Planet's plastic peril
Anjana Sankar , Special Correspondent (In depth)
16 May 2008
The sooner we realise the devastating consequences of plastic on our environment, the better it'll be for us and our future generations. But given the ubiquitous use of plastic, it may be easier said than done. Countries like the UAE are taking the lead by calling to make the emirates plastic-free by 2012. Khaleej Times reports.
THE ‘use and dump’ culture of the consumer-oriented society is literally piling pressure on our planet like never before. Life on earth is threatened, warn environmentalists, by the tonnes of non-recyclable waste generated daily, polluting our environment and endangering marine life.
While efforts to change consumer behaviour in favour of environmental conservation is gaining momentum all over the world, UAE is also harping on the ’reduce, reuse and recyle’ mantra.
The country has registered one of the highest solid per capita waste in the world at around 1,100kg, and the government is taking initiatives to raise awareness about the menace. Official figures show that Dubai alone generates about 31,000 tonnes of waste everyday. Around 17 per cent of the general waste is plastic and private companies annually recycle around 400 tonnes of plastic.
The total waste collected in 2005 was 11.3 million tonnes, an increase of 71.2 per cent over the 6.6 million tonnes of waste generated in 2003. And it should come as no surprise that a lion's share of it is plastic waste generated by the retail sector in the form of plastic shopping bags.
According to market sources in Abu Dhabi, going by the consumption patterns, major supermarket chains in the capital city alone should be together using approximately 40 tonnes of plastic shopping bags.
Impact on environment
If the useful qualities of plastic have made it popular, the same have turned it into an environment menace because of its persistence with the soil. Being a non-biodegradable substance, composed of toxic chemicals, plastic pollutes the earth, the air and the water. It takes 20 to 1,000 years to decompose plastic waste, clogging the drains and urban sewage system.
The use of plastic bags poses a grave threat to the marine life as the decomposable plastic ends up in sea.
An Abu Dhabi-based environment activist says the impact of plastic waste is worse in the sea than on the land. 'The toxins released by the plastic bags in the sea are far worse than the toxins they release when they are in landfills,' said the activist.
She added that the light and coloured plastic bags used by groceries are more harmful to the environment than the thick shopping bags, and hence any effort to cut down the use of plastic should start from the grass-roots.
Private sector participation
Private and voluntary organisations have joined hands with the government to cut down the use of plastic bags, and help reduce environmental pollution.
In the words of Habiba Al Marashi, Chairperson of the Emirates Environement Group, 'It's important to ensure equal participation of all stakeholders including the government, private sector and people to go plastic free. Though it's a daunting task, it's not impossible if there's a common will to do it.'
Geant Supermarket has pioneered the way by charging 25 fils for each plastic bag. And the hypermarket chain has already donated the proceeds to WWF.
Jean Marc Librun, Chief Operating Officer of Geant, said they are giving customers an option of using reusable jute bags instead of plastic bags. 'We cannot force our shoppers in any way. But by charging for plastic bags, we are encouraging them to go for a better choice,' said Librun.
Spinneys said they have also introduced various measures - some big, some small — to protect and preserve the environment, including the introduction of Spinneys reusable bags, Spinneys trolley bags and biodegradable salad bowls that are made out of sugarcane.
'Cutomers have the opportunity to purchase any of the above options and bring them along for their regular shopping usage, which will ensure that the total number of plastic bags are reduced,' said a Spinneys' spokesperson.
Spinneys also have recycling centres at three of their outlets at Umm Suqeim, World Trade Centre and Ramada, which allow customers to recycle paper, aluminium, plastic and glass.
EMKE that has the largest chain of supermarkets and hypermarkets through out the UAE said there are plans to introduce eco-friendly bags instead of plastic bags in the near future.
Bejoy Pullicken, Marketing and Advertising Manager at Abu Dhabi Cooperative Society, said plans are in the pipeline to soon introduce convenient alternatives to shopping bags at their outlets.
'We have already introduced biodegradable shopping bags in place of plastic covers, and shoppers can buy it at a subsidised rate of Dh2,' said Bejoy.
According to him, there has been an overwhelming response from customers that the first shipment of 12 tonnes of reusable bags was used up within a month.
Towards making UAE plastic-free country
Minister of Environment and Water Rashid Ahmed bin Fahad has said that the UAE will become a plastic-free country by 2012. According to him, the government is planning to phase out the use of plastic as part of its strategic plan. 'To achieve the plastic-free status, my ministry is currently preparing a strategy to completely phase out plastic usage in the country. The environmental hazards posed by plastic is a global issue. We have launched several initiatives to reduce the use of plastic. However, we need time to implement it as we have to replace plastic with an adequate alternative,' the minister pointed out.
He also announced the setting up of a special wing for creating environmental awareness among institutions and people.
Dubai Municipality has also taken up the cudgels against the increasing plastic waste by deciding to stop the free distribution of plastic garbage bags.
Towards the same goal of reducing the consumption of plastic as the long-term solution for the issue, the municipality also conducts awareness and education campaigns for the public, and holds lectures and workshops on related topics. It has established Tadweer, one of the biggest recycling plants in the world, with a capacity to treat up to 4,000 tonnes of waste everyday. Using the latest technology, the waste is segregated into food waste, paper, metals, plastic, glass, etc. While the food waste is composted to produce high quality soil amendments such as fertilisers, the waste paper, plastic, glass and other components are recycled at the plant or sold to other waste recycling companies.
