Letters | Demand less plastic packaging, even if it means paying more: the Earth will thank you

It is one simple step that can help to reduce the scale of the devastating impact plastic waste is having on the environment

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Consumers in general are not aware of how much plastic they are wasting, or how much pollution they are adding to Mother Earth. Photo: AFP

Published: 2:00pm, 5 May 2019Updated: 2:00pm, 5 May 2019

To ignore the damage plastic has brought upon the Earth is near impossible. Plastic can take up to 1,000 years to break down and, even if you were to try to look on the positive side, it would take a minimum of 70 years to break down. Plastic cannot just disappear at the snap of Thanos’ fingers, but we can create the stepping stones to a better era and generation with the help of a simple solution: there should be a limited amount of plastic used for product packaging based on the volume of the product.

It has been highlighted time and again that too many companies use an unnecessary amount of plastic. A staggering 40 per cent of the plastic produced is used for packaging. People in general are not aware of how much plastic they are wasting, or how much pollution they are adding to Mother Earth.

If there was a limit for plastic packaging, companies would take notice of the unnecessary plastic they use and so reduce the plastic we consumers would end up throwing away. Companies could maybe change to a more biodegradable, eco-friendly material for packaging that would not take a millennium to decompose.

Yes, in 2019 it may prove more costly to manufacture the packaging. Yes, our receipts will possibly grow longer, but what choice do we have? We all are guilty of not looking out for our own environment. We all contribute to the problem, so, for once, let’s contribute to the solution.

If you still aren’t making a positive change after hearing these words, then you are in denial. We are just a group of 12-year-olds dreaming of a better future for everyone, what would we know?

Sara Tom, Pok Fu Lam