“Plastic can be compared to Einstein’s equation ‘E = mc2’,” an engineering professor told me. “It is something that has improved people’s lives. Yet, if we don’t manage it properly, it can have disastrous consequences – like how Einstein’s equation led to the invention of the atomic bomb. Thankfully, humankind has since learnt how to use Einstein’s equation ethically. It’s not too late to learn how to manage plastics.”

 

The problem of plastic

Plastic was invented only about 100 years ago. As a material, it offers benefits of being lightweight, malleable, durable, waterproof, cheap and convenient. In fact, it is so convenient that about 40% of plastics globally is thrown away after using only once (i.e. single-use plastics). However, plastic can take hundreds of years to break down, so plastic waste accumulates in our environment.

Whilst persisting in the environment, it can cause harm to animals: plastic rings restrict the growth of turtles, suffocate marine animals, and cause starvation in birds and deer. Global awareness of plastic pollution has increased sharply in the past few years, with films like ‘A Plastic Ocean’[1] and the National Geographic’s ‘Planet of Plastic?’ campaign[2] raising awareness about the dangers that plastic can cause to wildlife.

So, what to do with all the plastic waste? Burning is not a viable solution either. If burned at temperatures that are not high enough, plastic releases poisonous dioxins that can cause cancer and birth defects. In one Indonesia village, the levels of dioxins were so high that it is comparable a site contaminated by Agent Orange in Vietnam[3].

Another issue is that 90% of the plastic that is sent for recycling does not get recycled. This is because of high rates of contamination and the complexity of plastic as a material: there are more than 7 sub-types of plastic, into which plastic needs to be separated for efficient recycling. This has led to the situation today of various countries (sumbollically?) rejecting imports of plastic waste.[4],[5],[6]

 

Rural perceptions of plastic: examples from northern Laos

While walking around a village, my research assistant and I stopped to chat with a lady. She asked what we were doing, and we took the opportunity to show her the posters that we had prepared about the dangers of plastics (i.e. harm to wildlife, toxic when burned). She asked, “So what can be done about it?” We explained that this is a global problem and everyone around the world is still looking for solutions, but the best way to tackle the problem now is to reduce the use of plastic, especially single-use plastic. And she commented, “No wonder the farang (foreigners) always don’t take plastic bags” (when buying things). Although my research assistants had fed back to me that more environmental education is needed, that was a moment when it really struck me that awareness of the harms of plastic is low in the rural areas. Villagers viewed “no plastic bags” as a behavioural feature of foreigners; the rationale is less apparent.

Fast forward a few months later, at a friend’s village farther north. It was the time of the year when family members gather. I joined a picnic by a stream – definitely feeling very privileged and humbled to be part of the family gathering! They wanted to start a fire to grill fish for the picnic. However, it had rained a few days ago, so the bamboo shavings that are normally good for starting fires were moist. My friend’s daughter came to me – as the least skilled person there, I was just sitting on banana leaves (our mats) and holding on to a stack of plastic cups for the beer later – got a plastic cup from me, walked back and passed it to the group. They lighted it up with a lighter, and it was perfect fuel to get the fire going.

That night, there was a small funfair. One of the prizes was concentrated orange juice – delicious for the children! – in single-use plastic cups. A relative came to me and asks if I had any empty plastic cups. In my limited Lao, I understood that she is collecting those so that she could pass them to her children to burn as fire-starters. Eventually, I think I ended up drinking one cup of orange juice and passed the cup to her. There was no solid waste management system in this rural part of Laos, so where else could this cup go? If not burned, then likely on the ground, washed down a stream when it rains, etc., etc. ……

When discussing this with my Lao language teacher, she explained why plastic is used as fire-starters: “It burns well, and if you don’t burn it, it will just pile up anyway. So why not use it as fire-starters? It helps to the fire to burn and you can get rid of it at the same time.”

I remember sitting around a fire on cold morning in another village. I was enjoying the conversation (whatever I could manage in my limited Lao) with two ladies whom I hadn’t spoken to personally before. I was also enjoying eating my grilled rice pancake, a real delicacy. One of the women casually threw a small candy wrapper into the fire. It combusted quickly and was gone within a few seconds. I cringed inside, debating whether or not to hold my breath. But, it was certainly not my place to berate her. Doing so would be highly insensitive.

