The Impact of Plastic

Penyebab menumpuknya sampah plastik di Indonesia karena tidak adanya kesadaran pada diri sendiri untuk mengurangi penggunaan plastik dalam kehidupan sehari-hari. Tanpa disadari, hampir setiap hari kita memerlukan plastik untuk beraktivitas seperti contohnya saat kehujanan butuh ponco (jas hujan sekali pakai) yang terbuat dari plastik, saat haus beberapa orang memilih untuk beli air mineral botolan plastik karens lebih praktis, saat lapar memilih untuk beli jajanan dipinggir jalan yang dibungkus dengan plastik, dan masih banyak lagi.

Namun tak dapat dipungkiri, masyarakat Indonesia termasuk aku sendiri masih sangat bergantung dengan ketersediaan plastik dan sulit untuk mencari alternatif lain. Nah untuk itu, perlu kita tau bahwa selain plastik berguna dan membawa dampak positif bagi kehidupan, disisi lain plastik juga lebih banyak memberikan dampak negatif yang nantinya dapat berakibat fatal.

The positive impact of plastic:

  • Durability and lightweight

Salah satu alasan plastik sering digunakan terutama dalam produksi makanan dan minuman karena tahan lama dan lebih baik jika dibandingkan dengan bahan/zat lainnya. Plastik dapat bertahan antara 50 hingga 1000 tahun tergantung pada jenis plastiknya. Faktor lain yang sangat mendukung pemakaian plastik sampai saat ini adalah bahannya yang ringan sehingga lebih praktis jika dibawa kemana-mana.

  • Food Safety

Contohnya pada botol yang disegel dengan plastik dibagian atas akan bersifat kedap udara yang secara efektif dapat membantu menjaga produk agar tetap fresh dan tidak expired. Produsen makanan dan minuman dapat mengangkut produknya ke lokasi lain di selutuh dunia tanpa perlu khawatir akan keamanan produk tersebut.

The negative impact of plastic:

  • Toxicity

Plastik mengandung zat berbahaya dalam bentuk gas. Ketika nantinya sampah plastik tersebut dibakar, maka asapnya akan mencemari lingkungan. Yang mana, dalam asap tersebut biasanya terkandung zat dioksin yang apabila dihirup oleh manusia dapat menyebabkan berbagai gangguan kesehatan, seperti gangguan sistem pernapasan pada manusia, kanker, pembengkakan hati, dan gangguan sistem syaraf.

  • Pollution

Karena bukan berasal dari senyawa biologis, plastik memiliki sifat sulit terdegradasi (non-biodegradable). Plastik diperkirakan membutuhkan waktu 100 hingga 500 tahun hingga dapat terdekomposisi (terurai) dengan sempurna. Dengan begitu, sampah plastik akan menjadi polusi yang dapat mencemari tanah, air, laut, bahkan udara.

  • Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)

Umumnya, plastik terbuat dari polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) yang mempunyai struktur mirip DDT. PCB yang tidak terurai walaupun sudah termakan oleh hewan dan tumbuhan akan menjadi racun berantai sesuai urutan rantai makanannya. Yang mana, tidak menutup kemungkinan bahwa manusia ada di dalam rantai makanan tersebut.

  • Flood

Sebagian besar masyarakat masih seringkali membuang sampah plastik sembarangan di sungai tanpa mereka sadar ada dampak lain yang diakibatkan dari perilaku tersebut. Sampah plastik itu lama kelamaan akan menumpuk sehingga menyebabkan pendangkalan dan penyumbatan aliran sungai yang nantinya dapat mengakibatkan banjir.

Need to be noted; the impact of using plastic, there are positive but more negative ones. It can damage the environment in the future. Therefore, I’ll say #BYEPlastic #SayNotoPlastic #NoPlasticisFantastic

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Starbucks: One of The Companies that Supports Plastic-Free Movement

Greener Cups and Packaging

We are decreasing the waste associated with our business, increasing recycling and promoting reusability.

 

Our goal: Double the recycled content, recyclability and compostability, and reusability of our cups and packaging by 2022.

Each year, an estimated 600 billion paper and plastic cups are distributed globally*, and though Starbucks cups only account for an estimated 1 percent of that total, we are invested in finding a more sustainable solution. We have made substantial progress to reduce the impact of waste generated in our stores through cup innovation and improved packaging design, advocacy for local recycling infrastructure, and offering reusable cups.

