The long term impact of plastic in the environment:

Plastic is convenient, i.e. it is lightweight, durable and cheap, however, the very same qualities that make plastic desirable for consumers are the same ones that cause plastic to stay in the environment long after it’s ‘intended use’. The above picture puts into perspective just exactly how unsustainable plastic use currently is. If one considers how much natural resources are required to produce a plastic bottle, for instance, and the amount of labour involved compared to how long plastic the water bottle is used for it’s intended purpose, it is in no way sustainable. Furthermore, the same plastic bottle spends the majority of its lifetime in a landfill or even worse, out in the environment where it could end-up in the waters and affect wildlife. Tangling and entrapment of organisms have been reported in the past. What is even more worrying though, is that plastic breaks down into smaller particles called microplastics. These microplastics are small enough to be consumed by small organisms such as fish and crabs. Because we (humans) are also part marine and fresh-water food-chain, we in turn are affected by contaminants that may attach to these microplastics.

Research suggests that, as it is the case with the majority of developing countries, South Africa has a single-use plastic-dependence challenge coupled with poor waste management which costs millions Rands to clean each year. In recent years, taxpayers have been forced to foot the bill for waste generated by companies that produce and distribute plastic material, particularly single-use plastics, on a large scale. It is imperative that major corporations such as Coca-Cola, Unilever, Clover, Shoprite, Pick n Pay, Checkers, Sasol, Shell and Plastics SA that profit considerably at the expense of the environment be held accountable for proper management of plastics. I propose that proper recycling systems be put in place by large-scale manufacturers and distributors of plastics mentioned above in order to eliminate at least 80 % of the total debris entering the marine environments.