Facts and myths about plastic

Food packaging, household appliances, electronics, furniture, car components, hygiene products, clothing... It is difficult to find a market sector in which there are no products wholly or even partly made of plastic. Although the history of this material is just over 100 years, it is flooding the entire planet today. It is estimated that over the past ten years, we have produced more of it than throughout the previous century. Plastic is rightly under fire today, and we must limit its production, but can we eliminate it from our lives? Is all plastic - colloquially speaking - wrong? Here are 8 myths that appear in conversations when someone mentions the word plastic.

"EVERY PLASTIC IS BAD, AND WE SHOULD ELIMINATE IT"

If we were to indicate the main culprit of the negative changes that have affected our planet in recent years, then plastic would probably only be overpowered by excessive CO2 emissions. The flood of plastic caused that in the general consciousness, everything we produce from it is terrible and non-ecological. And of course, when it comes to the scale of the phenomenon, the numbers don't lie. We produce too much plastic, we dispose of it too quickly, and we cannot properly recycle it. However, plastic is a material that has many advantages and features that other materials do not have - at least at the moment.

It can be formed in any shape.
Plastic items can go in different colours.
At low density and low weight, plastics show high chemical resistance and mechanical strength.
The cost of making plastic materials is relatively inexpensive with other materials.

Without plastic, it would be challenging to keep food fresh - especially from other parts of the world, the neutrality of medicines hidden from the sun in blisters, or sterility in hospitals and stores. So where does the problem with plastic come from, if it's such a useful material? Well, mainly due to its universality and durability, which caused that we overuse it where it is not needed, and quickly get rid of it where it could be useful for longer.

"PLASTIC CAN BE USED FOR EVERYTHING"

In theory, yes. In practice, this ends up overproducing this material and littering the planet. We have looked so much at the universal nature of plastic and the possibilities it offers, that we have forgotten to match the type of packaging to the raw material it is supposed to protect. Well, sometimes we don't need packaging at all, and we still use it! We must move away from the belief that due to the low production costs, ease of manufacture and transport, plastic packaging is suitable for any type of product.

Plastic yes, but where it is necessary, where we can benefit from environmental protection and receive properties that no other material can give us - e.g. for long-term products. In contrast, biodegradable packaging for products with short validity, which quickly break down and deteriorate.

A conscious designer open to the needs of the environment and the consumer should be involved in the packaging production process from the very beginning. He knows what would happen to the packaging after using the product.

"PLASTIC IS FREE AND USED ONLY ONCE"

When in 1959 the Swedish engineer Sten Gustaf Thulin patented a method of making plastic bags, it did not occur to him that we would only use them once and dispose of them quickly. Today, the popular plastic bag, which is one of the most common garbage on the planet, was thought - ironically - as an ecological alternative to bags made of natural materials.

Already in the 1960s, excessive deforestation for the paper industry and increasing cotton cultivation, which, by the way, needs enormous amounts of water (this is how the Aral Lake, for example, dried up) - meant that alternative materials began to be sought. This way, a plastic bag was born, which soon, due to low production costs and speed of production, took over the world of shopping. For the convenience of consumers, such bags have been given away for free. You didn't have to wait long for the results of such an experiment.

We are used to the fact that we don't have to take a bag to the store, because we get one for free. After shopping, we can throw it away and grab another one. Over and over again. And it would be enough to carry the bag - even a plastic one - always with you. Or introduce substantial fees for their use. Which, slowly, slowly, but in many countries is finally happening. Is it better to return to paper or cotton bags? Not necessarily.

"PAPER OR COTTON BAGS ARE MORE ECOLOGICAL THAN PLASTIC"

Compared to plastic, bags made from natural materials break down quickly. Is a time when such products' disappear from the earth the only distinguishing feature of environmental performance? Or maybe how much energy and other resources are needed to produce them? If we look at their environmental performance - whether we like it or not - plastic wins. Just look at the following facts:

Four times more energy and three times more water are needed to produce a paper bag than a plastic bag.
The production of a paper bag means 70% more air pollution and 80% more greenhouse gas emissions than a plastic bag.
It is no better with water that is contaminated during the production process. In the case of a paper bag, it is up to 50% more than in the case of plastic bags.

Maybe the choice should fall on cotton? It is not an ideal solution either. This material needs even more water, and thus energy. During its production, large amounts of CO2 are created. And how is the case with glass?

It is calculated that a paper bag must be used three times, and a cotton bag as much as 131 so that their production equals the production of a plastic bag!

"PLASTIC LAYS DOWN THE LONGEST OF ALL MATERIALS"

Well, archaeological findings from around the world perfectly show that glass - which is widely regarded as a more eco-friendly material - can survive in the ground, unchanged, thousands of years. Some say that the process of its decomposition will take place only after 4000 years, others that the glass will rarely break down! Therefore, this material needs even more time to disappear from the planet than plastic, which disintegrates after about 500 years (and yet there are still biodegradable polymers whose decomposition time can take even after half a year).

The disadvantage of glass is also its weight and volume during transport. Ergo - cars transporting glass bottles to stores will produce more CO2 than would be the case with plastic bottles.

