Ubiquitious Plastic and Inside Us
We humans are exposed to microplastics /
microfibers through air, water and food. Microplastics include broken-down
plastic waste, synthetic fibres and beads found in personal hygiene products.
They are known to harm marine life, which mistake them for food, and can be
consumed by humans too via seafood, tap water or other aquatic food sources.
Their impact of microplastics comes
from their size and thus the ability to evade most filters and maybe even enter
the bloodstreams of organisms by which they are consumed.
Response to the Study in Southeast Asia
The news of the Orb Media study
broke out last year September 2017 and Malaysian and other Asian local media
picked up on the report. Health authorities in Indonesia and Singapore
responded and stated that they are following up on this study or plan to assess
presence and impact of microplastics in fresh and drinking water –
respectively.
Malaysians also need to know of
efforts undertaken by those in the water supply industry sector and relevant
regulators to curb the presence of microplastics in drinking water. State governments
and local councils need to work alongside national agencies to enforce strict
anti-pollution measures to minimize river and marine pollution.
Plastic and Plastic Waste in Malaysia
According to a report published
by the Jabatan Pengurusan Sisa Pepejal Negara (JPSPN) in 2011, about 2
million tonnes of
resins for the
plastics industry are produced
locally in Malaysia
per annum (MPMA,
2010). However, information on plastics wastes and plastics recycling
activities from manufacturing industry are very limited, as most of the solid
waste studies done are focusing on Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) in general,
where plastics wastes constitute the third largest waste tonnage, next to
putrescibles waste and paper. The survey data indicated, recycling awareness is
still poor among the plastics manufacturers in Peninsular Malaysia despite the
fact that most of these plastics are recyclable and easy to process. Plastic producers
on the other hand are of the
opinion that the
government is not doing
enough; in promoting
recycling among
manufacturing business in Malaysia.
The easiest and most common
plastics to recycle are made of
polyethylene terephthalate (PET)
and are assigned
the number 1. Once it has been processed by a recycling facility, PET can
become fibre fill for
winter coats, sleeping
bags and life jackets. It can also be used to make bean bags, rope, car
bumpers, tennis ball felt, combs, cassette tapes, sails for boats, furniture
and, of course, other plastic bottles. Number 2 is reserved for high-density
polyethylene plastics or HDPE. These include heavier containers that hold
laundry detergents, bleaches, milk, shampoo and motor oil. HDPE can be recycled
into toys, piping, plastic lumber and rope.
Plastic in the Malaysian Waste Stream and Landfills
“According to studies carried out
by Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Corporation (SWCorp), 70% of
people know that recycling is good, but they simply don’t practise it,’’. It is
estimated materials such as papers, aluminums, plastics, glass and metals make
up 55% of municipal waste, while the bulk 45% of municipal waste comes from
food waste. The rate of food waste being reused and recycled is relatively low,
which is 5%, as opposed to paper, 60% and plastic,
15%.
In early March 2018, about 500
people participated in a Reef Check organized beach clean-up. Volunteers
collected nearly 14,000 plastic bottles, 6,200 plastic bags and 1,700 straws
from the effort.
A Star report stated that every
Malaysian on average throws away 300 plastic bags a year, according to the
Malaysian Plastics Manufacturers Association.
According to a UKM paper
published in the International Journal on Advanced Science Engineering
Information Technology in 2012, 21% of all waste generated in Kuala Lumpur is
plastic and ¾ is still food waste.
About 300,000 tonnes of garbage are
being dumped into rivers yearly in Malaysia. The usual wastes found are floating
rubbish tied in plastic bags and polystyrene food containers. The Drainage and
Irrigation Department (DID) has also found all sorts of junk, including old
fridges, discarded mattresses and kitchen utensils, in rivers – which contains
components and parts made of plastics.
Human Exposure to Microplastic (MPs)
Seafood products could be a major
route of human exposure to MPs. For example, it was estimated that top European
shellfish consumers might take up to 11,000 MPs annualy.
Microplastics were suggested to
exert their harmful effects by providing a medium to facilitate the transport
of other toxic compounds such as heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants
(POPs) to the body of organisms. Upon ingestion, these chemicals may be
released and cause toxicity. Polypropylene and PE were the major recovered plastic
polymers in the tested species, which is consistent with their massive
production load and demand by various industries.
