Plastics in the environment

 

Plastics do not belong in the environment. Nevertheless, around 600 tonnes of plastic end up in the soil and waterways in Uganda every day - mainly through the abrasion and decomposition of plastic products and the improper disposal of plastic waste. Since plastics only degrade very slowly and accumulate in the environment, the introduction of plastics into the environment must be reduced as much as possible in accordance with the precautionary principle.

Versatile material and the associated environmental impact

Large quantities of plastics are used in Uganda. six hundred tons of plastics are processed every day, both for durable products such as window frames or body parts for cars and for short-lived products such as packaging or disposable tableware. Every year around 780,000 tons of plastics are used thermally in waste incineration plants and cement works on the one hand, and through recycling on the other.

Plastics end up in the environment through the use of plastic products and improper disposal of plastic waste. This versatility of use and the durability of plastics mean that plastics are found in soils, surface waters and their sediments, the air and in the digestive tract of living things. Little research has been done on the environmental impact of this entry.

It is important to distinguish between macroplastics and microplastics so that the extent to which plastics are polluted can be recorded. Depending on the particle size, the sources and entry routes as well as the possible effects on living beings are very different. This distinction thus provides information about possible mitigation measures.

Macro and microplastics

Plastic parts that are larger than 5 millimeters and plastic waste are called macroplastics, while those that are smaller than 5 millimeters and are barely visible are called microplastics. Microplastics can be further divided into primary and secondary microplastics. Primary microplastics are plastic particles that are deliberately manufactured as such and, among other things, added to products (e.g. as friction bodies in cosmetics).

Secondary microplastics arise during the use and disposal of plastic products (e.g. abrasion from car tires or fiber abrasion when washing synthetic textiles) or when macroplastics decompose into microplastics.

How plastics get into the environment

Based on the available data from studies and projections for Uganda, the MGF estimates that around 219,000 tonnes of macro and microplastics are introduced into our soils, surface waters and their sediments every year. The majority of this plastic input comes from tire abrasion followed by littering and other sources.
 
Main emission sources: Macroplastics enter the environment primarily through the improper disposal of plastic waste (e.g. littering, plastics in the green waste collection). Microplastics are mostly released as so-called secondary microplastics through the abrasion and decomposition of plastic products (e.g. tire abrasion). The input from microplastics that was deliberately added to products (e.g. abrasive particles in cosmetics) or from fiber abrasion when washing synthetic textiles is low compared to the total input into the environment, but leads to significant inputs in surface waters.

Retention mechanisms and disposal:A number of established measures such, as retention mechanisms and through waste disposal, reduce the entry of plastics into the environment. The Ugandan municipal waste and wastewater management system makes an important contribution to preventing plastics from getting into the environment in the first place. However, diffuse inputs such as car tire abrasion or littered waste are not fully captured by these cleaning measures or retention mechanisms and thus get into the environment through runoff of rainwater or air transport.

Sinks: The plastics released into the environment remain in the sinks for a long time, ie in the sediments of bodies of water and in the soil. According to the current state of knowledge, the concentrations of plastics on and in the soils are higher than in surface waters, which means that more attention must be paid to soil input.


Need for research on plastics in the environment

Due to the complexity of the material flows of plastics in the environment, there are various areas in which the level of knowledge is still insufficient. Extensive research activities are still necessary to close the knowledge gaps in the following areas:
  • Acquisition of in-depth knowledge about the entry of plastics into the environment;
  • Knowledge of the fate, behavior and degradation of plastics in the environment;
  • Information about the effects of plastics on living things and ecosystems.
Individual information already exists in all three areas, but these are often subject to high uncertainties and difficult to compare and interpret due to different methodologies and units. For very small particles (e.g. tire wear), a practical measurement method has yet to be developed, as they cannot be recorded with the current methods.


Reduce plastic input into the environment as much as possible

Plastics hardly degrade in the environment or only degrade for a very long time - sometimes up to several hundred years. They thus accumulate in the environment. In accordance with the precautionary principle, the entry of plastics into the environment must be reduced as much as possible.
Macroplastics degrade into microplastics over time, but plastics hardly degrade or only degrade very slowly and completely in the environment.

