Plastic Planet

Plastic seems to be in the news all the time at the moment, whether for good or bad. Just take the huge supplement that was in the Times on the 1st April, talking about Innovations in Plastics, and the endless news pieces about the evil that is plastic bags.

Indeed, we have all heard the bad stories about plastics disposal. Although paper accounts for most of the trash in landfills by volume, plastics account for 25% of all waste in landfills when buried. To make it worse, a significant amount of plastic is not even properly disposed in landfills and makes its way into the environment, where it takes a very long time to biodegrade. Plastic ends up in the sea from waste discarded by ships, offshore dumping, litter on beaches and waste washed to sea by rivers. Therefore, ingestion of plastic material by seabirds is another horrific problem that we have heard in the news. Plastic is impossible to digest and takes up space in the seabird’s stomach that should be used for food, or can cause an obstruction that starves the bird directly. This plastic is sometimes regurgitated and fed to chicks. A particular example is the albatrosses eating all the plastic toys, lighters and golf balls that end up in the sea. What is more, albatrosses also end up feeding their chicks this plastic material, and they only lay a single egg in a breeding system. This plastic causes physiological stress to chicks and causes the chick to feel full during feedings, reducing its food intake and the chances of survival.

But is also important to remember that plastics have some benefits for the environment too. For example, the use of plastic materials in cars and airplanes reduces their weight and therefore increases their fuel efficiency. Insulating plastics such as styrofoam reduce the amount of energy required to heat and cool homes. To read more about plastic go here

Therefore, as with any material, there appears to be both positive and negative aspects to the environmental impact of plastic. It seems the most important thing is to use the material that is most fit for purpose, and to see plastic as a resource. Hopefully we can then look at the whole lifecycle of plastic, and consumers can take responsibility for the plastic they use, recycling and re-using where possible. This should ensure that the end of a plastic product’s life does not involve rotting in a sea birds stomach.