It's a Plastic World

Imagine a world without plastic; no computer to type on this article, no mobile phone to communicate with, no modern equipment for surgeries and most commonly no packaging for day to day goods such as drinks, electronics or even groceries.

Now open your eyes to our current world, where the annual production of plastics has doubled from 234 million tonnes in 2000 to 460 million tonnes in 2019 and is still making an upward trajectory. Annual production volumes are expected to rise in the following decades, reaching approximately 590 million metric tonnes by 2050.

Plastics are renowned for being lighter, durable and more cost effective in comparison to other materials, however in the latest UN Environment Programme report ‘Closing the Tap’ experts argue that this cost is paid in future, with several implications at each stage of the life cycle of plastic.

For example, according to a report for WWF by Dalberg Advisors, research has shown that 91% of the GHG emissions from plastic came from plastic production processes. After which, once the plastic has been used it incurs additional costs in the waste disposal process, if it is disposed properly.

Whereas, recent data from the Kenya Plastics Pact shows that under 10% of plastic waste in Kenya is recycled, which means most of the mismanaged plastic waste ends up an extra burden to humanity.

The illustration below gives a visual representation indicating the cost plastic has during it's lifecycle on the market, to the environment, to human health and it's economic implication.

Given that plastic takes hundreds of years to break down, it is estimated that all of the plastics that were ever created since inception in the 1930s are somewhere lingering in the planet today with microplastics having been found in the deepest recesses of the ocean, in pristine mountain glaciers, human bodies and even breast milk.

It is undeniable, we do need plastics for a wide range of vital items, but the amount of plastics on land and plastics in oceans are massive and continue to threaten our planet. How can we strike a balance? In our upcoming series we will take a deep dive into plastic waste and the solutions that have been tried out and some that have been proposed such as biodegradable plastic, waste to energy and plastic eating organisms. Stay tuned to our profile for upcoming posts and articles on the same.