Jones, B. (2023, June 7). Finally, a solution to plastic pollution that’s not just recycling. Vox. https://www.vox.com/down-to-earth/2023/6/7/23743640/plastic-pollution-un-treaty-oceans-waste
With the impact that plastic is causing on Earth, different countries have taken different approaches to try and combat the immense impact. However, many countries were to have a global treaty, where all countries vow to limit the amount of plastic they produce and consume. Some countries and U.S. states have already taken steps to reduce the amount of plastic, like prohibiting plastic bags and microplastics in things like shower gels and other personal care items. One solution to the plastic problem that Nicky Davies, executive director at Plastic Solutions Fund, proposes is a reuse economy, where instead of single-use plastics, you get reusable containers for food and drinks that you could bring back and use again. This solution can have a heavy investment, but this type of system is already in place in Europe, Latin America, Asia, and parts of Africa. While it might be hard to come to a consensus and enforce, a treaty to limit plastics could work.
As we know, much of plastic ends up in our environment and is constantly affecting our atmosphere. I think that this article proposes a strong suggestion of what we could do to stop the effects of plastic. By using the reuse economy idea as talked about in the article, we could greatly reduce the number of single-use plastics that are polluting our environment and affecting our biodiversity. Additionally, a global treaty to reduce plastic waste could help everyone greatly. Getting all countries to agree to this type of treaty is likely to be difficult, especially when some countries rely on fossil fuel burning, which is how plastic is made. However, it could greatly decrease the impact of plastics on the environment which could benefit almost everyone in the world.
I agree that it will be hard to get all countries to agree to this policy, especially because of the culture in some places. For example, in the US, there is a culture of disposability and material, meaning people are not used to reusing things and instead will just throw away something after using it once or when it breaks. On the other hand, other places have a culture with more conservation. An example of this would be Japan, where there is a tradition of performing Kintsuge on a broken bowl or plate, where it is glued back with gold glue at the cracks, making it more valuable than it was before. Do you think the US will ever change from a replacing culture to a reusing one?
Thank you for commenting! What you said about different cultures is super interesting and something I hadn’t really considered when reading the article. I think US culture is very connected to, like what you said, disposability, and changing this type of culture would be very challenging. However, I think creating new policies that would help promote reusing materials and recycling things that typically would be single-use could eventually change how Americans view plastics and disposability.
I agree with your claim that by concentrating on plastic’s manufacture and design rather than just recycling, a global pact might significantly reduce plastic pollution. However, its execution calls for fair enforcement that takes into account the various socioeconomic realities of other nations. I would like to know how we can make sure that lower-income nations receive sufficient assistance as they phase out plastic while balancing other development goals?
I think you bring up a really good point and one that is very difficult to answer. I think one way we could make this happen is for bigger countries, like the US, could try to fund more resources for reusable materials and help lead other countries. Thank you for commenting!
Interesting article and very uplifting to see many parts of the world have reusable systems in place. Perhaps we could implement a system where people exchange x amount of plastic items in return for a reusable version of said item?
Thanks for commenting! I think that is a great idea to try to reduce the amount of plastics that we use, and also show that many items can be converted into a reusable system.
I agree with your conclusion. How would you think the first step would go to lowering plastics and burning?
I think that the first step is just limiting the amount of plastics that are produced. By putting a limit on the amount of plastic each country could produce, it could change how much burning of fossil fuels we actually do. Thanks for your question!