Cup Innovation

Starbucks has continually worked to reduce the environmental impact of our cups and lids. In 1997, we introduced a hot cup sleeve to eliminate the popular practice of double-cupping. In 2006, Starbucks developed paper cups manufactured with 10 percent post-consumer recycled fiber, the first cup of its kind in the food packaging industry to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2006. We also introduced a more recyclable cup lid in 2016 which allowed the cup to be more widely accepted.

In 2018, Starbucks, in partnership with Closed Loop Partners, launched a global effort to bring together entrepreneurs, industry leaders, and recyclers to identify and commercialize the next generation of recyclable and/or compostable cup solutions via the NextGen Cup Consortium and Challenge And, we have also committed to phasing out plastic straws from our 29,000 stores worldwide by 2020, eliminating more than 1 billion straws a year. Plastic straws will be replaced with a lightweight, recyclable strawless lid, with paper or alternative material straws available for blended beverages, and plastic straws upon request for Starbucks customers who need or request one.

Recycling

Recycling Chart

Starbucks has been a leading national retailer in advocating for increased access to recycling programs throughout the country.

Recycling seems like a simple, straightforward initiative but it’s actually quite challenging. Our customers’ ability to recycle our cups, whether at home, at work, in public spaces or in our stores, is dependent upon multiple factors, including local government policies and access to recycling markets such as paper mills and plastic processors. The current patchwork approach with varying regulations city by city makes it challenging and confusing for customers to know where and when to recycle or compost their cup.

As part of Starbucks involvement, we advocate for model legislation and best practices. In conjunction with the National League of Cities to make access more widely available, ensuring consistency and reducing confusion about what materials are recyclable or compostable. In addition, we are working with companies and organizations along the supply chain as a member of the Food Packaging Institute’s Paper Recovery Alliance and Plastics Recovery Group. Ultimately, we want our packaging to be recyclable in both material and practice, so that our customers have access to recycling services wherever they choose to dispose of their waste.

Reusability

Reusable cups are also an important component of our overall waste reduction strategy. Since 1985 we’ve rewarded our customers with a discount when they bring in personal cups or tumblers, or use for-here serveware available in our stores. In 2013 we launched a $2 reusable cup in the U.S. and Canada, and a £1cup in the United Kingdom.

Source: https://www.starbucks.com/responsibility/environment/recycling

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Stages, Processes, Benefits of Plastic Recycling

What is Plastic Recycling?

Plastic Recycling is the process of recovering different types of plastic material in order to reprocess them into varied other products, unlike their original form. An item made out of plastic is recycled into a different product, which usually cannot be recycled again.

Stages in Plastic Recycling

Before any plastic waste is recycled, it needs to go through five different stages so that it can be further used for making various types of products.

  • Sorting: It is necessary that every plastic item is separated according to its make and type so that it can be processed accordingly in the shredding machine.
  • Washing: Once the sorting has been done, the plastic waste needs to be washed properly to remove impurities such as labels and adhesives. This enhances the quality of the finished product.
  • Shredding: After washing, the plastic waste is loaded into different conveyer belts that run the waste through the different shredders. These shredders tear up the plastic into small pellets, preparing them for recycling into other products.
  • Identification and Classification of Plastic: After shredding, a proper testing of the plastic pellets is conducted in order to ascertain their quality and class.
  • Extruding: This involves melting the shredded plastic so that it can be extruded into pellets, which are then used for making different types of plastic products.

Processes of Plastic Recycling

Among the many processes of recycling plastic waste, the following two are the most popular in the industry.

  • Heat Compression: This type of plastic recycling is gaining special demand in the United States, Australia, and Japan because of its ability to recycle all types of plastic at once. It takes unsorted and cleaned plastic waste and mixes it in huge tumblers that churn the entire mixture. The major advantage of this process is that it does not require matching forms of plastic to be recycled together.
  • Monomer: Through the elaborate and accurate monomer recycling process, major challenges of plastic recycling can be overcome. This process actually reverses the polymerization reaction in order to recycle the same type of condensed polymer. This process not only purifies but also cleans the plastic waste to create a new polymer.

