Stabroek News (Guyana): Plastic bags - can we afford them? By Elizabeth Alleyne 27.11.2005 It is conceivable that someone may feel a thrill of bizarre immortality at the thought that some day in the future their grandsons grandson, while digging in the kitchen garden may come across a plastic carrier bag that touched the hand of his ancestor for five minutes way back in 2005. In the context of Guyana, however, if our current consumption of, and methods of disposal of the ubiquitous plastic carrier bag continue, it may well be a foraging fish, hunting where the kitchen garden might have been, who finds and swallows the heirloom - thus cauterizing his own family tree. The issue of the plastics problem shifted to the front burner in Guyana after the devastating floods earlier this year. Preventative efforts have become focused primarily, however, on dealing with plastic beverage bottles and styrofoam containers while the less visible polyethylene bag has escaped attention. Director of the Environmental Protection Agency, Durga Persaud, says that no strategy has been identified to deal specifically with the problem of plastic bags but that the issue will be addressed in the strategic environmental plan for 2006 - 2010 which the agency is now in the process of formulating. Eliza Florendo of the Environmental Management Unit of the agency says that she is aware of the threat posed by these bags and that though there is no official plan she would personally like to see a reduction in their use. I think that they are being overused and I would personally like to see a return to the use of non-disposable bags, she said. She opined that, supermarkets can contribute to a reduction by avoiding double-bagging, imposing a charge for the bags and encouraging the use of re-useable bags. The lack of attention paid so far in Guyana to the devastating effects of polyethylene bags on our environment is somewhat surprising since the issue has now become a top priority for most countries of the world, and a rapidly increasing number are taking drastic action to eliminate the scourge. In Guyana, the lone voice calling for drastic action has so far been that of the City Engineer, Beverly Johnson, who unfortunately was out of the country and could not be reached for an input into this article. Research into the global problem of plastics waste has highlighted the fact that in countries such as ours it is the humble polyethylene carrier bag which is potentially the worst enemy of the environment and of our habitation. A success story The ubiquity of the plastic carrier bag came about largely as a result of the happy marriage of cost and convenience. The bags, usually made of polyethylene, a petroleum derivative, are strong, lightweight, moisture proof and so inexpensive that they are most often distributed free by retailers. It is the success of plastic carrier bags in terms of low cost, light weight and high convenience that has, however, led to them becoming a serious global environmental problem. The World Watch Institute averages global production of plastic carrier bags at between 4 to 5 trillion in 2002 and it is currently estimated that in the US alone 100 billion polyethylene bags are used and discarded each year. In the UK, a former Environment Minister, Michael Meacher, estimates that 8 billion bags are discarded per annum while other estimates put UK usage at approximately 150 bags per person per annum. Though no official data is available in Guyana, the numbers quoted by retailers suggest that local per capita consumption is not significantly less and may in fact surpass the UK rate since a large percentage of our population shop for small quantities on a daily basis, and in our produce markets the ultra thin plastic bags, which pose the worst threat, are abundantly distributed. The environmental significance of these numbers becomes clear when it is considered that polyethylene bags can take as long as 1000 years to degrade. Even if the quantities that have been burnt are factored in, this would mean that most of the trillions used for a few minutes and thrown out over the past twenty years still exist somewhere on Earth. Impact on the environment and human habitation The perception of these bags as a free commodity has led to overuse and statistically insignificant attempts to reuse them. Typically they are used for only a few minutes before they are discarded with a large percentage becoming part of the litter stream. In Ireland, discarded bags so festooned the environment that they were referred to as the national flag while in South Africa they became known as the national flower or roadside daisies Increasingly, the world has begun to wake up to the fact that the inexpensive polyethylene bag carries a high environmental price tag. In 1998, a leatherback turtle was found with 7 polyethylene bags blocking its alimentary tract. In 2002, a minke whale which washed up onto a beach in France had almost two pounds of polyethylene bags tangled up in its intestines. Given the light weight of these bags it is obvious that hundreds of bags had been swallowed by the animal. Conservative estimates put the number of marine animals - including dolphins, turtles and other endangered species - that are killed each year by plastic bags at more than 100,000 and the number of birds at more than 1 million. On land, foraging cattle are destroyed in large numbers by accidentally swallowing these bags. The effect on cows became most evident in India where they are not routinely and prematurely slaughtered for food before the effects of plastic bag ingestion become apparent. The severe threat posed to human habitation by polyethylene carrier bags first came to attention in Dhaka, Bangladesh after they were identified as the cause of the devastating 1988 floods, and the need for a drastic solution became more evident when the low-lying nation was again inundated in 1998. The bags were once again identified as flood-inducers when Mumbai was paralyzed by floods earlier this year. In Kenya, discarded plastic carrier bags which collect water and harbour mosquitoes have been identified by the Environment Minister, a former Nobel Prize Winner, as being a major