Plastic…Plastic…Plastic! Imagine turning on your tap at home and realized it was blocked by a black plastic bag. Or, imagine glancing through your window after a heavy down pour of rain and realized that your yard is flooded; and upon closer inspection, you realized the drain was blocked by plastic bottles, plastic bags and other materials that were dumped into the drain previously. What will be your first thoughts? I am quite sure your first thoughts would include “How do to beat plastic pollution?” No doubt, the harsh reality is that plastic is uniquely problematic because it is not biodegradable and therefore sticks around for a lot longer (like up to 1,000 years longer) than other forms of trash.
While plastic have many valuable uses, we oftentimes become over reliant on single-use or disposable plastic. Statistics indicate that an average of 1 million plastic drinking bottles is purchased every minute around the world. Every year we use up to 5 trillion disposable plastic bags. In total, 50 per cent of the plastic we use is single use. After this single use about one third of the plastic packaging we use escapes collection systems, which means that it ends up clogging our city drains and polluting our natural environment. Every year, up to 13 million tons of plastic leak into our oceans, where it smothers coral reefs and threatens vulnerable marine wildlife. Plastic also makes its way into our water supply and thus into our bodies thereby causing harm.
This year, the Guyana national bureau of Standards (GNBS) joins the rest of the world to observe World Environment Day under the theme “Beat Plastic Pollution”, which is a very timely statement given the impact plastic can cause. Sitting around and observing is just not enough, every minute a pump is blocked, every minute at least one fish dies because of suffocation from plastic, presently a marine turtle is out in the oceans fighting to free himself from a plastic trap. All these incidences go unnoticed or unaccounted for because they do not directly affect us; but surely one day, will come to haunt us. So, let’s take action now to beat plastic pollution. There are lots of no/low cost simple solutions that can result in the reduction of plastic pollution. A few of these solutions are:
If you can’t reuse it, refuse it:
Let’s Beat Plastic Pollution!
Stop buying water.
If you must drink water, carry a reusable bottle in your bag, and you’ll never be caught having to resort to buying a bottle of any of the brands lining the shelves of supermarkets.
Boycott microbeads.
Those little plastic scrubbers found in so many beauty products—facial scrubs, toothpaste, body washes—might look harmless, but their tiny size allows them to slip through water-treatment plants. Unfortunately, they also look just like food to some marine animals. Opt for products with natural exfoliants, like oatmeal or salt, instead.
Cook more.
Home cook foods are not only healthier, but assist in reducing the use of doggy bags from fast food outlets, these also reduce the use of plastic cutlery.
Wean yourself off disposable plastics.
About ninety percent (90) of the plastic items in our daily lives are used once and then chucked: grocery bags, plastic wrap, disposable cutlery, straws, coffee-cup lids. Take note of how often you rely on these products and replace them with reusable versions.
Recycle.
This point cannot be overstated even though it seems obvious, but certainly, we are not doing a great job of it. Recycle what can be recycled and invest in a zippered fabric bag.
The GNBS encourages all of Guyana to join the effort to reduce the use of plastic and to beat plastic pollution. Remember that every purchase of items in plastic bags is a vote to support the use of plastic. Become knowledgeable and use your vote wisely to bring about a change to support safe and sustainable manufacturing, farming, and resourceful use of plastic in retail industry, whenever possible. Become agents of change, avoid plastic and spread the word. Let’s beat Plastic Pollution.
