The use and prohibition of single-use plastic divides several sectors. The Costa Rican Association of the Plastic Industry (ACIPLAST) assures that the plastic itself is not the problem, but its final deposition.
According to a UN Environment report, the world produces about 280 tons of plastic every year. It is estimated that about 13 million tons end up polluting the seas and that by 2050 there will be more plastic than fishes in the ocean.
There is currently a project that proposes the creation of a national plan to discourage the use of plastic.
Kifah Sasa, responsible for The UN Sustainable Development portfolio in Costa Rica, informed that they are targetting municipal action because local governments have the power to make patents. That means that a group of 5 or 6 people from a council can make a modification to a municipal regulation.
This project started by the end of 2016 and to date, 2 meetings have been held with 11 municipalities from the Greater Metropolitan Area (GAM), that committed to work in the legal situations that must be carried out.
Felipe Ureña, Executive Director of ACIPLAST, commented that the issue is huge. ACIPLAST really understands the situation and it is also concerned about the pollution of the seas.
According to him, the problem is the final treatment that the material receives:
We are not focusing on the key issue that is the disposal of waste … We are struggling to remove the plastic and use substitute materials that can be paper, carton … One study indicates that if we stop using plastic and we use other substitute materials, it would increase its use,
stated Ureña.
In spite of this, Sasa insists that only 5% of the plastic in the world can be reused and a solution must be found soon to reduce the damage in the environment.