Plastic: why should we care?

Plastic why we should care

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In recent times, plastic has plastic has become a constant topic of conversation. It is also a substance that is present in it is a substance that is present in virtually every area of our lives. area of our lives. From our toothbrush to our mobile phone from our clothes to our car, plastic is part of most of the products we use. most of the products we use. When we go shopping, we will (almost certainly) receive an item made of plastic. almost certainly) an object made of plastic, regardless of what we want to buy in the store. we want to buy in the shop. Today, it is almost impossible to conceive of everyday life without plastic. life without plastic.

However, mankind has Humanity has lived without this product for most of its history. It was not until the mid-19th century when its first forms began to appear: "[T]he first plastic The first plastic had its beginnings in the United States, in 1860, when a great prize was offered to whoever could a great prize was offered to anyone who could substitute ivory for the ivory used to make billiard balls. billiard balls. The winner was John Hyatt, who invented celluloid (...)" (Polimer Tecnic, 2016). At that point in history, it could even be argued that it was an invention with an ecological vocation, as ivory was used to make billiard balls. ecological vocation, since ivory is obtained, as we know, through the hunting of elephants, which is why it emerged as an elephants, which is why it emerged as an alternative material.

Subsequently, in the 20th century, there was an advance in the chemical formula that gave it greater versatility and uses. versatility and uses, since in 1907, Leo Baekeland invented bakelite, which was considered the first thermosetting plastic. the first thermosetting plastic. It was insulating, resistant to moderate heat, acids and water. acids and water. Its fame grew rapidly and by 1930 scientists were creating the modern polymers that now were creating the modern polymers that now dominate the industry" (Polymer Tecnic, 2016). Tecnic, 2016). As companies discovered its many facets, plastic was becoming more common in households and the becoming more commonplace in people's homes and lives. Arguably, that the industrial production model played a key role in the expansion of plastics. expansion of plastic.

Before we go any further, here's a fact: every piece of plastic ever made (including Hyatt celluloid, produced in 1860) is still in the environment in that form. in 1860) is still in the environment in that form; it has not been degraded, it has not been degraded, not composted. A plastic bag can take 150 years to degrade, while a PET bottle can take 1,000 years to disappear (AQUAE Foundation, 2005). disappear (AQUAE Foundation, 2019).

As early as the 1950s, plastic began to be used in toys, and shortly afterwards something terrible happened: glass containers were replaced by plastic, which started to generate economies of scale(1), very efficient for producers, but not so much for the Earth, animals and plants, and consequently, for humans. 

Difference between cost and price

One of the issues that one of the issues that has helped the proliferation of plastic is, unfortunately, that there is a tremendous imbalance between its price and the cost of dealing with it. It is I mean, being a petroleum derivative, you could say it's a by-product, so it's really cheap. by-product, so it is really cheap. However, for the environment, countries and communities, it has a very high cost to get rid of it. Any Anyone who has been to a beach clean-up will know the effort and economic value required to remove some of the economic value required to remove some of the plastic that poisons and fouls the ecosystem. fouls the ecosystem.

While, as individuals, we cannot individuals we cannot make decisions on a board of directors of an industry that produces plastic that produces plastic, the fact is that as consumers we can choose products that do not contain plastic. choose products that do not contain it. This is one way to force corporations to heed the call of a growing social movement. corporations to listen to the call of a growing social movement conscious of the need to eliminate plastic and aware of the need to eliminate plastic from our lives in order to guarantee a future to guarantee a future.

Alarming situation

Plastic is literally literally suffocating our planet. Costa Rica is no exception. exception. According to data from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) (UNDP) "every day some 440 tonnes of plastic end up in the sea, which means about 15 truckloads of plastic" (Chacón, 2019). this means about 15 truckloads of plastic" (Chacón, 2019). In fact, plastic plastic is Costa Rica's third largest industry, and it is the country that imports the most plastic in Central America. country that imports the most plastic in Central America (Chacón, 2019). This reality clashes with the image of This reality clashes with the image of a "green country" that we sell to the world, as it is clearly a tremendous incongruity and endangers the 3% of biodiversity that we have in Costa Rica. and endangers the 3% of the world's biodiversity that inhabits the country.

This situation not only hurts the ecology, but also the economy. Often those in power are often become obsessed with the Gross Domestic Product of a country, but they ignore that that many times an economic activity can reflect positively on the GDP, but then cause problems. in the GDP, but then cause problems. For example, a water bottling company water bottler that is not responsible for its plastic production does generate economic dividends, but these are then economic dividends, but these are then dwarfed by the nation's efforts to rid itself of such waste. to rid itself of such waste. If the final accounts are done, this type of activity will not be half as profitable as it first appeared to be. it first appeared to be.

In an interview last February, Marviva Foundation's policy advisor Alberto Quesada said:

"A total of 8 million tonnes of plastic waste plastic waste is dumped into the oceans every year, a product of mismanagement, of a society that is society's focus on consumption and poor consumer practices. consumption practices. In Costa Rica, we tried to make an approximation and we concluded that approximately between 110 and 170 metric tons of rubbish go into the environment, a high percentage of which reaches the sea" (Chacón, 2019).

Simply put, our seas are put simply: our seas are infested with plastic.

And then?

Nothing new here. here. The alternative, I'm sure you're all familiar with: Reject, Repair, Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Preferably in that order. The truth is that each one of us must internalise this, as if it were a mantra. The situation is alarming, but there are There are many reasons to be hopeful: having a community interested in the problem and willing to change and willing to change to a more sustainable lifestyle is perhaps the biggest reason of all. the biggest reason of all.

In the end it all comes down to consumer habits. It was these that drove plastic in the second half of the 20th century, after the Second World War. And, paradoxically, it is these same consumer habits where the solution lies. If we start to realise how many products we can substitute, how many alternatives we have, then there is a real chance that the situation will improve. Before consuming any product, let us ask ourselves if we really need all its packaging, if there is a more environmentally friendly option, if we can repair something old, if we have the tools to handle its waste properly; in short, let us take an interest in the fate of things. The last word has not been said, and, personally, I refuse to believe that humanity will find its nemesis in plastic. We are more than that.


(1). Economies of scale are the small savings generated by manufacturing a product or providing a service on a large scale, which makes economic activity more profitable.

Álvaro F. Sánchez Quesada

Álvaro F. Sánchez Quesada

Lawyer and Co-Founder of Compra Sin Plástico. I firmly believe that inner change is a fire capable of igniting movements with global impact. Social justice and finding a green development model are the great challenges of our generation, and every person counts in this struggle.

One comment

  1. Phew 👏🏽👏🏽 level of writing, just loved it.

    Thank you very much for the excellent initiative, for contributing your grain of sand and spreading the ecological message and love for our mother earth; the best of success my brothers 💚.

    Joel M Camacho.

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