contributor to the spread of malaria which accounts for up to 50% of all hospital visits in the country. In Europe, one of the most pressing environmental problems is shortage of landfill space and also of great concern are economic considerations of the impact of visual pollution on tourism which is a significant source of revenue for these economies. In Guyana, the 2005 floods which caused staggering economic losses, human suffering and loss of lives have been generally attributed to the monumental problem of littering and plastic waste has been identified as a major culprit. Director of the Solid Waste Management Unit of the Mayor and City Council, Rufus Lewis, commenting on the problem, says that, Plastic waste destroys the pumps which drain sewerage out of Georgetown, creating backflows and spills throughout the system. The ubiquitous plastic bag seems however to have eluded its share in the apportioning of blame as attention focused on its larger and more visible relatives. This is not surprising since the plastic bag component of, for instance, the debris dredged up from a canal would be obscured by mud and other elements with which it had become mixed. If it is assumed that the composition of the waste which is dumped along our roadways is representative of the composition of the much larger volumes that are either dumped or precipitated into our canals and drainage systems, then the contribution of the plastic carrier bag to the choking of these channels becomes self-evident. A simple experiment in which a single polyethylene bag is dropped into a kitchen sink and the tap turned on graphically illustrates in microcosm the effect of millions of these immortal bags building up in our drainage system year after year. In Bangladesh, it was found that plastic bags were able to wreak such havoc on the drainage systems due to the fact that 15-20% of the area lies within one metre of sea-level. Guyanas vulnerable coastline lies almost two metres below sea-level. Tackling the problem The new decade has heralded a growing number of initiatives by governments to effectively tackle the problems posed by polyethylene bags. Since recycling of thin polyethylene bags is not economically or logistically feasible, recycling has for the most part been proposed as a longer term objective for thicker, reusable bags. For most countries, measures adopted have included a mix of command-and-control measures such as outright bans with strong sanctions; voluntary schemes where reliance is placed on public education and retailer initiatives; and economic instruments such as levies on either suppliers or users of the bags. Consistent across all countries which have taken action against the plastic bag menace, however, has been a strong commitment to ensuring success in drastically reducing or completely eliminating the problem. Bangladesh led the way with an outright ban on polyethylene bags in March 2002. The ban is supported by a sanction of 10 years imprisonment or a US$17,000 fine for anyone making polyethylene bags and a fine of US$9 for anyone found using one. In March 2003, Ireland imposed a levy of approx. 15 US cents each on plastic carrier bags with the funds raised going to environmental projects, while Taiwan has imposed a ban on the free distribution of plastic carrier bags by retailers. The Irish levy has resulted in a 90% reduction in the use of plastic bags and is hailed as one of the most successful strategies. In May 2003, South Africa banned all plastic carrier bags below 30 microns in thickness and imposed a levy on thicker, more reusable and recyclable bags. This prohibits use of the common disposable grocery bag which averages 18 microns and has the worst environmental impact. The ban is supported by a ten year prison term or a fine of US$13,800 for shops using thin bags. Other countries which have instituted measures to deal with the exponentially growing problem include Denmark where a tax on suppliers has resulted in a 66% reduction in use, Rwanda, Eritrea, Singapore, Australia and especially India where some states have outlawed all plastics and where police raids on manufacturers and shops in the capital are now common. More than 40 countries have taken action against the bags and many more are in the process of formulating policies to eliminate the polyethylene problem. A spin-off benefit for countries in Asia and Africa has been the development of local cotton and jute industries and the creation of jobs for women who are now engaged in small-scale production of environmentally sustainable carrier bags In America, Canada and the UK where strong plastics lobbies exist, measures have been introduced only by individual states, counties and cities or voluntarily by retailers and a new Bill proposing a levy on polyethylene bags has been introduced into the Scottish Parliament. Most observers believe that the rest of the UK will follow Scotlands lead. The Kenyan Report and its relevance to Guyana In February 2005 a report jointly conducted by the government of Kenya, environmental authorities and the United Nations Environmental Protection Agency recommended a package of seven measures including a total ban on all thin polyethylene bags and a levy on thicker bags to encourage their reuse and the use of alternatives. Other recommendations include: - Consumer education and anti-litter campaigns, - A national code of practice for retailers, - Support for development of environmentally-friendly alternatives, and - An effective recycling scheme, as well as - Support for the development of a manageable disposal system for plastic bags which still enter the waste stream despite the other measures. The Kenyan Report has attracted more media attention than the policies adopted by other countries due to its sponsorship by the UNEP and is of particular relevance to our local situation since many of the systemic factors which were evaluated in its formulation exist locally. The Kenyan situation was characterized by an ineffective waste management system in which there was a low disposal rate due to high costs of transportation to the sole landfill as well as low collection rates of only about 25% of wastes. Weak local authorities were