Why reducing plastic usage, not recycling, is the solution to saving the environment

Waste management is one of the major challenges faced in the current era, with a large amount of waste generated from consumption and consumerism every day. Each country has different methods of waste disposal; some bury it while others incinerate it, and each method has its environmental impacts. This led to the emergence of the concept of recycling, which appeared to be an effective solution to reduce waste and reuse materials efficiently.

However, the latest research published in the "Journal of Hazardous Material Advances" may prompt the world to rethink. Scientists have revealed that the recycling process may result in the release of a significant amount of microplastics into the environment.

Recycling refers to the process of transforming, or improving the quality of waste, or used materials to restore them to a comparable or near-original state, or to obtain new raw materials or products.

What the research revealed

An international team of scientists collected wastewater samples from a state-of-the-art recycling facility in an undisclosed location in the United Kingdom. They found that microplastics accounted for approximately 13% of the plastic released with the water after undergoing the recycling process. It was estimated that this particular facility could release up to 7.5 trillion plastic particles per cubic metre of wastewater.

Erina Brown, the lead researcher from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland, expressed her deep concern about the results. She said, "It's very alarming because recycling is designed to reduce problems and protect the environment, but this is a major problem that we have created ourselves."

Researchers tested the wastewater before and after the installation of water filtration systems in the facility and found that the filtration reduced the concentration of microplastics from 13% to 6%. This result was obtained while the estimated number of 7.5 trillion plastic pieces was recorded after the installation of the filtration system. Most plastic particles were smaller than 10 microns in diameter, which is similar to the diameter of a red blood cell in humans.

Microplastics a major concern

Microplastics are tiny plastic particles that have a diameter of less than 5 millimetres. If they are larger than this, they are still considered macroplastics. "Nanoplastics" refer to even smaller plastic particles, measuring approximately 0.001 to 0.1 microns.

The research findings also revealed the presence of microplastics in the air surrounding the recycling facility, with 61% of these plastic particles being smaller than 10 microns in diameter.

It is widely known that particulate matter smaller than 10 microns in the air is associated with human health issues.

In recent years microplastics, or plastic fragments smaller than 5mm, have become a significant environmental concern, as they are almost omnipresent, even amid fresh snow in the Antarctica and deep parts of the oceans. They can pose a threat to animals, plants, and even humans. Therefore, this study serves as another reminder for us all to be aware of the necessity to reduce plastic usage from the source, rather than relying solely on plastic recycling.