In Hong Kong, a Greenpeace study
has estimated that the microplastic pollution has found their way back to
shores. MPs are found in commonly consumed seafood such as tuna, mussels,
lobsters, and oysters. In East Asia, Japan has been found with the highest
concentration of MPs; Japan has 27 percent more plastic than anywhere else in
the world.
As an outcome of a 2014, Global
Oceans Action Summit for Food Security and Blue Growth, FAO was requested to
contribute to studies on MPs specifically in
fisheries and aquaculture. The two main concerns
were to assess
the potential impact
of microplastics on consumers’ health and perception, and understand the
potential consequences on fish productivity
as physiological processes
are likely to
be affected by
microplastics (because of
their occurrence and of the
presence of additives and contaminants contained in the plastic).
The FAO study summary is as follows - This FAO study is considered
work in progress:
Samples collected so far and
scientific literature increasingly and clearly show occurrence of microplastics
in fish and shellfish as well as in fisheries and aquaculture products. The
interim report concluded that: Adverse
effects of microplastics
ingestion have only
been observed in
aquatic organisms under
laboratory conditions, usually
at very high
exposure concentrations that
exceed present environmental concentrations
by several orders
of magnitude. In
wild aquatic organisms microplastics have only been observed within the
gastrointestinal tract, usually in
small numbers, and
at present there
is no evidence
that microplastics ingestion has negative effects on populations
of wild and farmed aquatic organisms.
In humans
the risk of
microplastic ingestion is
reduced by the
removal of the
gastrointestinal tract in
most species of
seafood consumed. However,
most species of
bivalves and several
species of small
fish are consumed
whole, which may
lead to microplastic
exposure. A worst
case estimate of
exposure to microplastics
after consumption of
a portion of
mussels (225 g)
would lead to
ingestion of 7
micrograms (μg) of plastic, which
would have a negligible effect (less than 0.1 percent of total dietary intake)
on chemical exposure to certain PBTs and plastic additives.
Microplastic contamination of
aquatic environments will continue to increase in the foreseeable future and at
present there are significant knowledge gaps on the occurrence in aquatic
environments and organisms
of the smaller
sized microplastics (less
than 150 μm),
and their possible
effects on seafood
safety. Currently there are
no methods available for the observation and
quantification of nanoplastics in aquatic environments and organisms.
Diapers, Sanitary Pads and Plastic
The major raw
materials that are used in making a disposable diaper are trees, and crude oil.
The components of making a disposable diaper are the following: waterproof wood
pulp, and synthetic polyacrylate (Cloth Diapering). In disposable diaper,
polyethylene plastic is used and the raw material for this is the oil. Single
use sanitary pads and hygiene products also consists plastic.
A Star report
in 2016 states that about 3.5 billion disposable diapers went into landfills
each year in Malaysia, and that it would take more than 200 years for them to
decompose. According to a study by National Solid Waste Management Department,
12% of the country’s landfill waste consisted of disposable diapers.
Government and Policy Makers
United Nations has warned that there will
be more plastics than fish in the ocean by 2050.
High level
strategies and policies in Malaysia on low carbon cities, smart cities and
communities, clean zone etc must translate to real action on the ground.
The
term ‘plastic’ described by MIMA for the CCI includes any artificial waste
made, or partly made, of plastic, including nylon fishing lines, Styrofoam
remains, plastic bags in all sizes, polyurethane sheets, bottles and bottle
cap, cigarette box and outer cover. Plastic items that are larger than 2 cm
in size are included as the index numerator.
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The CCI should
be made widely known to the public in order to gain support in promoting the
index and to appreciate clean coastal areas.
Implementation of
government policies and strategies must facilitate shift from BAU to more sustainable
business operations and public behavior.
Waste recyclers
and recovery business owners often lament about limited materials/feedstock. If
tonnes of recyclable and recoverable waste end up in landfills – this is loss
of business opportunity for them. Strict enforcement of government policies on
separation at source and recycling could help in diverting recyclables to
recyclers away from landfills. In Malaysia close to 90% of landfills are
unsanitary and several landfills contribute to ammonia pollution of water
sources resulting in water treatment plant shutdowns.
