Hello everyone! In the previous blog post, I discussed how the battle against plastic pollution has taken a toll since the start of the pandemic. In this blog post, I will explore more about how we can balance the needs of the COVID-19 pandemic with our fight against plastic pollution.
IN THE HEALTHCARE SECTOR
In the previous blog post, I had established the need for single-use plastic personal protection equipment (PPE) to safeguard the health and safety of frontline workers and the general population. Indeed, it is difficult to entirely rid ourselves of single-use plastics, especially when they play such a vital role during this pandemic. As recommended by Patrício Silva et al. (2021), the sustainable use of single-use PPE can aid in reducing plastic waste. This includes choosing high-quality PPE that can be disinfected and reused several times before disposal. However, as of now, there is little that we can do to vastly reduce plastic pollution within the healthcare sector as there are no viable alternatives to single-use PPE.
IN THE FOOD SERVICE SECTOR
Other than the healthcare sector, there is another avenue where we can explore the reduction of single-use plastics — the food service sector. Since the start of the pandemic, the use of disposable plastic containers and utensils has become more prevalent due to health and safety concerns. In addition, many people are increasingly opting for food delivery options to avoid crowded food establishments. In Singapore, food delivery operations still use significant amounts of single-use plastics. Although there had been some efforts adopted by the food service companies to reduce plastic pollution, many are put on hold indefinitely since the start of the pandemic. To reduce single-use plastics in the food service sector, companies can consider venturing into using paper bags or cardboard boxes to deliver items to customers (Patrício Silva et al., 2021). In addition, as recommended by Patrício Silva et al. (2021), companies can also look into using bio-based plastics made of polymers derived from biomass. However, while I agree that paper bags and cardboard boxes are options that companies can consider, I personally disagree with the proposed shift towards bio-based plastics. Although bio-based plastics can potentially reduce plastic pollution, it distracts our community from the root cause of our problem which is the overconsumption of plastic materials. The transition towards bio-based plastics is a short-term solution and it must be supplemented with other solutions. Ultimately, our community should seek to change the fundamental systems and structures that allow and promote the overconsumption of plastics.
MOVING FORWARD
Currently, Singapore is slowly coming to terms with the virus being endemic locally. Hence, I believe that it is a good time to reintroduce plastic reduction efforts that had been on pause for the past few years. This pandemic is also a good reminder that single-use plastics are not complete evils. They do serve important purposes and help to maintain hygiene and improve our quality of life. However, it is important that we, as consumers of single-use plastics, manage plastic use sustainably to reduce plastic pollution.
That’s all for today folks! Till next time.