Plastic: Can We Ever Get Rid of it?

Plastic has unfortunately become a very vital component in industries and has seamlessly integrated itself into our daily lives that it’s hard to imagine a life without it. There are many campaigns and organizations that work actively to advocate against using plastic products but at most times we see all that campaigning fall on deaf ears. We should keep in mind that there are many restraints we collectively face as a society and also on an individualistic level that impede us from making progress and make impactful changes to the environment we live in.

All of us tend to automatically gear towards things that are cost-efficient or cheap, are easily accessible in the market, and have longevity to them. Plastic ticks the boxes for all three which is exactly the reason why industries are able to produce so much of it while consumers simply keep buying the products they’ve got to sell. A lot of industries rely on plastic as their primary source of income and capital, so it would only be a financial setback for them to cut its usage. Another thing we should consider is the recyclability of plastic. The necessary technology and equipment exist for the process, but they aren’t cost-friendly and feasible considering the amount of water, energy and effort that is put into cleaning and preparing used plastic in order for successful recycling.

There are a lot of limitations when we arrive at the social aspect of this issue, the major one being education. Being educated on any given topic and having enough awareness and knowledge to act on it is the prerequisite to making a real change. We could easily shift the blame on social media and talk about how ‘easy’ it is to be in the know of it all but we should also keep in mind that not everyone has access to it. Citizens living in rural areas might still not know the global impact of continued and careless use of plastic which is why it should become our priority to keep everyone informed of the dangers of non-biodegradable waste and make conscious efforts to minimize our use of plastic.

Our mindsets and the way we perceive things undoubtedly impact the way we’re going about this whole situation. We tend to associate the lack of personal connection to the dangers happening with plastic use. For instance, I used to be a very careless individual and wouldn’t think twice before throwing away my plastic bottle of juice in some corner of the street, not thinking of the consequences or how it would affect, say, dogs. This similar mindset is what people employ to turn a blind eye to the imminent dangers of plastic and lines like “at least I don’t throw plastic directly in the ocean” are used to justify their refusal to cooperate with and participate in plastic waste abatement and reduction of litter.

All in all, while cutting plastic completely seems a bit unrealistic, especially when we look at all these barriers and obstacles that come in the way, I think what we need to practice and preach is fostering mindfulness and having a deeper consideration of the products that we use on a daily basis and amend our habits to reduce plastic use such as bringing our own cup, carrying/using metal bottles instead of plastic ones, etc. We should remember and practice that a little effort goes a long way and if we consciously make an active effort, we can expect to see a positive difference and a cleaner world.