A Universiti
Malaya paper highlighted various challenges in the implementation of recycling
and separation at source under the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management
Act 2007:
- · lack of public participation
- · inefficient enforcement
- · issues on collection system and informal recyclers
- · implementation challenges on non-landed properties and
- · lack of proper separation schedule and procedure
A JICA study in 2002 reported that in many
developing countries, informal players in the waste management
sector (waste pickers, scavengers etc) can
be found on
the streets or
in open dumps
or landfill areas. A Universiti Malaya study showed
that about 70% of scavengers at landfills are foreigners. The informal
nature of this sector contributes to lack of official data on recovery of
and recycling of waste in many developing countries including Malaysia.
Waste pickers in Malaysia could be seen collecting recyclable waste at bus
stops, illegal dumping sites for example. Some informal sector players
travel door to door to purchase household waste items. (remember the old
newspaper/ surat khabar lama calling?). Some perceive that these players
provide the convenience for
households to participate in
recycling activities with
their door to door collections.
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In Surabaya the
local council initiated a Surabaya
Green and Clean
Initiative. This is a community-based waste
management program implemented
by the local
government of the
City of Surabaya
and covers various
environmental aspects, such
as domestic waste
handling, betterment of
water drainage, and trees
planting. n 2005 the Surabaya City Government created several competitions to
popularize and bring the program to wider level. The competition proved to be a
success, turning Surabaya to one of the benchmarks in waste management in
Indonesia. participants received,
as trophies, cash,
tools to manage
organic waste and
trees. Additionally, the
people agreed that
each prices they won, will
become the seed capital for their settlement
improvement. Through the Kesejahteraan Keluarga's (Household Skills Training Organization)
network of local women’s organization at every sub-district it was easy to
promote community based waste management program and outreach to the local
communities. Public-Private partnerships further strengthened the initiatives
and Unilever was onboard. Jawa Pos the media was onboard too.
Concluding Remark
Plastic is
ubiquitous and we cannot live without plastic being part of our daily lives. The
hard reality is whatever we dump into the waterways or into the natural
environment comes back to haunt us.
Those in the
consumer protection field always believe that those with the most knowledge and
resources of product are also the ones most capable to solve it. In this case
the business sector. A lot of resources usually go into market research,
lobbying governments and studying consumer behavior – with an end game of
increasing profit and safeguard shareholder interests. We cannot be in the BAU
(business as usual) mode. Business need to take charge of the situation and minimize
environmental impact of their products and services – together.
Of course, government
policies must encourage such initiatives and make it expensive to conduct
business as usual. The Ministry of Urban Well-being, Housing and Local
Government in Malaysia and the Solid Waste Corporation could help facilitate different
capacity building initiatives for local governments, provide access to best
practices and exchange of information in order to implement practices most
suited for the community under their care. Several local government
representatives lament limited resources: fund, skills and qualifications to
address solid waste problems in their cities and towns.
As consumers we
can minimize or steer away from single use items: diapers, plastic bags,
hygiene products and support ban of microbeads in cosmetics and personal care
items. We need to be mindful of the impact of our consumption on the
environment. Even confetti and glitters are a threat as they are made of
plastic, they are minute and they are for single use.
Put a stop to
our ‘tapao’ culture especially drinks. If need to ‘tapao’ bring your own
re-usable containers and DO NOT USE OR ASK FOR STRAWS or SINGEL USE UTENSILS when
packing your food / drinks. If you know of food outlets using disposable or
single use utensils, bring your own re-usable ones when dining there. Recycle
ALL plastic materials.
Bring your own
re-usable bag for shopping and minimize single use plastic bags for packing
your vegetables or fruits.
When picnicking
near water bodies or in natural locations, bring back your waste to be properly
discarded at home. Do not litter the grounds.
Learn to use
re-usable diapers and adult hygiene products. Those born before 1990s must have
used re-usable diapers made of cloth. There entrepreneurs in Malaysia who are
ardent supporters of Zero Waste and sell re-usable items and provide advice on
how to live a Zero Waste lifestyle.
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