St Augustine College’s Ekoskola team carried out an online survey to collect data on the use of plastics and awareness about the recycling of plastics.
The questionnaire consisted of 12 close-ended questions based on research, disseminated among the 1,750 members of our learning community. Some of the results are being shared here, while the others will be used to conduct an educational campaign during next scholastic year.
From the questionnaire, we found out that 53 per cent of the respondents know that there are seven types of plastics, of which the six common types are PET, PS, HDPE, PP, PVC and LDPE. The rest are misinformed. This same lack of information is reflected in the lack of knowledge about the recycling of plastics – 26 per cent think all plastics can be recycled, whereas in fact, only 30 per cent of plastic waste is recycled in Europe, while Malta only recycles 19.2 per cent.
Thankfully, the survey found that respondents are aware of how one should dispose of plastic bags. Over the years, educational campaigns on plastic recycling have increased and one educational campaign especially addressing schools is the bottle caps recycling campaign led by the Office of the President of Malta in aid of Community Chest Fund Foundation’s L-Istrina.
In fact, the vast majority of respondents (92 per cent) know that plastic bottle caps can be recycled. This is confirmed by the fact that during the L-Istrina 2018 edition, €21,000 were collected from 18 million recycled plastic bottle caps.
The survey also sought to find out whether the respondents knew how plastic is made. In fact, only 10 per cent of respondents knew, while the rest did not or were not sure of the details.
Every year, more than 420 million tons of plastics are manufactured across the globe and 15 per cent of global waste generation is plastic material. Unfortunately, only PET, HDPE and PVC plastic products are recyclable; the others are not recycled, mainly due to inefficiency.
It is alarming that 45 per cent of the respondents used one to five single-use plastic items per week, and another significant 35 per cent used six to 10 items per week
A total of 300 million tons of plastic produced annually ends up in the ecosystem. This is quite alarming when one considers the amount of time plastics take to break down. It takes 500 years and longer for plastic bags to decompose in a landfill.
The survey found that 83 per cent knew that plastics disintegrate into microplastics and end up in the water table. In fact, plastics do infiltrate the water table and are also harmful to marine life when they reach the sea.
A 2020 UK study found four cases of microplastics in the placenta of unborn babies. These microplastics were small enough to pass through the blood stream, with the babies born “pre-polluted”. While this is a serious matter, its coverage in the media is quite limited.
Plastic in itself is not actually the problem. Single-use plastic is. Plastic bags, straws, plastic cutlery, plastic bottles, plastic plates in some way or another can all be eliminated, for example, by using cloth bags instead of plastic bags. Some shops and restaurants are already doing their part but everyone’s cooperation is essential.
The use of plastics and consumables has drastically increased over the years. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, more people have been consuming takeaway foods since restaurants were closed, while the catering industry had to opt for the use of plastic containers and cutlery for hygiene purposes. This situation begs the question: how much single-use plastic is used per week in a typical family?
It is alarming that 45 per cent of the respondents used one to five single-use plastic items per week, and another significant 35 per cent used six to 10 items per week. Such figures are very high and more worrying if the respondents do not recycle the plastic they use. Fortunately, only one per cent of the respondents said they used 20 or more single-use plastic items per week.
The survey found that there is evident lack of awareness as to how plastic is produced, and as to which plastic items can or cannot be recycled and why. The 16 to 24 age group had most correct answers. This shows that this age group has more accessibility to education through schools, media and information campaigns. The least knowledgeable are the older age bracket, possibly due to the limited access to media and updated information.
Therefore, education plays an important role. Educational campaigns should target the negative aspects of plastics, displaying the harm plastics can cause to the environment if not disposed of properly. Furthermore, awareness in schools might also have an impact on adults, particularly parents and perhaps grandparents who would be exposed to the learning undertaken by the children.
This is an excerpt of an article submitted as part of the school’s participation in this year’s Litterless and Young Reporters for the Environment campaign.
Gabriel Pullicino and Yevgeny Spiteri are members, Ekoskola Committee, St Augustine College.