How to cut plastic use

By Kim Sun-ae

I decided not to eat delivery food anymore after reading an article on the harmful effects of excessive plastic use. If I eat delivery food, substantial plastic waste is generated. Although I'm still using plastic every day as a small part of my life, I'm trying to change and reduce my use of plastic.

In various ways, plastic enters our bodies through the food chain. According to “In the Flood of Plastic,” an article in the 168th issue of Green Review by farmer and writer Choe Yong-tak, many chemical fertilizers include plastic to control their absorption speed. This causes concerns that these fertilizers can also be a route for microplastic to enter our bodies.

When my father and I grew vegetables in a weekend farm, we did not cover the soil with plastic. Nonetheless, when we tilled the soil, we found plastic there. Maybe the people who grew vegetables there before us used the plastic to prevent weed growth and didn't remove it properly. It was not good to see plastic in the soil where we grew food to eat.

In his book “How to Give Up Plastic,” Will McCallum, who works at Greenpeace, says that whenever we wash clothes made from synthetics, nylon or polyester threads thinner than a hair come out and flow into the sea. Animal plankton such as krill eat these microfibers. From there, the plastic is accumulated through the food chain.

So if we eat fish or other sea animals, we may eat the plastic in them too. According to a 2015 study by an Australian research team, more than 90% of seabirds have plastic in their digestive organs.

Microfibers which come out when we do laundry are said to account for about one-third of marine plastic. To reduce the plastic flowing into the sea, we can choose clothes made from natural fabrics like cotton instead of synthetics like polyester. Also, we can buy fewer clothes and purchase second-hand clothes instead of new ones.

To decrease plastic use, McCallum also recommends decreasing the use of plastic products in cafes or stores, including plastic straws, bags, cups and bottles. We use them for a very short time and then throw them away. Nevertheless, what we throw out comes back to us through bioaccumulation. Therefore, for ourselves and for all living beings, we should cut our use of plastic.

For plastic-free shopping, McCallum urges us to use reusable grocery bags, thermoses, water bottles, food containers, among others. After reading his book, I decided to bring a grocery bag and a food container whenever I go to buy food, instead of using disposable plastic bags.

These days most foods, including tofu, bread, fruit and vegetables, are packed in plastic bags or containers. But if consumers request plastic-free food packaging, food companies will sell their products in more environmentally-friendly ways. Let's find and share diverse ways to reduce plastic use.

Kim Sun-ae (blog.naver.com/dancinglf) wrote a book of illustrated essays, "Old Potato, New Potato."