Benefits of Plastic Recycling

After knowing the processes and stages of plastic recycling, it is also important to know its various benefits. A few of them are:

  • There’s A Ton of Plastic: One of the biggest reasons for recycling plastic is its huge quantity. It has been observed that 90% of the waste accumulated by the municipal corporation is a plastic waste. Apart from this, plastic is used for manufacturing various types of goods and items that are being used on a daily basis. This will not only help increase the production of plastic but will also take care of the environment.
  • Conservation of Energy and Natural Resources: The recycling of plastic helps save a lot of energy and natural resources as these are the main ingredients required for making virgin plastic. Saving petroleum, water, and other natural resources help conserve the balance in nature.
  • Clears Landfill Space: Plastic waste is accumulated on land that should be used for other purposes. The only way this plastic waste can be removed from these areas is by recycling it. Also, various experiments have proven that when another waste material is thrown on the same ground as plastic waste, it decomposes faster and emits hazardous toxic fumes after a certain period. These fumes are extremely harmful to the surrounding area as they can cause different types of lung and skin diseases.

Source: https://www.norcalcompactors.net/processes-stages-benefits-plastic-recycling/

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How to Live a Plastic-Free Life

Hiiii! Di post-an pertama ku kali ini aku pengen ngajak kalian semua untuk ngelakuin hal yang selama ini kalian anggap sepele tapi sebenernya berpengaruh negatif ke ekosistem sekitar kita. Sampah plastik merupakan salah satu sumber pencemaran lingkungan hidup di seluruh dunia termasuk Indonesia. Faktanya menurut Kementrian Lingkungan Hidup dan Kehutanan, Indonesia merupakan negara penyumbang sampah plastik ke laut terbanyak kedua di dunia setelah China sejak tahun 2016. Hal ini seharusnya menjadi permasalahan yang serius bagi kita.

Here are some simple tips how to live a plastic-free live:

1. Carry your own non-plastic bottle everywhere you go

Cara yang paling sederhana untuk mencegah keberadaan sampah plastik salah satunya dengan selalu membawa botol minum non-plastic ke manapun kamu pergi. Selain lebih praktis, membawa botol minuman sendiri juga dapat mencegah tubuh kita dari penyakit karena botol minuman kemasan plastik dapat mengganggu kesehatan jika digunakan lebih dari 2 kali.

2. Carry reusable shopping bags.

Bawa totebag atau ecobag sendiri saat kamu berbelanja ke pasar maupun supermarket. Cara ini sudah mulai didukung oleh beberapa supermarket di Indonesia dengan mengenakan additional charge jika ingin membawa pulang belanjaan menggunakan kantong plastik.

3. Replace your plastic straw with a stainless straw

Membiasakan diri untuk mengganti sedotan plastik ke sedotan yang terbuat dari stainless, kaca, ataupun bambu. Ketiga bahan sedotan tersebut dapat dicuci sehingga tidak hanya sekali pakai langsung buang. Ga sulit kok temen-temen untuk memulai cara ini karena sekarang udah banyak sedotan stainless atau bambu dijual di cafe. Bahkan, penyajian minuman di beberapa cafe sudah mulai menggunakan bahan non-plastic yang kemudian ada hashtag di sedotannya #ImNotPlastic

4. Learn how to recycle plastic waste

Belajar tentang bagaimana caranya mendaur ulang sampah plastik sehingga jika ada tumpukan sampah plastik di lingkungan sekitar dapat dimanfaatkan kembali. Dengan begitu, volume sampah plastik akan berkurang dan menjadikan lahan bisnis baru yang menghasilkan uang ke depannya. Apalagi buat otak-otak anak FEB bisa banget niih mulai nerapin cara ini hehe peace

5. Use zero plastic packaging

Membiasakan dirt untuk membeli produk yang dikemas dalam kemasan kaca atau karton. Seperti lebih memilih membeli sabun batangan daripada sabun cair, membeli ice cream cone daripada ice cream yang di cup plastik.

6. Bring your own lunch box

Cara ini untuk menghindari saat kita membeli makanan di pinggir jalan atau restoran yang jika dibawa pulang akan dibungkus dengan plastik. Terlebih saat ingin membeli makanan yang jenisnya berbeda-beda dan berkuah, otomatis akan semakin banyak plastik yang digunakan untuk membungkusnya. Oleh karena itu, penting buat kita untuk membawa kotak makan sendiri sebagai bentuk usaha mengurangi sampah plastik.

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