Plastic waste, the great threat

Plastic waste has become one of the greatest threats to life. It has taken over soils, rivers, and oceans, degrading and destroying the health and habitats of many organisms and, of course, the health of us humans as well.

In this same space, I've commented that the problem of plastic waste worldwide began when necessity became foolishness, and we began generating products that bordered on the absurd: packaging upon packaging that was used for only a few minutes.

Research by the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) and the University of Newcastle in Australia found that humans could be ingesting up to five grams of plastic a week through what we eat, drink, and breathe—the equivalent of a credit card!

Plastic is an affordable, durable, and flexible material that is ubiquitous in modern life, from packaging, household goods, cars, to clothing and beauty products. And it's not that plastic itself is bad—it has solved many problems for us since its creation in the last century—the problem is the way it is used and overused, and also the way it is disposed of.

It is estimated that more than 280 million tons of plastic products, particularly single-use plastics, end up in the trash every year, or worse, they end up invading, polluting, and damaging the seas and the most beautiful places on Earth.

The oceans contain the largest amount of plastic waste—four times more than on land—and 80% of it comes, of course, from the land surface, carried by rivers and streams from the towns and cities we inhabit.

It's also known that trillions of plastic fragments are floating in the oceans, and that marine organisms have consumed or become trapped in plastic, leading to their deaths; unforgivable.

Semarnat is working on a circular economy policy to improve the way natural resources are used and thereby help reduce the overwhelming amount of urban waste we generate. It is also preparing—together with other institutions, companies, and civil society organizations—an ongoing beach and coastal cleanup campaign that will begin very soon.

And it's not enough to just clean up; of course, we must find solutions to prevent waste from spreading, but we must start by changing the image that exists outside of Mexico among those who visit us, who say we're a beautiful, but dirty, country.

Today, more than ever, we need to be aware that the single-use plastic we have ingrained in our daily lives generates serious negative impacts on wildlife and human health. It is desirable to eliminate single-use plastic products, such as PET bottles, trays, cups, and carrier bags, from our lives, as a commitment to life—our own and that of the other living beings with whom we share the planet.

* Undersecretary of Biodiversity and Environmental Restoration, Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, Government of Mexico