Today, we perceive plastic as something that is a hazard to the environment and is destroying our planet. Quite ironically, plastic was first invented to save wildlife and once upon a time, was a miracle material.
In the 1800s, several everyday use items like combs and billiard balls were made out of ivory which is obtained from elephant tusks. This led to a decline in the elephant population. To combat this, a billiard company offered 10,000 dollars to anyone who could come up with a substitute for ivory. An American innovator, John Wesley Hyatt took up the challenge and invented a plastic called celluloid, made out of cellulose- a naturally-found compound in wood. However, celluloid was too soft to be used to make billiard balls and Hyatt did not win the prize money. What he did do, however, was invent the world’s first plastic.
Since then there has been no looking. 8.3 billion tons of plastic has been manufactured since 1953. That’s roughly equal to the weight of 822,000 Eiffel Towers or 80 million blue whales. 6.3 billion tons of this plastic has ended up as trash and 91% has never been recycled.
In 2015, almost 50% of the plastic waste generated in the world was plastic packaging, which is made out of single-use plastic (SUP). SUPs, as the name implies, are generally used only once before they are either thrown away or recycled. Items such as plastic bottles, straws, cups, cutlery, food packaging, containers, etc. are made of SUPs. The growth of urban fast life and ‘use and throw’ culture has led to a meteoric rise in the generation of this waste.
Plastics are non-biodegradable and can last for a thousand years without decomposition. Thus, they contaminate our earth and its air, soil and water. Action by wind and waves break plastics down into extremely small particles called microplastics. These are ingested by animals and lead to the death of wildlife. They further enter into the food chain of humans through plants and animals. Some of the components of plastics are carcinogenic i.e. cancerous; for example, Styrofoam, a popular packaging material, is made of toxic styrene and benzene that can adversely affect human health. Therefore it is very important to find an alternative for SUPs.
There is much that individuals can do to stem the rise of plastic waste. While making visits to the grocery stores, one must carry reusable shopping bags. Around 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are used annually around the world while only 0.005% get recycled. The rest end up as junk. One simple step by all of us can prevent that. Often there’s no need to use straws while enjoying one’s drinks. In case straws are a must, paper and metal straws instead of plastic ones should be used. Plastic cutlery should be replaced by glass and metal ones. Instead of ordering food online (since it comes wrapped in a large amount of packaging material), one must make a trip to the nearest food shop and get food packed in reusable containers. Clothes made from synthetic fiber should be replaced with those made with natural fibers like cotton.
The appeal of plastics lies in their affordability and durability. Recycled plastic is often costlier and more difficult to use than new plastic. This discourages their use. Governments need to design policies to ensure that products made of recycled plastic are cheaper. Scientists are working on alternative materials like bioplastics which are made out of plants instead of fossil fuels and are biodegradable.
Mycelium of fungus is an organism which is now being used to make the plastic of the future. This organism is an underground, root-like body for a fungus that produces mushrooms. Mycelium fungus can be used as a substitute for single-use plastic packaging material. Several startups across the world have been experimenting with this fungus to produce packaging material. One such company, ‘Ecovative’ produces packaging material by adding pellets of mycelium to compost and putting the mixture into a packaging mould. After 3-5 days of being sealed and put away from light, the fungus grows into the mould's shape. The product is then cooked to prevent the fungus from growing further. The result is light, strong, fire-resistant, and water-repellent packaging. Scientists have also tried creating mycelium chairs, shoes, etc., and they see mycelium as something that will completely replace plastic one day. One of the things that makes mycelium much more superior to plastic is that mycelium-based products are biodegradable and naturally decompose after their intended product cycle. Even if mycelium-based products replace only plastic packaging, it will be an enormous benefit to the environment.
We started using plastic to save the elephants. Let us stop using plastic or substitute it with better alternatives to save the planet.
Comments