The Problematic Plastic Dependency Culture at Hand!
At the recent IUCN Global Youth Summit, I was fortunate to share the talking space with some of The University of the South Pacific’s marine student researchers who spoke candidly about their research on marine litter and its impact on marine ecosystems and our coral reefs. The stark reality of the lifecycle of a single –use plastic is disturbing!
If we continue to toss empty plastic bottles and plastic bags in the sea, the Pacific waves and sunlight will shred all that plastic into tiny micro bits. And these bits will float in the ocean for years, sponging up toxins to add to the ones already in them waiting to be eaten by some hapless fish or oyster and ultimately ends up on our Saturday seafood lunch buffet.
Marine litter is a menace – a global catastrophe worth mentioning in the same breath as climate change. Single-use items are the epitome of a convenience culture and the main culprits are plastic cutlery, coffee cups and straws.
This war on single-use plastic does not need a remake of the planet’s entire energy system. However, if we fail to act now, the plastic waste problem will continue to get worse. My three-year-old baby sister has been groomed when she started taking her first baby steps on recycling and rubbish disposable.
At a very young age, we have also tried our best to give her eco friendlier alternatives that she can use every day. For instance, wooden blocks and books that we buy from garage sales, flea markets and thrift shops. And if it is not a toy, our baby sister joins us at the mangrove planting site or on a beach clean-up event.
The piles of colourful confetti of broken shreds of plastic on the beaches and waterways are the red flags we must address – we need motivation to curb this problem. Plastics have been the material of choice for many of us – our dependency on these plastics have become part of our culture and we religiously use them for our convenience.
While littering of the reefs and our oceans is now at the forefront of public concern, general littering in the communities is an eyesore and of concern as well. The roadsides, public spaces and national parks can have a huge negative impact on people and for me, it is a pet peeve. There’s a lot of buck passing – the finger pointing on who is responsible for litter awareness, waste management and findings on the root cause of littering comes in many levels.
Concerned individuals, organisations and groups that have taken part in clean up campaigns shows how people care about this blight – but it is not enough to rely on actions from a smaller group of people. Single-use plastic is almost impossible to avoid and in developing countries, consumers often times have little choice to refuse it.
The Fijian Government’s-imposed plastic ban in January 2020 (under the Environment Management Act 2005 section 45A) was a good call – but it created some kind of confusion when it announced its approved 50 microns and above in thickness with a handle plastic alternative.
To many consumers who have dependent on plastic bags for shopping, there was no real plastic ban – a 50-micron plastic is still a plastic. But this ban also brought out the creativity in many of us too. We bought some old potato sacks and made shopping bags out of it with some DIY tutorials that were available on YouTube and Pinterest. The Government’s decision to go plastic free also gave birth to a reusable grocery bag business that supplied durable and fashionable grocery bags designed for multiple uses. This reduced the reliance on plastic grocery bags. And I love it!
Lobbying for a Plastic Free Fiji Day – April 20!
On April 20 (Earth Day), I intend to launch a 75 Day Plastic Free challenge and to use this year’s Earth Day to garner support to lobby for the Government to declare every April 20 a “Plastic Free Fiji Day”. On the day, I challenge everyone to give up a single-use plastic product – it can be a plastic straw, a plastic juice bottle, a set of plastic cutlery or plastic toys. We have to start somewhere and if giving up a plastic product for 24 hours works – imagine the impact of this genuine noble gesture if done on a daily basis.
Choosing April 20 to launch this Plastic Free Fiji Day is based on many successful events that have a milestone achievement such as the historic Paris Agreement that was signed on Earth Day in 2016 by 175 countries.
In 2010, a campaign was launched to plant one billion trees to mark its 40th anniversary and the target was achieved in 2012.
Earth Day celebrations addressed the growing issue of global warming and the switch to clean energy. The 75 Day Plastic Free challenge ends on July 3 – this day has been recognised as International Plastic Bag Free day – a global initiative that aims to eliminate the use of single-use plastic bags in the world. I am confident that we can use the 75 days challenge to evaluate our plastic consumption habits and to start the momentum for a plastic free society.
Just say no to plastics – even if is free!
Plastics have been the material of choice for many of us – our dependency on these plastics have become part of our culture and we religiously use them for our convenience.
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