avatarRené Phongam, DPT

Summary

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the global plastic pollution crisis, leading to increased single-use plastic waste and a setback in environmental progress due to necessary health precautions.

Abstract

The article "Unmasking COVID’s Impact: The Plastic Pandemic" discusses the unintended environmental consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly the surge in plastic waste. The necessity for personal protective equipment (PPE) like masks and gloves, coupled with the increased demand for single-use plastics in the food industry, has resulted in a significant increase in plastic pollution. Despite pre-pandemic efforts to reduce plastic use through bans and recycling initiatives, the health crisis has reversed much of this progress, with recycling programs being cut and the use of reusable items being discouraged due to contamination fears. The article highlights the alarming projection that plastic waste will increase by 30% by the end of 2020 compared to 2019, with an estimated 450-year lifespan for plastic items, leading to the proliferation of microplastics in the environment and the food chain. The author suggests that while PPE is vital for healthcare workers, the resulting plastic waste is problematic, with 129 billion face masks and 65 billion gloves being used monthly. The article calls for a renewed focus on reducing, reusing, and recycling, as well as mindful consumption, to mitigate the long-term environmental impact of the plastic pandemic.

Opinions

  • The pandemic has led to a significant increase in single-use plastic waste, undoing years of progress in reducing plastic pollution.
  • Health concerns have taken precedence over environmental concerns, with many establishments and U.S. states reversing bans on single-use plastics.
  • The collapse of the oil market has made virgin plastic cheaper, incentivizing its use over more sustainable alternatives.
  • The breakdown of recycling programs due to budget constraints and shifting priorities is exacerbating the plastic pollution problem.
  • The long lifespan of plastic, particularly single-use items, is a major concern due to their persistence in the environment and the formation of microplastics.
  • The author emphasizes the importance of individual and collective actions to reduce plastic waste, such as using reusable masks and bags, and opting out of single-use plastics when possible.
  • The article suggests that while addressing the immediate health threat of COVID-19 is crucial, it should not overshadow the ongoing environmental crisis caused by plastic waste.

Unmasking COVID’s Impact: The Plastic Pandemic

Plastic pollution is piling up with nowhere to go

Photo by Michael Havenith on Unsplash

COVID-19 has devastated entire communities and shaken healthcare systems. As a result, global citizens have hastened to take measures to safeguard their health against the virus. Precautions against COVID-19 primarily include extensive use of personal protective equipment (PPE) such as gloves, face masks, and single-use plastics.

The virus is impacting the integrity and health of human lives, as well as the environment. A troubling consequence of COVID-19 is the plastic disposal tsunami, with the medical field and foodservice industry battering our shores as the most prominent waves.

Plastic is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, single-use plastics are lifesaving for frontline healthcare workers fighting against COVID-19 and have helped curb transmission. We are trying to protect ourselves in the sacrifice of the environment. On the other hand, the environment is taking a beating from the surge of plastic.

One step forward, two steps backward

Pre-COVID, there were eight million metric tons of plastic waste swimming in the ocean every year. Even more alarming, plastic pollution is projected to increase by 40% within the next decade. We plan to see 30% more waste on a shorter timeline by the end of 2020 than in 2019.

There was some progress in banning plastics and encouraging reusable bags before the coronavirus outbreak. Since the pandemic, health concerns have taken precedence over environmental concerns and reversed environmental progress. We took an environmentally friendly step forward but took two steps backward.

  • Establishments reversed the use of reusable items due to fear of spreading the disease. Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts ceased the allowance of customers to use reusable mugs.
  • The U.S. states that banned single-use plastic bags pre-COVID, like California, Connecticut, and New York, lifted these bans for precautionary measures.
  • Some retailers have banned customers from bringing reusable bags, whereas pre-COVID, some cities implemented a plastic bag tax to encourage reusable bags.

Plastic is cheaper than ever before. Nearly every piece of plastic begins as a fossil fuel. When the oil market collapsed due to the economic slowdown, plastic became less expensive than before. It is now financially advantageous for companies to package products in new, cheap virgin plastic. As a result, there is an overwhelming increase in one-time-use and plastics such as masks, gloves, hand sanitizer bottles, delivery packaging, and takeout containers.

Recycling Took a Hit

Recycling has slowed down tremendously due to budget strains and priorities. Recycling facilities are tied to local budgets and are already cutting recycling programs to slash costs. Much of the plastic in the Western world ends up in mismanaged open dumps or landfills, which often ends up back in the environment.

