Single-use Plastics and Poverty

Hence intended to be used once before being discarded, a particular type of plastic is called Single-use plastic which is light in weight, versatile, waterproof, and strong. Due to such amazing properties, the consumption of single-use plastics in a wide range of applications (transport goods, packaging food, etc) is growing rapidly leading to a huge issue of managing the waste after it is discarded.

In the process of manufacturing, polymers called Polyethylene (PE), and Polypropylene (PP) are used for single-use plastics. This manufacturing represents the largest share of the global plastic market even though the product has the shortest life cycle. While violating the concept of Circular Economy (closed-loop system of resource usage), the manufacturing of Single-use Plastics represents the Linear Economy (open-loop system of resource usage). Oil and gases are mixed through manufacturing single-use plastics letting the industry be the fastest-growing source of industrial greenhouse gas emissions. It ultimately causes greenhouse.

Most of the everyday plastic products including water bottles, food packages, etc are manufactured by single-use plastics. Once they are discarded, landfilling, incineration, reusing, recycling, thermal cracking, and carbonization are commonly used practices to manage the waste. Both thermal cracking and carbonization are costly. Recycling works to a certain extent only. So mostly incineration comes first releasing toxic chemicals like VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds), and dioxins which are toxic for both humans and animals. But this process incorporates a calorific value of 43.3–46.5 MJ/kg and 46.5 MJ/kg respectively for PE and PP. Single-use plastics have made investments toward the bottom of the waste management hierarchy.

But at certain events when this plastic waste is not properly collected and treated appropriately, those aggregates in the natural environment. Disposed single-use plastics are not biodegradable. The degraded single-use plastics contaminate soil, water bodies, etc. The serious threat to entire biodiversity caused by microplastics is related to the degradation of single-use plastics in the natural environment. It makes beads of plastics which are in the size of micrometers. Therefore this degrading of single-use plastics causes ecological issues until the endangerment of certain species. Further contaminated soil has reduced crop growth interrupting food security too.

Whether the waste is treated, but in an environmentally unsound manner, it will create a severe threat to both the environment and humans. Environmentally sound treatment methods require enhanced technology and investments.

It is observed that single-use plastics are preferred by people from developing countries due to their low cost. Poverty has led them to go for affordable smaller containers but in the end, they have used a lot of packages. Some countries have gone for banning single-use plastics. When they do there is a question about social justice and equity.

Manufacturing of single-use plastics needs technology, knowledge, resources, and investments. They have no facilities to do the manufacturing. Instead, their poverty has let them spend a lot of money on importing single-use plastics.

Usually, people from developing countries have a lower literacy rate. Poverty doesn't lead them to afford a better education. So their awareness of proper waste collection, sorting, and treatment is comparatively low. This makes the situation worse. People use the waste stream as a great source of income generation collecting important resources and selling them unaware of the fact that this direct exposure can cause severe health issues.

But the same poverty hurts them in the end since they have no sophisticated treatment facilities for the collected waste of single-use plastics. They tend to go with incineration which results in many toxic chemicals. And then they are the people who suffer mostly from the health impacts of waste.

Most of the developing countries are agricultural countries. The reduced soil fertility through contamination of single-use plastics and microplastics further threatens their lives regarding food security.

Tourism is a great source of income generation for these developing countries. But when the collected single-use plastics on nice beaches completely destroy the scenic value, no tourist may come. The faunal species like turtles are already endangered due to marine microplastics. As well as the unpleasant smell would not allow people to visit such areas. This aesthetic degradation avoids the income that may be generated through tourism.

When these single-use plastics are in our surroundings, they may clog the waterways when it is raining. This can lead to flooding while increasing the threat from climate change impacts. Such flooding can destroy income from agricultural activities and threaten human lives.

In a developing economy context, they lack manufacturing facilities to meet the demand for biodegradable single-use products. The lack of financial support for developing single-use plastic alternatives further burdens the issue. There are lack of government initiatives to promote biodegradable single-use products. A high cost is associated with technologies for the alternative of single-use plastics.

If developing countries that suffer from poverty import single-use plastics and use them than developed countries do since these products are affordable for them, experience health issues due to waste management issues, etc proves the connection between single-use plastics and poverty.

What we should do for managing the issues of single-use plastics and poverty

• The discussion shows that proper waste management of single-use plastics is not worth enough compared with source reduction.
• Affordable sustainable alternatives for single-use plastics should be introduced. Because sustainable products are more expensive than single-use plastics.
• Associate Circular Economy concept.
• Make people aware of the outcomes of using single-use plastics.
• Introduce the Refill-Reuse system. In developed countries, this is already practiced while paying a certain amount for refilling.

If we really concern on the matters associated with singe-use plastics and poverty, we can sustain our needs while protecting our environment and human wellbeing.

Important facts for your knowledge

Single-use plastics become problematic since they

• Threat to economy (tourism, fisheries, agriculture)
• Impact on environment (loss of biodiversity, ocean pollution, land pollution, air pollution)
• Impact on human health (Aggregation of natural disasters including drainage system blockages, release of toxic fumes if burned, contamination of water sources, food chain contamination)

Even though people prefer using single-use plastics, They have refused these products with being aware of the harmful impacts of them. Following are some reasons to refuse single-use plastics.

• They are made from fossil fuels
• They are associated with a huge carbon footprint
• Such products will still be here for hundreds of years
• Only a tiny percentage of single-use plastics is recycled
• It leaches toxins into food and drinks
• These cause hormone disruption and cancers
• Our oceans are frequently polluted by single-use plastics
• They kill marine animals and birds
• Single-use plastics can be entered our food chain leading serious health issues