Advocating responsible use of plastics

Recycling and changing mindset on indiscriminate disposal key to sustainability, say stakeholders

PETALING JAYA: Plastics have had a bad reputation for decades now. It is non-biodegradable, and used and discarded plastic items end up in oceans, posing a threat to marine life.

However, according to producers and recyclers of the material, such a label is unjustified.

Plastics by itself does not pollute. The fault lies with people – how they use it and dispose of it is the problem.

As the Malaysia Plastic Recyclers Association (MPRA) pointed out recently, migrating from a linear economy now to a circular economy in the use of plastics is sustainable for the environment.

“Rather than use it and then dispose of it, plastics can be reused and recycled for other uses, thereby addressing the issue of pollution,” MPRA secretary Datuk Johnson Yoon told theSun.

Credit for the introduction of the first real synthetic plastic material goes to Belgian-American chemist Leo Baekeland. It was Baekeland who also coined the word “plastic” when he unveiled the new material to the world in 1907.

Its versatility meant that it could be shaped for every use, from food containers and piping to toys and medical implants.

Being non-biodegradable, plastics quickly became a problem for the environment.

Each year, about 300 million tonnes of plastic waste is discarded, almost equivalent to the collective weight of the world’s entire population, according to the United Nations Environment Programme.

Since the early 1950s, more than 8.3 billion tonnes of plastics have been produced, and 60% of it have ended up in either landfills or the environment.

The Malaysian Plastic Manufacturers Association (MPMA) claims that “misleading information” has led to the misconception that plastics are a threat to marine life.

“It is the habit of littering that is the problem. Plastics can and should be used responsibly, reused and recycled,” said MPMA vice-chairman C.C. Cheah, adding that it is impractical to eliminate the use of plastics.

“It is used in every sector, from automotive and medical to electrical and electronics,” said Cheah, who is also chairman of the MPMA recycling sub-committee.

“It is unfair to associate plastics to just bags, bottles and straws.

“These are lightweight single-use items and is largely disposed irresponsibly, giving plastics the label of a polluter.”

He pointed out that plastics have always been the preferred material and unless another environmentally friendly and equally or more versatile alternative is introduced, the world should focus on how to manage its use rather than restricting its production.

Yoon said demonising legitimate plastic recycling will only hurt Malaysia’s efforts to attain economic and environmental sustainability.

He pointed out that only “clean” plastics, mostly generated by the production process in factories, is recycled.

“For instance, manufacturing airconditioner casings generates plastic scraps that is homogeneous and clean. We ensure that such plastics are not sent to the landfill or incinerated, but recycled and put to good use,” he said, adding that soiled and mixed household plastic waste are not recycled.

Cheah and Yoon reiterated that legitimate recyclers are already complying with 18 stringent rules to safely handle clean, homogeneous plastic scraps.

“Recycling factories are closely monitored. We have to get approvals from the Department of Enrironment and the National Solid Waste Management Department before we start operating.”

However, Ecotourism and Conservation Society Malaysia chief executive officer Andrew Sebastian said there are chemical by-products from plastic manufacturing.

He said the better solution is to have wrappers and other single-use items made of “new-age” plastics that does not contain biochemicals.