also unable to deal with the problem. In Guyana, while collection rates in Georgetown are relatively high, averaged at 90% by Lewis, in rural areas dumping is often the norm while local authorities often exacerbate the problem by selecting and using inappropriate areas as dump sites. In this context, the findings of the Kenyan report and its recommendations are of particular importance to us since most of the latter can be easily adapted to our circumstances. Of note is the fact that implementation of the command-and-control measures and economic instruments would cause less economic disruption since, unlike Kenya, Guyana is a net importer of bags and the issue of job losses in the sector, consequent upon a ban or levy, would not arise. While it is acknowledged that a levy which impacts directly upon shoppers as in Ireland is more effective than a tax on suppliers as in the case of Denmark, in Guyana the existence of a large informal sector would preclude effective monitoring and collection of a levy on shoppers. An import tax which is high enough to reflect the true cost of polyethylene bags as well as to discourage their use and promote sustainable alternatives would therefore be a more effective method. The proliferation of small importers of these bags, most of which enter unmonitored through Suriname is an indication, however, that the use of such an economic instrument would have to accompanied by a well-enforced prohibition of the type recommended for Kenya, as well as effective public awareness strategies. Public reaction to possible control measures In most countries which have imposed bans and levies, initial public resistance, especially from retailers, have soon given way to approval of the strategies. As a representative of an Irish retailers association, which had been strongly against the levy, put it, It was the right thing to do. We just had to be pushed into it. In Guyana, the reaction of most persons informally polled about the benefits of a ban and or levy was first a consideration of what will it cost me? Most agreed however that there was a need for some measures to be adopted. One young lady even suggested that these could be accompanied by having supermarkets keep a bag box where unwanted re-useable bags could be deposited by customers to facilitate impulse shopping by those who could not afford new re-useables. One convenience store manager, who preferred not to be named, says that he would consider paper bags to be an acceptable alternative since you have to give the people something. Told that paper bags also have associated environmental costs and questioned about the assumption that bags necessarily have to be freely distributed he said that, sensible people would accept it if they have to pay for bags especially if they are strong and can be re-used. He however cautioned that some people would pay for the bags and still dump them on the roadside and is pessimistic about the efficacy of a possible ban, saying that it would never be enforced in Guyana without re-education of the populace. Unsurprisingly, given the low level of local public awareness about the globally recognized problem of plastic bag use, supermarkets, who are some of the major stakeholders generally felt that this was a minor issue and that attention should be urgently focused on plastic bottles. Why are you bothering about plastic bags when the plastic bottles are causing so much pollution? was one comment. All were unanimous, however, in saying that they would support whatever measures the government should decide to adopt, with the caveat that this support would be contingent upon any measures not impacting significantly upon their operating costs. Existing alternatives Interestingly, this study did highlight the fact that many businesses are already minimizing polyethylene bag use, though often for sound economic reasons. One Robb Street wholesaler says that purchases are routinely packed in used cartons since this saves on plastic bag cost, storage space for boxes and time required to flatten and stack them for trash collectors, while one Sheriff Street retailer neatly packs all small purchases in paper bags. Many small retailers are willing to voluntarily switch to paper packaging but cite the unavailability of large paper sacks as a constraint. Asked about the possibility of offering re-usable bags at a cost, they say that the locally made rice sack bags are used by many persons but some find them aesthetically unappealing. Most supermarkets report that, though they routinely dump their used cartons, customers can request them. A requested milk carton at one was able to fit the contents of 12 bags used doubled but occasioned a ten-minute wait for it to be located. Guyanese are slowly becoming more environmentally aware but it is a process that should and must be accelerated if we are to retain what is left of our countrys natural beauty and perhaps even our coastal belt itself. For this researcher, the defining moment of true environmental awareness came when, while on a student cruise, a styrofoam cup was carelessly tossed into the Caribbean sea. Littering on land would have been unthinkable but the sea seemed impervious. An indignant American friend said, You just caused the death of a large animal that took 20 years to grow. The guilt has remained. As we move inexorably towards another rainy season, the unthinkable thought in every coastal dwellers mind is surely, Will it happen again? The appropriate question for each of us as we accept another batch of free polyethylene bags that, even if properly disposed of may blow into a canal, should and must be, What can I do to help prevent it? Will we wait for an expensive external consultant to tell us that plastic bags choke our drainage systems, visually pollute our environment, help spread mosquito borne diseases and therefore should be banned? Or will we avail ourselves of the information freely available about the lessons learnt by other countries and select and adapt an appropriate mix of strategies to save ourselves? There may be very little time to make this decision.
Posted on: Mon, 01 Sep 2014 13:48:55 +0000
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