By Bagia Arif Saputra
Anger & Stress Management Specialist
This week, CNN released an article about the catastrophe that potentially harms the livelihood of future’s generations, and it’s not the COVID-19 pandemic or the climate crisis, but plastic pollution crisis.
Many people think that plastic pollution is merely littering problem, but the truth is plastic is a significant contributor to climate change. According to Center of International Environmental Law, more than 99% of plastics are made of fossil fuels and the plastic production is most likely to double up in the next three decades. One report even predicts that the plastic pollution in the sea will triple over the next decade.
Plastic pollution is not only an ugliness of sighting that we see littering the beach, but it is actually a human health crisis. Plastic poisons our body, from the air we breathe, the water we drink, to the food we eat. On average, we consume an amount of credit-card sized microplastic every week which contains toxic chemicals such as carcinogens and endocrine-disrupters which is believed to affect the human’s reproductive biology.
According to Oceanic Society, there are 5 ways that you can do to reduce the plastic pollution today:
1. Reduce the use of single-use plastics
To get started, reduce using single-use plastic bags, water bottles, straws, cups, utensils, take-out containers, and start using the reusable ones.
2. Recycle, reuse, and upcycle properly
If you use single-use plastics that can be reused or recycled, make sure to do it. You can also use your creativity to upcycle any plastics waste into something that is useful.
3. Organize or participate in a cleanup
This is one of the most direct and rewarding ways to fight plastic pollution. Simply go to the beach, parks, or waterways to collect plastic waste with your family or friends, or join local movement cleanup in your area.
4. Avoid products containing microbeads
Microbeads or tiny plastic particles are found in some face scrubs, toothpastes, and bodywashes. They’re usually labelled as polythelene and polypropylene on the ingredient labels.
5. Spread the word
Last but not least, please share this info with your loved ones and ask your family and friends to be part of the plastics waste solution instead of pollution.
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