Plastic is a lightweight, ‘cheap’ and hardy material that can be utilized in a wide range of applications. Plastics can potentially be reused and/or recycled perpetually with minimal or no leakage into the environment as they do not corrode or rust. However, large amounts plastics have continued to leak and accumulate in the terrestrial or aquatic environments as they are mostly non-biodegradable but breakdown into small fragments known as micro-plastics.
The increasing demand for plastic products coupled with poor waste management measures has led to a buildup of plastic waste in the environment including ecologically sensitive areas to levels that may surpass our ability to cope unless there is a rethinking of the way plastics are manufactured, used and managed.1 Nearly 50% of global plastic waste is made up of plastic packaging designed to be used only once before being thrown away or recycled thus referred to as disposable or single use plastics (SUPs)
Plastic production has grown rapidly over the last 50 years from 15 million tons in 1994 to 311 million tons in 2014. Nondegradable plastics account for 73% of litter in any aquatic habitat, 50% of which is disposed after single use. Plastic waste is an emerging contaminant that is not readily biodegradable but persist in the environment for long periods. It is estimated that there are 5 trillion pieces of plastics floating around the world’s oceans. These plastics contain hazardous chemicals used during polymer production. Plastic kills over 100 million marine animals and harms over 600 marine species every year globally (UNEP, 2018)
The main types plastic polymers used today include; polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), polystyrene (PS), polyurethane (PUR) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Packaging is the world’s largest plastic sector accounting for about 25% of the market where about one million plastic bottles are purchased every minute (UNEP, 2018).
Single use plastics are beneficial in many ways but are difficult to manage at the end of life. Most SUPs are dumped into the environment and are not recycled. Research shows that less than 10% of the nine billion tons of plastics the world has ever produced has been recycled. In the business as usual scenario, it is projected that there will be 12 billion tons of plastic litter lying in landfills, dumps and the environment by 2050. By then the plastic industry will account for about 20% of the world’s total oil consumption. Measures to regulate the production and use of disposable plastics are necessary to curb any further rise in the accumulation of these items in the environment thus reducing and eliminating the environmental degradation associated with them.
Therefore, the presidential directive to ban the use of SUPs in protected areas is timely as it will help to address the problem through avoidance and prevention.