not really a viable solution at all.

Why? For one, it is costly to produce a glass bottle than a plastic bottle. The cost of production, will, therefore, subsequently go up.

Secondly, plastics are way more durable compared to glass. Glass, however thick it is made, is still fragile as opposed to plastic. Plus, how sure are we that the industry guarantees the recycling of glass