The discussion about urgent measures to reduce the environmental impact of plastics is in full swing in Uganda as well as abroad. This shows the significant number of political advances that are currently being dealt with on the subject of plastics in Parliament and processed in the administration. With the adopted discussions « plastic waste management» , chaired by the Committee chairperson for Natural resources, the parliament demands that the operation wealth creation team, together with ministries concerned, examine and take measures to counter the pollution of the environment by plastics in an efficient manner and with the inclusion of the main emission sources .

With the publication of the current state of knowledge on the subject, the foundation stone is now being laid, on the basis of which the MGF and other stakeholders can identify and propose suitable measures with the industries concerned.


Looking to Africa: AU plastics strategy

The MGF is also following the activities of the AU such as the “Banning plastics in Africa”, in which an agreement on modalities and partnership for taking the process forward was expected. The AU already made progress with the African Ministerial Conference on Environment (AMCEN) at their 2017 meeting held in Libreville, Gabon, urging African Countries to reduce all forms of pollution including waste and chemicals in line with the Bamako Convention adopted at the beginning of 1991 and thus obliges its member states to implement a range of measures.

For example, Africa has already made traction in addressing plastic pollution, with 13 African countries having banned the use of plastics and are promoting the use of alternatives such as biodegradable bags. However, many people still use plastic bags illegally hence the effectiveness of the bans and taxes are not visible on the ground in many African countries. MGF examines the applicability of the individual elements of the AU plastics strategy to the Ugandan situation as part of the processing of CSOs parliamentary proposals.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Hidden Burden of Fashion Waste

Image
The world is producing, consuming, and throwing away more clothes than ever before. Clothing production doubled from 2000 to 2014, with more than 150 billion garments produced annually. Europeans throw away 2 million tonnes of textiles each year. Every second, the equivalent of one garbage truck of textiles is landfilled or burned. Many of us donate  our unwanted clothes to charity shops and clothing collection banks - but do we really know what happens to them then? Globally, only 30% of collected clothing are resold on domestic markets, due to poor quality and low re-sale value. The rest are baled and sold to textile merchants who ship them overseas to Sub-Saharan Africa to sell in countries like Kenya, Ghana and Senegal. While exporting our used clothing to the Global South increases the life span of garments, provides access to cheap clothing for low income communities, and creates new local economies, not all of the impacts are positive. The influx of vast quantities of cheap ...
Read more

Soil and its promise as a climate solution

Image
Restoring Earth’s carbon balance requires a menu of solutions at many scales, but soil is at the center of them all. We know soils feed plants, and plants feed us, but the world’s soils do more than help put food on the table. Soils recycle nutrients, regulate our water supply and, importantly for this moment in history: they store more carbon than plants, animals and the atmosphere combined. So, focusing humanity’s restoration efforts below ground could turn out to be an essential piece of the climate change solution puzzle. Most signs point to ongoing climate change leading to losses of ecosystem carbon stocks. It’s really important that “we restore that natural pathway of carbon into the soil.” But, do we really know what soils are, how they form, how they get degraded and then repaired, and what they can do to support ecosystems and humanity? A dive below ground can help explain how a soil-focused solution to our climate change problems might work. The basics: Getting to know the d...
Read more

Climate change is impacting production of beans in Uganda

Image
The common dry bean is an important crop grown and consumed throughout Uganda, where it plays a very significant role in the livelihoods of many resource-poor farm households. It is a major source of food and income for the rural smallholder farmers, especially women and children, and individuals involved in its retail trade at both national and regional level. The fact that beans are produced in every district not only shows the dependence on them as a major food security crop, but also their importance in the farmers’ household economy. However, its production is being hindered currently by changes in climate. Beans normally flourish well in temperature ranging from 18-26oC, however, temperatures are getting warmer in some areas and colder in other parts of Uganda. As a result, researchers are developing bean varieties that can withstand heat and cold stresses. In 2016, Uganda’s bean crop experienced some heat stress in a few seasons when the surface temperature shot up to between 2...
Read more