Reading 2: Plastics

What is the definition of a microplastic?

plastic fragments smaller than one-fifth of an inch across

• small bits of plastic that accumulate in the ocean after larger items break down

Even though the amount of plastic produced has increased exponentially in recent decades, what was the suggested reason for why the amount of plastic in oceans and beaches doesn’t appear to be rising as fast?

Scientists suggested that much of the “missing” plastic is breaking down into pieces so small they are hard to see, becoming microplastics that are dispersed widely in the ocean rather than just floating as large items

What is more worrisome to scientists than eating fish that may have consumed microplastics? 

• Scientists are more concerned about the chemicals added to plastics and the even tinier nanoplastics that microplastics degrade into

• These might enter the tissues of fish (and humans), carrying potentially harmful chemical additives

What is the largest market for plastics today?

• Disposable plastic packaging, much of it discarded within minutes of purchase, is now the largest market for plastics

  • single use plastics

• About 40% of annual production goes into packaging

More than one quarter of the world’s plastic is produced in which country?

China

How has the use of plastic saved wildlife in the past?

In the mid-1800s, plastics such as celluloid replaced elephant ivory in products like billiard balls and piano keys, helping reduce the demand for ivory and sparing elephants from being hunted for their tusks

How is the recycling shop in Manila that is operated by the Plastic Bank trying to improve the situation?

• The Plastic Bank recycling shop pays a premium for bottles and hard plastics collected by waste pickers, then resells that material to multinational companies that market their products as socially responsible

• This helps poor communities earn income while reducing plastic waste

What is a sachet and how do they contribute to the issue?

Sachets: small tear-off packets that hold single servings of products like shampoo, toothpaste, or coffee

• They are sold widely in poor communities but are not recyclable

• Because they are used in huge numbers and discarded immediately, they accumulate and blow around cities like Manila, creating a major waste management challenge

What have PepsiCo and Coca-Cola pledged to do by 2030?

• Coca-Cola pledged to “collect and recycle the equivalent of” 100% of its packaging by 2030

• Along with PepsiCo and other corporations, they have also committed to using 100% reusable, recyclable, or compostable packaging by 2025

Explain the concept of a global fund and how it could help in tackling the problem

A global fund would collect money (for example, through a tax on every pound of plastic resin manufactured) to finance solid waste management systems, especially in developing nations where most mismanaged plastic originates

• This could provide resources for garbage trucks, landfills, and collection systems to prevent plastic from entering rivers and oceans