The plastic pandemic is a result of the combined breakdown of recycling and trend in single-use plastic. Plastic pollution also has a very long lifespan that exacerbates the issue.

Approximately 450 years.

This is the daunting lifespan of plastic. Single-use plastic can outlive us and many generations to come. To make matters worse, plastic never fully degrades but shrinks into smaller pieces of plastics, called microplastics. Microplastics become problematic when they leech into the water system after discard due to their domino effect.

Imagine a disposable face mask floating in the plastic tsunami that is becoming our ocean. When the mask finally breaks down, marine creatures such as zooplankton ingest the microplastics. When larger fish consume small sea creatures like zooplankton, these microplastics are absorbed and transferred into the fish, where they can cause inflammation and other adverse reactions.

Microplastics swim farther up the chain when humans consume these larger fish because the toxic compounds transfer into the human body. Vegans and vegetarians are not out of the woods either. Even more disturbing, microplastics have also been found hiding in table salt, tap water, and ~90% of bottled mineral water. This cycle indicates we are ingesting some parts of plastics in our diet.

The plastic tsunami involves massive waves from personal protective equipment and food-related services.

Plastic from PPE

It is essential to ensure healthcare workers have the resources and tools to support themselves on the job safely. PPE, such as surgical masks and gowns, are mainly made of non-woven fabrics like polypropylene, polystyrene, and polyethylene. These materials effectively keep bodily fluid droplets out due to the microfibers’ hydrophobic composition, but not so effective once discarded in a landfill or ocean.

Plastic from personal protective equipment has driven increased plastic pollution. We have 129 billion facemasks being produced every month, with a lot ending up in our water. It is now more common to spy a disposable mask on the side of the road than a plastic bag.

Single-use face mask production in China catapult to 116 million per day in February 2020 –12x the usual amount. Global use of PPE increased to 129 billion face masks and 65 billion gloves every month post-COVID. We have a massive trail of clinical waste polluting the environment as a result of COVID-19.

Plastic from Food

One-time packaged takeout meals and delivered groceries contribute to additional waste. The restaurant industry has increased the amount of plastic involved in takeout and delivery orders as more people are reluctant to leave the house or under shelter-in-place orders.

There has also been a steady rise in takeout and delivery orders. The global plastic packaging market size is projected to grow at a compound annual rate of 5.5% due to this pandemic response.

The pandemic aftermath increased plastic pollution, but what can we do to help?

Quick Solutions: Reduce — Reuse — Recycle — Be Mindful

Photo by Lacey Williams on Unsplash

Recycling alone is not the answer.

We used to densely focus on ‘recycling’ to help save the environment, but little of the plastic we use is actually recyclable. It is favorable to continue recycling as much as possible, but there are additional benefits from an emphasis on reducing and reusing.

What can we do today to reduce or reuse plastic?

  • Wear reusable face masks
  • Dispose of single-use face masks correctly
  • Purchase hand sanitizer contained in ecologically sustainable packaging
  • Use a reusable stainless steel metal straw in substitution for a plastic straw
  • Generate a QR code to read the restaurant menu instead of using a disposable menu
  • Bring your own reusable shopping/produce bags to markets
  • Request to opt-out of single-use plastics when ordering food
  • Carry and use a reusable water bottle
  • Bring a reusable container to a restaurant when you expect to have leftovers

On a larger scale, one solution is for restaurants to adopt asking customers to opt-in or out if they want plastic utensils with their order. When a restaurant chain, Just Salad, took plastic pollution a step farther and implemented asking customers whether they wanted single-use utensils or not, they reduced utensil to use on those orders by a whopping 88%.

Unmasking The Plastic Pollution

Killing plastic is not the ultimate answer, but reducing and reusing help. How we dispose of plastic must be balanced against COVID-19’s fast-spreading threat. We can not lose sight of humanity’s long-term challenges, including environmental and public-health risks generated by plastic waste.

If everyone acted with incremental lifestyle changes and mindfulness, it could result in large scale environmental support for Mother Earth. We all hold social and environmental responsibilities, so let us focus on what we can change and improve now.

COVID-19 was a sudden shockwave to most of us, but plastic pollution is a reputable threat that has been sounding the alarm for years.

Covid-19
Plastic Pollution
Lifestyle
Pandemic
Coronavirus
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