Many nations are implementing solutions to prevent plastic production, including banning plastic bags and straws. However, a better solution may be to reuse the material instead of eliminating it.
In 2018, the world produced 2 billion tons of solid waste, including 275 million tons of plastic. Plastic filled oceans and rivers, killing marine life and polluting water sources. Countries around the globe responded by restricting plastic use. In 2018, Australia established a plastic bag ban. The UK outlawed plastic straws and coffee stirrers in 2020. Two weeks ago, India stopped using plastic straws, cutlery, and food packaging. Several of the bans are centered around the food industry.
The food industry uses the most plastic due to its packaging. According to an article by Axelle Parriaux in BBC news, “in 2015, 141 million tonnes of plastic packaging waste was generated, compared to 42 million tonnes of plastic textile waste – which was the next largest sector.”
Despite the overwhelming numbers, experts still believe that plastic packaging should stay.
Romane Osadnik, an account manager at CITEO, a French non-profit company for limiting the environmental consequences of packaging materials, says, “plastic can sometimes be the best option, especially in the food industry. Film wraps and plastic bags that seal food [like cucumber wraps] preserve the quality of the food and are lightweight options.”
A popular alternative to plastic packaging is cardboard, but it is not as effective as plastic.
Cardboard is less protective than plastic and food can be damaged easily. It is also heavier than plastic and requires more power to transport, resulting in more fossil fuels and air pollution. “In the end it often turns out to be more polluting to use cardboard wrapping than plastic, when the entire food production chain is taken into account,” Osadnik explains.
Many people point out that cardboard’s decomposition process only takes a few months while plastic can last for 400-1000 years. They argue that plastic is hard to break down and pollutes the environment for longer. However, when cardboard decomposes, it releases methane into the air, which is one of the most common greenhouse gases. In contrast, plastic’s slow decomposition is stretched over decades, so its effects are barely noticeable.
Cardboard is not the only alternative; people are replacing plastic with reusable materials.
However, scientists have found that plastic might be better for the environment than these “eco-friendly” options. In an article published in the journal ScienceDirect, researchers studied single-use plastic, reusable plastic, cotton, and paper grocery bags. They discovered that cotton and paper bags had the highest negative impact on factors, such as fossil fuel use.
Plastic has several benefits: cheap, light, and flexible. These characteristics make the material popular, especially in the food industry. It is a versatile tool that can is reusable but is frequently tossed after one use. Rather than giving up on an efficient material, a better solution would be to reuse it.
In 2018, the world produced 2 billion tons of solid waste, including 275 million tons of plastic. Plastic filled oceans and rivers, killing marine life and polluting water sources. Countries around the globe responded by restricting plastic use. In 2018, Australia established a plastic bag ban. The UK outlawed plastic straws and coffee stirrers in 2020. Two weeks ago, India stopped using plastic straws, cutlery, and food packaging. Several of the bans are centered around the food industry.
The food industry uses the most plastic due to its packaging. According to an article by Axelle Parriaux in BBC news, “in 2015, 141 million tonnes of plastic packaging waste was generated, compared to 42 million tonnes of plastic textile waste – which was the next largest sector.”
Despite the overwhelming numbers, experts still believe that plastic packaging should stay.
Romane Osadnik, an account manager at CITEO, a French non-profit company for limiting the environmental consequences of packaging materials, says, “plastic can sometimes be the best option, especially in the food industry. Film wraps and plastic bags that seal food [like cucumber wraps] preserve the quality of the food and are lightweight options.”
A popular alternative to plastic packaging is cardboard, but it is not as effective as plastic.
Cardboard is less protective than plastic and food can be damaged easily. It is also heavier than plastic and requires more power to transport, resulting in more fossil fuels and air pollution. “In the end it often turns out to be more polluting to use cardboard wrapping than plastic, when the entire food production chain is taken into account,” Osadnik explains.
Many people point out that cardboard’s decomposition process only takes a few months while plastic can last for 400-1000 years. They argue that plastic is hard to break down and pollutes the environment for longer. However, when cardboard decomposes, it releases methane into the air, which is one of the most common greenhouse gases. In contrast, plastic’s slow decomposition is stretched over decades, so its effects are barely noticeable.
Cardboard is not the only alternative; people are replacing plastic with reusable materials.
However, scientists have found that plastic might be better for the environment than these “eco-friendly” options. In an article published in the journal ScienceDirect, researchers studied single-use plastic, reusable plastic, cotton, and paper grocery bags. They discovered that cotton and paper bags had the highest negative impact on factors, such as fossil fuel use.
Plastic has several benefits: cheap, light, and flexible. These characteristics make the material popular, especially in the food industry. It is a versatile tool that can is reusable but is frequently tossed after one use. Rather than giving up on an efficient material, a better solution would be to reuse it.