LETTER | Reuse, refill and reform

LETTER | We welcome the announcement of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad that the government is considering introducing a dedicated law to address plastic disposal and pollution.

He also revealed that the ministry was in talks with the Economy Ministry to conduct a proper study on a national plastic policy.

The World Refill Day on June 16 serves as a global public awareness campaign to prevent plastic pollution and help people live with less waste.

To effectively combat plastic pollution, the national legal framework to phase out single-use plastics should focus on building and scaling reuse systems that can outperform single-use systems.

By keeping products in use as long as possible, we reduce the use of raw materials, cut CO2 emissions and energy use in production, and ease the pressure on overburdened recycling and waste management systems.

Reject single-use plastic packaging

Research has shown that reusable plastic packaging can be a financially viable alternative to single-use plastic packaging if the right conditions apply.

More than 80 percent of the respondents in a Greenpeace survey have indicated strong public backing for measures aimed at ending single-use plastics and promoting reuse-based solutions.

Market pressure is driving sustainable packaging adoption, with reuse as a focal point, though businesses fear the initial costs. Success depends on factors like packaging design, material choice, tracking technology, and consumer engagement, with economic sustainability achievable through optimised performance parameters.

Case studies show reusable packaging can be profitable even without wide-scale infrastructure, and collaborative systems can further reduce investment burdens. This shift can unlock economic benefits, enhance brand loyalty, and create green job opportunities, fostering a sustainable future.

Recycling alone cannot solve a plastic crisis. As of 2023, the national recycling rate was at 35.38 percent. It can never reach 100 percent because not all plastics are recyclable and not all recyclable plastics are recycled.

Without addressing the reduction in plastic production, we are not tackling the root cause. We need to shut the plastic tap.

Biodegradable plastics not the solution

The government should listen to scientists. Biodegradable plastics or bioplastics are false solutions to a plastic pollution crisis.

Scientists at the fourth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC4) have noted that bioplastics often retain similar elements to traditional plastics, making them no better for the environment. Research has found that bioplastics, like traditional plastics, are as toxic.

The proposed National Plastic Policy should be renamed “National Plastic Reduction Policy” to articulate the core purpose of the policy, it must put people and the planet first to improve the well-being and health of the people, not “profit of oil and plastic industry first”. It needs to:

a. Implement and scale up reuse and refill systems in transitioning away from single-use plastics while taking into account a just transition for workers. Reuse systems present a vital opportunity to move away from the existing linear path of resource exploitation and “take-make-waste packaging” wasteful economy.

b. Eliminate all single-use plastics and other non-essential, unnecessary, unsafe and unsustainable plastic products and applications as well as plastic alternatives that are made for single-use.

c. Ban toxic materials used in traditional plastics and bioplastics with requirements for the transparency of chemicals in plastic materials and products throughout their whole life cycle.

d. Reject technologies that do not address the root cause of plastic pollution and greenwashing to ensure that the products produced that further perpetuate “single-use”, “throwaway” habits, and pollution to prevent the further detriment of the climate, human and environmental health.

The government should move away from the passive and regressive position during the previous INC4 and be ambitious enough to phase down and cap plastic production in the upcoming INC5 in November 2024.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.