Green Tau: issue 72

1st July 2023

Plastic free July?

 July two years ago I wrote in the Green Tau about plastic being the pollutant we live with. In many ways not much has changed since then except that we are, globally, producing even more plastic every year and with global recycling rates at around 10%, the total volume of plastic in or not in use, is growing even faster. There is more than one tonne of plastic in the world for every person alive today – https://ourworldindata.org/faq-on-plastics

Plastic Free July seems to be even more important than ever!  The problem of plastic could be viewed from three perspectives. 

Firstly can we reuse the plastic we already have rather than creating more virgin plastic? 

Secondly can we agree and enforce at governmental level an effective global treaty that will end plastic production in a way that is fair to all and not just the richest/ most powerful bodies? 

Thirdly can we as individuals re-adapt to a plastic free lifestyle – albeit with all the advantages that bother new technologies have to offer?

Reusing plastic depends on several factors.

1. All  used plastic is collected for reuse  (ensuring it doesn’t get blown away into the oceans, side tracked into landfill, or diverted into an incinerator)
2. That it is properly sorted according to the different types of plastic 
3. That it is sufficiently clean/ uncontaminated (this is where consumers need to act responsibly)
4. That where possible plastic items are reused rather than being recycled as the latter is more energy intensive. Bottles made of a sufficiently durable plastic can, for example, be refilled and reused.
5. That there are means of recycling each sort of plastic, ideally within a closed loop – eg that PET bottles are remade into new rPET bottles (the r signifying that the plastic has been recycled). This may need the input of grants for developing nations to ensure that they can afford the initial cost of recycling plants – in the long term this will benefit all global citizens. 
6. Where closed loop recycling is not possible (even rPET will wear out), there needs to be processes that can recycle the plastic into a lower grade but still usable form: already playground equipment, outdoor seating, and shop fitting panels can be made from such material.
7. That all these processes happen close to where the original plastic ceases to be in use. At present plastics collected for recycling may travel half way across the world to be recycled.
8. That the cost of recycled plastic should be cheaper than the cost of virgin plastic – this may initially require the input of taxation on items of virgin plastic and at the same time support for poorer households to enable them to cope with the extra cost of some essentials.
9. That product designers and manufacturers consider reuse and recycling from the outset.
10. Can plastics previously consigned to landfill sites be ‘mined’ and reused?

Plastic alternatives – The long term goal would be to phase out the use of plastics, replacing plastic with non polluting alternatives such as paper and card, aluminium, glass, wood, cork plus the growing range of new materials as they are developed – eg straws made from seaweed, polystyrene substitutes made for. Mycelium, food packaging made from cornstarch, and various plant based plastic substitutes. All these new products need investment at the design stages and the. investment for scaling up to commercial production levels. It also takes time, and in the course of which the ‘mound’ of  fossil based plastics will continue to grow. Removing non reusable plastic from the world is going to be a slow process, but the quicker we start addressing the issue the better.

A global plastic treaty is not now a dream but a work in progress. In June of this year, 180 UN member states agreed to start international negotiations on drawing up a global plastics treaty that could set rules for production, use and disposal of plastics. The talks were also attended by  stakeholders including civil society groups, waste pickers and a coalition of scientists. Stakeholders used the talks to call for plans to manage microplastic pollution, regulate the thousands of hazardous chemicals baked into plastics, create a financial mechanism to support the transition, and protect the rights of people disproportionately exposed to plastic chemicals and waste. Many countries are calling for action to go beyond cutting plastic pollution and to curb production as well. At the same time oil- and plastic-producing nations, including Saudi Arabia and Brazil, together with fossil fuel and petrochemical lobbyists, were set on watering down the treaty.

Nevertheless this is a landmark step and will be followed by further meetings to finalise details including which elements will be legally binding and how the deal will be financed. The aim is that the treaty will come into effect in 2025. (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jun/06/first-steps-agreed-on-plastics-treaty-after-breakthrough-at-paris-talks?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other)

UK government policies – Can the aims of the plastic treaty be supported by laws and directives from the UK government? Can the government do more to persuade businesses to be less reliant on plastic, to increase first the reuse and second the recycling of plastic, and to encourage we as consumers to adjust our habits too? 

The plastic bag tax introduced in ….. has seen a substantial reduction in the number of plastic bags used annually. In the last few years it has become the social norm to take a shopping bag when we go out shopping –  more so for daily necessities: new shoes and clothes are still usually carried away in the store’s own (paper) bag. 

Since 2020 single-use plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds have been banned, and this approach is being extended this autumn to include the ban of single-use plastic cups, plates and cutlery used takeaway outlets.

In France the use of plastic bags to pre-pack fruit and vegetables is being limited. As of the beginning of 2022 the sale of 30  types of fruit and vegetable in plastic bags has been banned, and this will extend to all fruit and vegetables by 2026. A similar scheme is being introduced in Spain. Here in the UK such schemes where they exist are voluntary, with Morrisons leading the way. This is an area where letters of complaint by customers might effect change, and can be followed up by boycotting pre packed produce. 

A deposit return scheme is being formulated by the government and is due to be in place by 2024, with a likely deposit of 20p per item for all single use drinks containers including plastic bottles and metal cans. Whether this will also lead to the reuse of suitable bottles I am not sure. Such schemes do exist in Germany (https://www.dw.com/en/how-does-germanys-bottle-deposit-scheme-work/a-50923039)  and Switzerland, and even here in the UK some individual suppliers operate such schemes or offer a refill service -eg Milk and More, the Source Refill Store etc. 

Various pieces of legislation encourage companies to reduce the amount of packing – especially plastic packaging – that they use. Such legislation comes within the group termed Producer Responsibility Regulations. Certainly many Easter eggs now proudly proclaim that they are free of plastic packaging, and paper wrappers for Mars Bars are currently being trialed.

Household recycling provision varies from authority to authority with no consistency as to what is recycled in which bin and how often. The government is in the process of developing a policy to standardise recycling policies for all local authorities but this may have a knock-on effect as some local authorities will need to invest in new collection bins and vehicles. Nevertheless it has to be a good idea that will encourage a higher recycling rate. 

Promoting a plastic free lifestyle is what Plastic Free July is all about. It is certainly easier for consumers of governments require businesses to provide plastic free packaging, but even if that is not the case, it is possible to make choices that reduces our consumption of plastic – whether that is not buying a pre-packed sandwich, using a keep cup rather than buying coffee in a takeaway cup, buying loose fruit and vegetables, or buying solid bar soap and shampoo. There are plenty of websites offering advice – you might visit Plastic Free July’s own web site – https://www.plasticfreejuly.org/ or  visit the Friends of the Earth web site – https://friendsoftheearth.uk/plastics/living-without-plasticb  – but don’t be bamboozled by websites that just want to sell you plastic free products. 

As much as anything what is key is a change in mindset – automatically looking for the plastic free product. Once you are used to avoiding plastic packaging, look to use plastic-free goods too – the wooden toilet brush, the metal washing up bowl, a rubber and sisal yoga mat. It is not necessary to throw away plastic things; rather use and reuse them to maximise the usefulness of the plastic and then – finally – recycle it and replace it with a plastic free alternative. 

Fo further articles on this blog about plastic see -https://greentau.org/tag/plastic/page/2/