As an environmental chemist, I have heard a lot about plastics and its pollution. My chemistry background helped me understand the complex interlinks between organic compounds that lead to the production of the most harmless of plastics, a high density polyethylene (HDPE).
However, a design thinking challenge organized by Cartedo and supported by UNICEF and RLabs showed me another side of plastics and its oncoming disaster we've been romanticizing all along. The findings left me shocked and led to more answers than questions. I've been looking for the answers to the concerning questions ever since.
In Nigeria, an estimated 2.5 million tonnes of plastic waste is generated annually. Unfortunately for us all, the amount of generated plastic waste is about to increase. When the Dangote Refineries begin full operations, they are licensed to produce plastics alongside petrochemicals. My worry is we've chosen to see but overlook the effects of plastic pollution.
Not far away from my house lies a pedestrian bridge that leads to the street. With a little downpour, the bridge overflows. Why? Because the waterway gets clogged with plastics forcing the water to look for another path. I've had to, on several occasions, walk through a fast running, mildly turbulent water that flows above the bridge after heavy rainfall. In fact, people have been swept off the bridge on two occasions when the water flowed over. One was rescued alive, the other person wasn't so lucky.
It takes about 1000 years for a plastic to degrade. While at it, the plastic constitutes a nuisance by blocking waterways, becoming carriers of disease-causing organisms and acting as vectors for diseases in the environment. The degradation process that is supposed to give some respite only makes the situation a lot worse. How? A lot of plastics release toxins and harmful chemicals while degrading.
Degradation of plastics leads to the attainment of new physical and chemical properties by the plastic. According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), additives such as phthalates and Bisphenol A leaches out of plastic particles during degradation. These additives are notoriously known to have the ability to disrupt the hormonal system of both vertebrates and invertebrates.
Leibnitz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries corroborated the claim that nano-sized particles from the degradation of plastics can lead to changes in gene expression and biochemical reactions. They said, “However, it has already been shown that when passing the blood-brain barrier nanoplastics have a behaviour-changing effect in fish.”
Further researches have shown that plastics are gradually finding their ways into our soil and water and these could potentially have long term ramifications on the ecosystem. When these plastics disintegrate into microparticles and nano-particles, they threaten our livelihood. For example, sewage sludge contains a lot of microparticles. When sewage gets applied as fertilizers to our soils, the microparticles are also transferred.
The toxic activities of plastic microparticles on earthworms and other living organisms underneath not only affects the soil fertility, also these toxins can be imbibed by food crops and transferred into humans when they eat the food crops.
Though there has been widespread discussion about the merits and demerits of plastics, the world has gone ahead as if the harmful effect doesn't matter. Still, 300 million tonnes of plastic is produced globally on a yearly basis. Funnily enough, we all act as if we care then we do exactly the opposite. It's even worse in developing countries where plastic recycling plants are few and far between.
Some people see it as an insult to reuse a plastic bag. Some will literally start a fight with a trader for not providing plastic bags for each time they purchase a good. We've already switched to plastic bottles for soft drinks and alcohol instead of glass bottles. The effect has been a widespread littering of the community with plastic bottles.
Maybe the world will take note when a plastic induced pandemic strikes, just as global warming has jolted some sense into us all. I pray it won't get to that before we start acting right.
