The New Straits Times, August 15, 1997
Q: I understand that a municipal council is having a 'plastic reduction' campaign. Can you explain the rational for such a move to reduce the use of plastic packaging?
A: A plastic reduction campaign was introduced by Seberang Perai Municipal Council (MPSP) as an effort to change the attitudes of the community in Seberang Perai in the indiscriminate use and disposal of plastic packaging.
In fact, restricting the use of plastic packaging can be considered a softer approach to banning the use of plastic packaging as implemented in some developed countries.
In these industrialised countries, the widespread use of plastic packaging has been curtailed by legislation which has arisen as a result of documented cases of environmental degradation caused by the use of plastics.
The justification for introducing such measure includes:
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More than a million seabirds and approximately 100,000 sea mammals die each year after ingesting or becoming entangled in plastic debris.
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A US report states that fires in homes and commercial buildings kill nearly 5,000 people each year because of the toxic smoke created by burning plastics.
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Workers in (and people living near ) some type of plastic resin factories run an increased risk of getting various kinds of cancer.
Another reason to decrease the use of plastic packaging is that it will also help to reduce the overall municipal solid waste (MSW).
Although the content of plastic material in MSW is said to be minimal - in the range of seven to 12 per cent by weight - taken on a volume basis, however, the amount of plastic in MSW can be significant - in the range of 18 to 30 per cent.
The high volume, due to plastic's low density, requires a larger landfill area for proper waste management practices.
It must also be highlighted that in Malaysia, the method of disposal for MSW is largely through use of landfills with very little waste being recycled or incinerated.
(Compare this with the European Communities' disposal method for MSW which has set targets of 55 per cent through recycling and composting, 35 per cent through incineration and about 10 per cent through use of landfills.)
A it becomes increasingly difficult to obtain new landfill areas, the practice of waste disposal at present needs a major overhaul. It is hoped that the recent privatisation of our waste disposal system will improve the situation.
On a final note, the courageous move by MPSP should be welcomed and supported by all of us. Such a move will go a long way to reshape the norms and attitudes of Malaysian towards the use of plastics.