Is plastic more eco? We are far from such statements. Glass - which is simplified, in principle, sand - definitely wins over plastic when it comes to ecological and recyclable material. Estimations show that around 80% of bottles are recycled around the world (they are mostly returnable, and the bottle has a specific cost). Meanwhile, the recycling of plastic packaging, which with a few exceptions (e.g. in Norway) are just like the bags given away for free, is only 9% on a global scale!

"EVERY PLASTIC CAN BE RECYCLED, SO WHAT'S THE PROBLEM?"

The problem is that although in theory, most types of plastic can be recycled several times, the situation with segregation and knowledge about plastic packaging is terrible. Instead of ending up with plastic, it ends up at best in smokeless incinerators, worse in landfills, and worst-case scenarios in the ocean. After falling apart into micro-particles called microplastics, it is absorbed by plankton, fish, and finally, it hits our table.

Where does the problem with plastic segregation come from? Let's be honest; it is a collective fault. Packaging producers and designers (who produce too much plastic). Consumers (who do not give the raw material for recycling at all or provide the raw material unsuitable for it). The proper legal system (e.g. in the form of a deposit for bottles), and holes in the waste treatment system itself. It is not said at all that if the plastic is recyclable, it will be subjected to it. In addition to the type of plastic, it also depends on:

whether the packaging is made of one material or many (so-called mono-material);
the colour of the packaging;
plastic quality (how many times it has already been processed) and cost-effectiveness for the recycler;
and even from what was wrapped in plastic.

"IF WE ELIMINATE PLASTIC, IT WILL POSITIVELY AFFECT THE ENVIRONMENT AND HUMAN LIFE"

Therefore, given both the advantages and disadvantages of plastic, the above sentence would seem 100% true. But here, too, one should be careful in making unambiguous judgments and wonder if we are once again reaching for solutions that - just like a plastic bag - have a problem to eliminate, and only add new challenges to us.

The number one issue that should be solved is not plastic or even CO2 emissions. Still, excessive and unstoppable consumption, which tells us to buy food with a monthly supply, replace the phone every one and a half years and take a new plastic bag whenever shopping. We are used to the fact that our planet's resources are limitless, but they are not. Simple replacement of plastic with paper and biodegradable materials will not do anything good. We will only have to allocate more space for cultivation and cut more Amazon jungle on paper. In our proceedings, there is a lack of a broader view of the problem and basic knowledge that will allow us to reasonably approach the subject and understand that the problem lies not only in the raw material but also in how we use it.

Wasting food today is as high a challenge as the plastic jungle that is growing around us. It is estimated that in highly developed countries approx. 40% of food goes to the bin. If we gave up packaging ultimately, then with this scale of consumerism, food losses would be even higher. Why? Because already at the stage of its purchase in the store, where every product would be available loosely, people would only choose the best fruits and vegetables, and skip over those wrinkled. All the rest abandoned would go to the trash.

The same applies to, for example, preservatives. On the one hand, we would like to eliminate them from food, but on the other, we do not realize that getting rid of them will result in the need for better protection. And this will probably end with the production of new packaging.

There are many problems, and they do not end only with plastic. It is us who need to change our habits, not by inventing another wonderful, biodegradable material, but by slowing down the unlimited consumption.

"I WILL NOT CHANGE ANYTHING SO WHY I SHOULD LIMIT PLASTIC"

So what to do to solve the problem with plastic? Can one person change anything at all? Is it worth trying at all? Yes, of course! Let's start with ourselves and the nearest neighbourhood. Let's not look at large corporations and mass producers. Let's not blame everyone for plastic overflow. Let's look at how we approach shopping, segregate waste, and how we use plastic packaging. Even small activities can start an avalanche of change and inspire others to act. Examples? Here they are:

Always take your own, reusable bag for shopping (whatever it is)
Don't have a biodegradable or cotton bag? Okay, durable plastic bag that you use hundreds or thousands of times will be much better than taking thin plastic bags every time. It is also better than paying for biodegradable bags. We must get rid of the belief that the shopping bag - whatever material it is made of- is not, and should not be, one-time.
When shopping online / offline, ask not to wrap it.
Sometimes, even if you have your own bag, the seller will automatically pack it in extra plastic. Wherever possible - including online orders - ask not to wrap the goods in extra plastic if you don't need it.
Give up disposable plastics
In the lives of each of us, there are many disposable products that we use for several minutes. They will stay with us for hundreds of years, you know? Straws, coffee mugs, disposable cutlery - these are all things you can't do without. If you need to drink through a straw - there are many alternative materials for plastic. Can't imagine a morning without coffee in the city? Buy a thermal mug. Are you looking for organic lunch salads? See what they are wrapped in and check if you will not find the time to prepare a salad at home and take it to the lunch box. Read the article on the EU directive restricting disposable plastics.
Replace the water in the bottle with tap water
The quality of tap water is not ideal everywhere, but in highly developed countries (e.g. in Poland), you can drink it from the tap. By buying a simple water filter and a reusable bottle, you will not only reduce the use of plastic, but you will also save a lot on everyday shopping.
Sort waste properly
An additional plastic waste bag at home is obvious. Unfortunately, many of us still throw into it materials that are unsuitable for recycling or do not separate elements from each other, making it difficult or impossible for recyclers to work. For a recycling system to work well, it must have the support of consumers who know how to handle different types of waste.