As the pandemic continues to demand necessary equipment such as surgical masks, gloves and protective equipment, COVID19 has amplified another ongoing crisis...plastics.
The rapid expansion of production of necessary plastics for these products has caused serious challenges to the efforts to reduce plastic pollution.
Adjustments for Public Health
The pandemic forced a shift in how we live every part of our lives, from work to leisure and has in turn, forced a change in consumption as well, especially in plastics. The measures that have been put in place to reduce and ban plastics, needed to be reconsidered and looked through the lens of preventing the spread of COVID19, rather than the health of the environment.
Some retailers have banned shoppers from bringing their own reusable shopping bags; coffee chains are currently not accepting customer-proffered mugs as well as plastic bans in New York, Massachcusetts, Maine and Oregon have been delayed. As areas in the US begin to test reopening, measures will be put in place to help reduce the risk of spreading COVID19. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend restaurants that will be reopening switch to disposable menus, plates and utensils, and swap in single-portion condiments. These are appropriate measures given the dire circumstances, but will generate large amounts of plastic waste with no real end date in sight.
We’re Home, and Shopping
Because so many of us are living our lives in our homes now, we’re creating more trash. From shopping to eating to ordering in, our consumption has not slowed with our lifestyle changes.
Amazon alone saw a revenue increase by 26 percent to $75.5 billion in the first three months of 2020, shipping most of those deliveries in plastic packaging.
It’s been reported that Americans are now generating up to 30 percent more trash on a regular basis, says David Biderman, executive director and CEO of Solid Waste Association of North America recently said in an article in Vox. In some states, recycling programs have been put on hold because they need to devote more staff to keep up with the increased amount of trash, and also because some facilities aren’t able to keep workers 6 ft apart to sort through recycling.
What do we do?
Prior to the pandemic, plastic production was already projected to increase by 40 percent over the next decade, so what do we do now that these hard-fought measures are being rolled back for public health?
Advocate for plastic-free packaging through resources like SeaHive
Shop at bulk stores or shops with refill models
Use reusable shopping bags and advocate for local governments to reconsider lifting restrictions on single-use plastics.
Ensure your plastic gloves and masks are properly discarded in waste collection systems.