Try bio-based approach to end plastic menace

Plastic bottles

Used plastics are commonly disposed of in landfills and water bodies.

Photo credit: Shutterstock

What you need to know:

  • The United Nations Environmental Programme (Unep) says 400 million tonnes of plastic are produced annually.
  • Used plastics are commonly disposed of in landfills and water bodies, a situation blamed on a lack of state-of-the art recycling facilities.

The global plastic addiction rides on the material’s unique properties, such as light weight, strength, durability, affordability and low production costs. But it fuels plastic pollution, which is possibly the most widespread evidence of humanity’s damage to the planet.

The United Nations Environmental Programme (Unep) says 400 million tonnes of plastic are produced annually, with an average per capita use of 43 kilogrammes. But only 10 per cent is recycled.

Commodities booms in recent years, brisk foreign investment and relative political stability have quickened Africa’s development. And the plastic menace has grown in lockstep. 

Used plastics are commonly disposed of in landfills and water bodies, a situation blamed on a lack of state-of-the art recycling facilities. The 2018 Africa Waste Management Outlook Report confirmed that only 4 per cent of waste has so far been recycled, against a target of 50 per cent by 2023.

Kenya’s rate was 45 per cent according to a 2021 World Bank report, considerably lower than the National Environment Management Authority’s target of 80 per cent. Then there’s the problem of policy interventions that are wrongheaded, with plastic science widely neglected and media advocacy wanting.

Plastic pollution dents both environmental and public health. When released through abiotic and biotic degradation, a plastic’s additives – such as stabilisers, colourant moieties and heavy metals – can leach, contaminating soil and water. 

Pragmatic solutions

Microplastics and synthetic polymer fibres persist for up to five years in sewage sludge and soils and taking centuries to biodegrade in oceans. And during the microbial biodegradation of plastics, methane is released. The gas causes 25 per cent of global warming. What’s more, some additives and residual monomers retained in plastic polymers are known to be carcinogenic and endocrine disruptors.

Gains from the current plastics ban have proved lacklustre. Therefore, pragmatic solutions are needed. The most unlikely one could come from the natural world – bioplasticisation.

Globally, bioplastics currently account for less than 1 per cent of total plastic output. They’re developed for a specific set of uses, such as medical devices or single-use plastics. This limited bandwidth is majorly due to a lack of versatility; unlike typical plastics, they have a rigid moulding threshold. 

But mushrooms, lentils and wheat could help bridge this mechanical gap. For example, a University of Saskatchewan researcher is using leftover lentils and flax straw to develop better polymers and natural fillers.

Our ability to develop a sustainable and efficient plastic waste management system will be determined by our capacity to invent, deploy and scale up bio-based solutions. Intensive effort in research and science are powerful tools in this endeavour. The private sector has a crucial role to play in leading this charge.

Mr Onyango is a Global Fellow at Moving Worlds Institute. [email protected]