7. Plastic Solutions: Case Studies

As shown in Ben Addelman and Ziya Tong’s Plastic People, national and community-scale decisions and bans on plastics can be effective.

In Rwanda, Juliet Kabera, Director General of the Rwanda Environment Management Authority, discusses their 2004 nation-wide implementation of an effective plastic carrier bag ban. This was followed by a law against polythene bags in 2008. The next step is curtailing use of other single-use plastic items including straws, plates and cutlery. 

The issue with smaller countries is that research and the development of alternative products can be lacking. Kabera states that there needs to be a critical mass of countries banning the use of single-use plastics to attract such R&D - and that until that happens, progress is limited.

On a smaller scale change can also be effective. In Bayfield, Canada, a whole community has declared itself plastic free, changing to wood-based containers, cutlery and cups. 

Tests are also underway in the Experimental Lakes Area, Canada, to work out how to prevent plastic from getting into water.

Accountability is another key factor in solving this crisis. Christina Dixon, from the UN’s Environmental Investigation Agency, states there’s nothing that requires producers to declare how much plastic is being produced. With less than 10% of plastic worldwide getting recycled, things need to change. 

The growth of the plastics industry is a steep upward curve. Fracking, deep sea drilling and more make way for a constant oversupply of oil leftovers, incentivising plastic production.

Single-use versions of what were durable products came to be depended upon in daily life. The only solution is to step away from reliance on oil, ban single-use plastics and avoid hazardous chemicals. If we have to have any plastic, it has to be recyclable, and recycling systems must be functional. Shipping waste abroad is not a solution, and misleading consumers needs to end.

We need to become aware of what we use and its potential effects to be able to make educated decisions about our lifestyle, health and environmental pollution.

Read our next blog to find out more about Plastics Solutions: Conclusion…