COVID ON PLASTICS: How is the World really handling the 2020 Pandemic?
The plastic crisis; it’s right in our faces!
One of the greatest challenges planet earth has seen, is the overwhelming accumulation of plastics. With the recent coronavirus pandemic of 2019/2020, the plastics crisis has gotten even worse. From the alarming build up of single use plastics to the increase in single use PPE (personal protective equipment), the pandemic has caused long lasting damage to both our environment and the human population.
Is this over use of plastics really as safe and hygienic as we think it is? Or are we just creating more vessels to transmit the disease with, while we exacerbate our plastics crisis?
COVID-19
At the end of 2019, the famous disease, COVID-19, started up in Wuhan, China and has since inflicted its horrors on the rest of the world. This disease is caused by a terribly mean virus (coronavirus to be specific) that goes by the name, SARS-CoV-2, standing for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (refer to CDC web page for list of symptoms). There has been a lot of fear, with the transmissibility of the virus, seeing how quickly it spread, even from people who were asymptomatic. We may not know much about the future of this pandemic, but what we can say is SARS-CoV-2 will likely still be with us for some time.
How “Corona’s” done damage to our Planet and Economy
As we march forward in the pandemic, plastic waste has unfortunately increased, with the encouragement of single use plastics to ‘avoid contagion’, by banning reusable mugs at cafes or tote bags at the grocery store, at the start of the pandemic . Increased shipping of goods has added to the plastic crisis as well.
While we were all going stir crazy in our homes during quarantine, it was nice doing a quick order of new books off amazon, or getting a fresh new wardrobe from Simons. But, that all came to the cost of more plastic waste hanging around with us for the next 1000 years.
Another unfortunate outcome of the pandemic is the economic recession that most of the world is under, putting a halt on the technological improvements that were supposed to take place in the recycling business, as well as packaging industries; trying to make switches from plastics. The European Green Deal, made by the UN, was an attempt to help with waste management, by providing the funding to European countries to improve their recycling facilities. But due to the pandemic, it has now been set back, with even more plastic waste accumulating and not being properly treated for sanitary reasons.
Ignoring the Cries of The Environment May Bring Us Longer Lasting Harm
One of the greatest links between the plastic crisis and our current pandemic is the increased use and manufacturing of PPE. Just as it was seen during the previous outbreak; H1N1, the build up of single use plastics as well as PPE are being detected in oceans and landfills. This is causing countless problems for wildlife, which will lead to more problems for us.
These plastic products are often not disposed properly after use, which may be leading to more unintended spread of the virus. The use of plastics during the spread of the novel coronavirus may not be as hygienic as we are led to believe.
COVID-19 Lives on Surfaces as well as People
You may think that once you’re past those exit doors from the grocery store that you are safe from the little monster we call “covid”. Well, think again. It has been shown that the novel coronavirus can live on surfaces like our plastic grocery bags for much longer than one might think. The New England Journal of Medicine has published the length of time that coronavirus, our evil neighbour, can last on common surfaces; air, copper, cardboard, steel and plastics.
With the increased use of single use plastics during the pandemic, it’s important to think about how long the virus lives on these surfaces. Compared to steel, cardboard, copper and aerosols (air particles), Covid-19 was shown to last longer on plastic surfaces. The half-life for the virus on plastics is approximately 7 hours. For those who aren’t familiar with the term, half-life is the decay rate of the virus, or the amount of time it takes for there to be half of the remaining virus particles. The half-life for stainless steel is between 4-5 hours, 3 hours for the virus on cardboard and then about an hour for the air as well as copper. So while we might see this increase of plastic use as a sterile solution during a pandemic, that may not be the case after all. Consider all those who may have been in contact with this everyday plastic before it is placed into your hands. Now, it’s not certain how transmissible the virus is via surfaces, as most cases of the disease have resulted from direct person-to-person contact. Nevertheless, it’s important to be cautious of your environment. So don't forget the importance of washing your hands!
What can “We” do?
When you have the option to, help out the planet and go plastic free! Otherwise, learn the proper methods for recycling and give your bottles and containers a second life!
References
M. G. Baker and Others, A. B. Cavalcanti and Others, & D. R. Boulware and Others. (2020, May 14). Aerosol and Surface Stability of SARS-CoV-2 as Compared with SARS-CoV-1: NEJM. Retrieved August 20, 2020, from
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/nejmc2004973Kahlert, S., & Bening, C. (2020, May 16). Plastics recycling after the global pandemic: Resurgence or regression? Retrieved August 20, 2020, from
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7229953/LeBlanc, R. (n.d.). How Long Will It Take That Bag of Trash to Decompose in a Landfill? Retrieved September 02, 2020, from
https://www.thebalancesmb.com/how-long-does-it-take-garbage-to-decompose-2878033Ford, D. (2020, August 17). COVID-19 Has Worsened the Ocean Plastic Pollution Problem. Retrieved September 02, 2020, from
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/covid-19-has-worsened-the-ocean-plastic-pollution-problem/?fbclid=IwAR1CSqgYQxVCeYCj8CGbBwWhlv20Y-kmBylyWMJVUSqVL0oiFr-F3aR-EG0Another Side Effect of COVID-19: The Surge in Plastic Pollution: Earth.Org - Past: Present: Future. (2020, July 15). Retrieved September 02, 2020, from
https://earth.org/covid-19-surge-in-plastic-pollution/?fbclid=IwAR3k9BLOE0rHln2LLqOnYvrQj2keFxPHtFTc2p_eaaNnrsx1W2APvP6R_ZCoronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). (n.d.). Retrieved September 11, 2020, from
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