Streams of single-use plastic make their way to the countryside everyday, typically as food packaging. Yet, what does not get delivered is an associated waste management system.

 

Can rural tourism lend a hand?

At the Sustainable Tourism Expo in Vientiane, Laos, on 27-28 September 2019, a specific symposium was dedicated to the theme of plastics and tourism. Representatives from Laos, Indonesia (Bali) and Vietnam were invited to share their countries’ solutions. In Bali, environmental sustainability goes hand-in-hand with the Balinese religious worldview. A ban on single-use plastics was introduced in end-2018[7]. In Luang Prabang, Laos, water refill stations have been introduced[8] to reduce tourists’ dependence on plastic bottles. The relevant department also engages cafes and restaurants to do away with plastic straws, and works with guesthouses and hotels to reduce plastic waste.

A symposium on plastic in the tourism industry at the Sustainable Tourism Expo in Vientiane, Lao PDR, in September 2019

Ms Phonemaly Inthaphone from the Ministry of Information, Culture & Tourism, Lao PDR, shares about efforts to reduce the use of plastic in Luang Prabang

What else can be done? Look at the packages that tour companies offer, and you’ll see a ‘Trek through an ethnic village’ or ‘Homestay at a rural village’ as a possible itinerary. Tourists who sign up for such tour packages will go through rural villages.

There is a Lao proverb: ‘Create virtue while you are here. They will miss you when you are gone.’[9] Can the tour companies work with these villages to reduce their plastic usage, help bring plastic waste back to the city’s landfill, or find a rural-scale solution?[10] More importantly, can tour companies and tourists help to increase awareness about the dangers of plastics among the rural villages?

A Lao proverb

 

A Lao song for Lao children

My friend and I adapted the lyrics of a Lao children’s song into a song about plastic[11]:

ຂີເຫຍື້ອ ຂີເຫຍື້ອ ພາລາສຕິກ

ອັນຕະລາຍຕໍ່ສິ່ງແວດລອ້ມ

ເຮົາມັກທຳມະຊາດທີ່ດີ

ເຮົາມັກທຳມະຊາດທີ່ສະອາດ

ເຮົາຕອ້ງໃຊ້ພາລາສຕິກຫຼຸດລົງ

ເຮົາຕອ້ງໃຊ້ພາລາສຕິກຫຼຸດລົງ

(Loose translation:

Plastic trash

Is hazardous for the environment

We like good nature

We like clean nature

We should use less plastic

We should use less plastic)

Here is a recording of the song[12]:

We’re happy for environmental groups and tourists to use this song as environmental education material in rural villages. Please spread the word!

P.S.: We may also develop a song about why the plastic use should be reduced, 😉

 

[1] http://aplasticocean.movie/

[2] https://www.nationalgeographicpartners.com/press/2018/05/planet-or-plastic/

[3] https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/14/world/asia/indonesia-tofu-dioxin-plastic.html

[4] https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/malaysia-returns-150-container-loads-of-plastic-trash-to-countries-of-origin

[5] https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/1846429/waste-plastic-imports-to-be-banned

[6] https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2020-world-plastic-waste/

[7] https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/bali-fights-back-tons-floating-plastic-threaten-spoil-once-pristine-n1045746

[8] https://tourismluangprabang.org/travel-guide/water-refill-station/

[9] From book titled ‘Proverbs of Laos: The Wisdom of our Ancestors’, produced by the young people at the Children’s Cultural Center and the Orphanage School of Luang Prabang and published by Big Brother Mouse.

[10] For example, the outdoor adventure company in Gopeng, Perak, Malaysia, has invested in a small-scale incinerator to reduce plastic waste that is accumulating in the area. See: https://nomadadventure.com/phoenix-initiative/

[11] In July 2019, we taught this song to the children in one village as an accompaniment to a clean-up activity. When we went back in January 2020, we decided to do another clean-up activity with this song. We were VERY surprised (and proud!) that the children remembered the song!

[12] Audio recording is extracted from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIbKCZQIAXE