G07: I&S Why do we Fight: 6. Banning Plastics

We must change how we design, use, and reuse plastics. We cannot simply recycle or reduce our way out of the plastic pollution crisis. If we don’t act now, by 2050 there could be more plastic than fish in the oceans.

Government is looking at a number of policy interventions to cut down on the environmental impact of plastics in South Africa.

Plastic is an incredible material, made to last forever.


So what’s the deal with single-use plastics? Around 40% of plastics consumed are single-use. While convenient, they’re discarded after just one use. The amount of time, energy and effort that goes into producing, exporting and importing these products just doesn’t add up - especially if they’re made to last forever.

See how we are drowning in plastic bottles

Nature has begun to fight back against the vast piles of filth dumped into its soils, rivers and oceans. It has evolved a plastic-eating bacteria — the first known to science.

Single-use plastic water bottles are clogging our oceans, rivers, streets, landfills and poisoning our air when they're burned in incinerators. And in most parts of the United States, they’re completely unnecessary as tap water is an affordable, safe and good-tasting way to stay hydrated without generating huge amounts of unnecessary single-use plastic pollution.

The study considers single-use plastic bottles and alternatives that could potentially replace them from a functional and transportation point of view. The following alternatives are considered: glass bottle (single-use), aluminium can (single-use), carton laminated packaging systems (single-use), reusable steel and aluminium bottles, as well as non-container means for providing drinking water (see table below). Reusable glass bottles were considered in one study only as part of sensitivity analysis.

There’s no doubt that single-use beverage bottles and cans are convenient. In a fast-paced society, grab-and-go drinks seem to make sense. Most people purchase single serving beverages without too much thought. Many of the beverages that we consume regularly are in the form of single-use bottles and cans: bottled water, sodas, iced teas, cold brew coffee, fruit juices, energy drinks… it’s a long list.

The evolution of the plastic bottle from amazing to scourge of land and sea has played out inside of a generation.

A promised deposit return scheme for plastic bottles to cut marine pollution will not be in place in England, Wales and Northern Ireland until late 2024 at the earliest – six years after it was announced by the government as a key environmental policy.

Banning straws is an easy win but 300 million tonnes of plastic are made each year and very little is straws

Single-use plastic products (SUPPs) may epitomize convenience, but with the damage they cause through production, distribution and litter, they are a major threat to environmental and human health.
The open burning of plastic waste, consumption of plastic-contaminated seafood and creation of harmful microplastics are just some reasons why SUPPs should be phased out.
Eliminating plastic product pollution is an important component of the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.

Plastic is durable and provides protection from contaminants and the elements. It reduces food waste by preserving food and increasing its shelf life. It protects food against pests, microbes and humidity.
Without this protection, food is more likely to get damaged and become unusable.