By James Wakibia
The very good qualities of plastic are the same things that make it a problem- its strength is its own enemy! And there is an uprising about it. Is the world going to break free from plastics? Is the world going to beat plastic pollution?
When I started campaigns against plastic waste and calling for the ban on single-use plastic bags about a decade ago, not so many people were talking about it, unlike today.
I saw how bad things were getting out of control and wished we could join forces to tackle it. I was disturbed by plastic in the drains, the streets, and on tree branches.
Plastic bags were all over. Images and videos proliferate through social media of sea birds, dolphins and turtles entangled in plastics or dead from ingesting it.
Plastic is now found in every corner of our world. In our oceans, soil, drinking water, and even on our blood.
The UN says an estimated 400 million tonnes of plastic waste is generated every year globally, with a significant portion of it ending up in landfills, water bodies, and natural environments.
Tedious journey
The impacts are alarming, with over eight million metric tons of plastic entering the oceans annually, endangering marine life and disrupting entire ecosystems.
In my 10-year experience campaigning against plastic waste, I have seen it all. I have documented and shared ugly images of plastics across the world for people to see the magnitude of the problem, with the hope that through this, I will provoke dialogue and spur people to action. Sadly though, most people are not bothered with the images of pollution!
Despite the fact that statistics continue to demonstrate the severity of the issue, emphasising the need for urgent and decisive action to combat plastic pollution, it is clear that individual efforts and awareness alone are not enough.
There is the need for systemic change and global cooperation to address this transboundary crisis.
The fact that countries have come together in one accord to negotiate the global plastic treaty in Paris, France should not be underestimated. It is something that makes me happy.
We have a golden opportunity to make things right by beginning a journey to end plastic pollution; the journey could be long and tedious, but it has started, and as they say, a journey of a thousand miles starts with a step.
In a recent report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), countries have the potential to reduce plastic pollution by 80% by 2040 through the elimination of unnecessary single use plastics, implementing recycling and reuse strategies, introducing deposit return schemes, and substituting plastic with sustainable green alternative materials.
Plastics in lungs
It is proven systematically that mandatory deposit return schemes can greatly reduce plastic pollution if adopted.
My wish is that we could address it as soon as possible, having a 10-year ambitious target. Well, that is James speaking.
I am not part of the intergovernmental negotiating committee (INC) delegation team, however, I believe there are great men and women from all over the world who echo my voice and will do everything in their capacity to bring about change.
The more plastics are produced the more they keep accumulating and polluting. Petrochemical industries are burning the midnight oil to produce as much plastic as possible.
To break it down, they have doubled and tripled their production of plastic. Coca Cola, for example, revealed it produces three million tons of plastic every year, which is a whopping 200,000 plastic bottles every minute, phew!
Sadly, these companies are creating a huge garbage mess that the world would be unable to deal with, it is a time bomb and we must act with speed!
Plastic waste has seeped into our very being. Recent studies have revealed micro-plastics in our bloodstreams and deep within our lungs, raising concerns about potential health impacts.
With cancer cases on the rise from unknown causes, it is crucial to consider the potential health impacts of plastics.
Countries in the global south bears the biggest brunt of plastic pollution and it exacerbates our solid waste management problem, given that we do not have the proper recycling infrastructure to be able to deal with the huge waste that ends up in the landfills.
Developed countries should not export their waste to developing countries that lack proper infrastructure to deal with it. Every country needs to deal with its own waste.
Legally binding treaty
American Chemistry Council in 2020, attempted to arm-twist Kenya to lessen its tough plastic regulations, that as a scheme to flood the country with plastic waste while we are already struggling with our own which is spilling from landfills across Kenya.
The persistent problem of a broken recycling raises a lot of questions whether it is economically viable.
Studies have revealed that less than 10% of plastic ever produced in the world is recycled.
The bigger percentage ends up in the landfills and natural environment where it is either burnt or left to pollute.
Plastic also has toxic additives and every time it is burnt, those chemicals get into the air affecting human health. Which way you look at it, plastic whole cycle is a problem.
Recently, I challenged myself, get into the river polluted with plastic to see how much of it I would be able to collect. I set a one-hour target to collect plastic that could be recycled.
After so much, I was able to collect about 700 plastic bottles, which earned me a meagre Ksh100. That is less than a dollar.
The global plastics treaty must end plastic pollution. In order to do this it has to be legally binding, curb production of single-use plastics, provide finance to restore already polluted environments and it must support countries in the global south already suffering from pollution.
Most importantly, countries especially those in the global north should stop sending their plastic waste to poorer countries. It should be made illegal to export plastic waste to any country.
The author, James Wakibia, is an environmental activist based in Kenya.
Disclaimer: The viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, viewpoints and editorial policies of TRT Afrika.
