The COVID-19 Fallout: Exacerbating the Plastic pile up 

The grim reality of COVID-19 Pandemic seems to show no light at the end of the tunnel. Plastics have emerged as an indispensable source to fight the disease, especially for frontline workers. From masks to gloves, sanitiser bottles, gowns and disposable bags, the use of single-use plastics have skyrocketed. According to a WWF report, incorrect disposal of even 1% of the masks pose a huge threat, which equals to 10 million masks per month dispersed in the environment. There has been an increased amount of masks and gloves that have been sighted in the water bodies and thousands of others are being discarded on the streets without any discretion. This side of the pandemic has put Informal waste pickers at high health risk and has even threatened the recycling sector across the globe.

While on one end of spectrum, the lockdowns globally helped in reducing air pollution, the Plastic pollution has only gone from bad to worse. For instance, the discovery of the first COVID-19 case in Hong Kong had resulted in 70 masks being disposed off at a beach. Each mask is about 4 grams, which means 10 million masks would lead to the dispersion of over 40 thousand kilograms of plastic in nature. The dramatic use of plastic all over the world has brought the enitre movement of banning single-use plastics to a halt. While Medical experts have said that use of reusable materials with regular sanitation would pose no threat, businesses all across the globe sought to capitalise on the use of single-use masks and gloves, deeming them as a more hygienic-way of life in times of pandemic. In Thailand, which had previously banned use of plastics in January this year, is ought to see a 30% rise in plastic waste. Around 1.5-2 million masks are nationwide used per day especially in Bangkok where they have increased 1.7 tons per day. 

With a looming economic recession, manufacturers and consumers are sought to be more price conscious than recycle friendly. Plummeting prices of oil have led to a fall in plastic value as well. Added on to the economic turmoil, it seems hard for businesses that had promised the credence of sustainable use of plastics to adopt such strategies. As a result, new or virgin plastic is being added to the environment in due course of the pandemic. The Asian recycling sector has also been affected by the pandemic. Hong Kong-based Fukutomi Recycling Ltd. addresses how recycling business have taken a hit due to scaling down of carrier operations by shipping companies and insufficient container forwarding capacities. The global plastic scrap trade has been in distress due to lack of its operations as well as lack of interest of people in buying using recycled products.

Shifting focus to countries such as India that do not even have a proper designed recycling system, informal waste pickers on frontline are coming at high risk due to the callous disposal of used medical supplies. During lockdown, this informal sector was out of job and now as economic activities have started to resume, it is getting hard to preclude the dangerous consequences of their job. The pandemic has brought job insecurity capped with unprecedented health risk. In Indonesia, the informal sector is the backbone of plastic waste management, collecting 1 million tonnes of plastic waste per year, 70% of which is recycled. With them resuming their economic activities, private sector partners have taken initiatives to deliver urgently needed resources to waste pickers such as hand-washing facilities and masks. But what effect will these measures actually bring about, only time will tell. 

Times are hard and effective measures are limited. However, the crisis is sure to bring about solutions that are sustainable locally and globally. Now is an opportunity to start. Deploying financial support for the communities is a small initiative we can take to help and support the needy in times of crisis. You can contribute to the informal sector workers all across the globe through WEIGO foundation. Check out the various fundraiser campaigns by them to help their cause and help out in the easiest way possible. 

CHECK OUT THE LINK FOR FUNDRAISER CAMPAIGNS SUPPORTING INFORMAL SECTOR ALL ACROSS THE GLOBE: 

https://www.wiego.org/support-informal-workers-campaigns

 SOURCES:

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2020-06-13/coronavirus-pandemic-plastic-waste-recycling

https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Environment/Plastics-pile-up-as-coronavirus-hits-Asia-recyclers

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/05/plastic-pollution-waste-pandemic-covid19-coronavirus-recycling-sustainability/