Niki Bezzant: We need to use less plastic, now

Discarded single-use plastic bags can present a hazard to marine life. Photo / 123RF

COMMENT:

A damning and frankly depressing report on plastic last week has reinforced the fact that this is the year we have to start turning the tide on the ocean of plastic waste we collectively create, and in which we will surely drown without major change.

The report by Royal Society Te Apārangi tells us we have thrown away three quarters of the volume of plastics ever produced. The report estimates the equivalent of a garbage-truck-load of plastic waste has been dumped into the ocean every 38 seconds over the past decade.

This has led to increasing amounts of microplastics in our food chain. The extent of this is still unknown; but the report says evidence is mounting that there is good reason for concern, especially given the toxic chemicals contained in some plastics.

Plastic is not fantastic. Photo / 123RF

The report's authors say there's a need for more consistent and clear labelling of plastics, waste infrastructure to support recycling efforts and more innovative design to allow for greater recovery and reuse. That's all true but as one expert said, we can't recycle our way out of this problem. We have to start using less plastic in the first place.

So we need to change our habits. Just as we have stopped using single-use plastic bags, we need to choose to consume less plastic in our daily lives.

But have you noticed how hard this is to do? And especially when it comes to food and groceries? If I were attempting plastic-free July, I would have failed dismally within the first week. That's because so much of our food – healthy or not – comes in plastic, and it's very, very hard to avoid in the course of a normal life. Packaging is by far the largest chunk of plastic we consume.

Yes, there are those stores where you can go and refill your re-usable containers. These are great but at the moment they're few and far between, with a fairly niche range of products and, frankly, they can be expensive.

Reusable containers are welcomed at many retailers these days. Photo / 123RF

I think the responsibility for the massive change needed in consumption can't be all on the consumer. It has to go back to the manufacturers; the people making the decisions about how our food is packaged. They can't keep putting products out there in plastic and taking no responsibility after that. Especially when you consider that less than 20 per cent of the waste plastic generated globally each year is recycled. We know that lots of our plastic waste can't currently be recycled in this country.

It would be good to think food companies are innovating hard behind the scenes; that they're all working to find alternatives to non-recyclable plastic for their packaging. There are signs of this. My favourite potato chips now come in a home-compostable packet, for example.

But I reckon it might take more bold regulation, just as with plastic bags, to really make headway here. A ban on non-NZ-recyclable plastic in packaging? Incentives for product stewardship schemes? We probably need this and more, and quickly.

• Niki Bezzant is editor-at-large for Healthy Food Guide www.healthyfood.com