56.Plastic waste

Q1 How can we reduce our use of plastic?

Ans- Oh, there are many ways we can easily minimize our use of plastic. First of all, we can, and we should, use reusable grocery bags and paper containers instead of plastic bags when shopping. Cloth bags can last for years. And paper is much better than plastic 'cause it decomposes much more quickly. Secondly, it's important to avoid single-use plastics such as drinking straws or plastic cups. Also, we can use stainless steel or glass food containers whenever possible. For example, we can bring our own containers to restaurants to package leftovers. And we can use them to store food at home as well. Finally, we can reduce our waste and thus our use of plastic trash bags, for example, by using cloth napkins instead of paper towels.

Q2 What kinds of plastic waste are often seen in your country?

Ans- Thank God, our municipal waste collection system works pretty well, so there's almost no rubbish on our streets and in public places. But people leave a lot of plastic bottles after street food festivals, music festivals, outdoor concerts and other public events or celebrations 'cause usually there are not enough bins provided at venues. Also, whenever I go shopping for food, I can see lots of people using plastic bags instead of cotton bags. And it's not a secret that plastic bags don't last long. I suppose they are thrown away each day. And just because we can't see it ('cause obviously we don't go through other people's garbage) doesn't mean it doesn't exist. So, in my opinion, plastic bags and plastic bottles are the biggest contributors to plastic waste in my country.

Q3 Why do people like to use plastic products?

Ans- There are lots of reasons, actually. First of all, plastic packaging significantly reduces CO2 emissions. For example, it protects food against pests, microbes and humidity, which makes food last longer and therefore reduces food waste. Environmentalists say that the CO2 savings from reduced food waste are in most cases incredibly high. Plus, plastic can be designed to be durable without becoming heavy, so you don't have to transport a lot of extra mass and volume. I was blown away when I found out that a glass bottle weighs about 300 grams, a plastic bottle containing as much liquid weighs about 30 grams. This means that for the same transport weight, more liquid can be transported in plastic bottles compared to glass bottles. Thus, by using plastic packaging, companies reduce fuel consumption, which saves money and lowers emissions that are harmful to the environment. Also, plastic provides good insulation to houses and therefore makes them considerably more energy-efficient. And, of course, I can't help mentioning one more important thing. It can be recycled several times before it breaks down. So I think people like using plastic products, especially plastic packaging, 'cause plastic is lightweight, durable, waterproof, recyclable and thermally stable.

Q4 Do you think we should use plastic products?

Ans- I don't think we should use plastic the way we do now, especially all the single-use stuff like bags, wrappers, or plastic cutlery. It's everywhere, and it's just not sustainable. Most of it gets used once and thrown away, and a lot of it doesn't even get recycled properly. Instead, it ends up in landfills or floating around in the ocean, where it takes hundreds of years to break down. And in the meantime, it harms wildlife. Animals eat it or get tangled in it. That's a huge problem. Plus, we are so used to using plastic for everything that we don't even question it anymore, like grabbing a plastic cup when we could've just used a regular one. A lot of it is pure convenience, not necessity. So I don't think we should keep using it like this. We can definitely cut back on a lot of it without too much effort. But the thing is, plastic is still everywhere. It's cheap, light, and easy to produce. And in some areas, like medicine or food safety, it's hard to find a better option right now. So even though we shouldn't rely on it, we still do, because there aren't always affordable or practical alternatives.

Q5 Do you think we can do without plastic altogether in the future?

Ans- I'd love to say yes, but honestly, I don't think we can get rid of plastic completely, at least not anytime soon. The thing is, plastic is everywhere. It's not just bags and bottles. It's in medical equipment, electronics, packaging, even clothes. It's cheap, strong, and super flexible, and that makes it really hard to replace. But I DO think we can massively reduce the unnecessary use of plastic. Like, we really don't need plastic straws, bags, or all that over-the-top packaging. Those are things we can definitely cut out. And there are already great alternatives such as paper, glass, metal, or reusable stuff. So I don't think we'll live in a plastic-free world anytime soon, but we can get to a point where we only use it when it's actually needed, and not just because it's easy.

Q6 What can governments do to reduce plastic pollution?

Ans- There's actually a lot governments can do to reduce plastic pollution, but the most obvious thing is to ban or limit single-use plastics, like plastic bags, straws, and takeout containers. That alone would make a big difference. They can also make companies responsible for the packaging they produce. Like, if your product creates tons of plastic waste, you should either pay extra for that or be forced to switch to more eco-friendly materials. Another big one is investing in better recycling systems. In some places, even if you want to recycle, it's confusing or not even possible. So governments need to make recycling easier, clearer, and more accessible. And finally, public campaigns really help, like ads or school programs that teach people how to reduce plastic use or show where all that trash actually ends up. Sometimes people just don't realize how bad it is until they see it.