On the International No Plastic Bag Day, we meet the coordinator of the Mission ‘I choose the reusable cup’ Sabina Maximova – a person for whom sustainability is not just a mission, but a way of life. During her motherhood, she realized that her daughter suffers from multiple allergies despite the eco-friendly lifestyle they lead. She then began to educate herself about the possible causes and came to the disturbing conclusion that there was a huge amount of plastic particles in the food, water and air. Plastics have long since changed their purpose or someone has quite programmatically made the world use them in a one-shot way, says Sabina. Her wish is for everyone to be aware of the harms of its use, believing that the collective power of people will change the world.
How can people reduce the use of plastic bags?
– With reusable bags we first have to get used to. The good news is that if we do something five or six times, it easily becomes a habit – just as we don’t go out without our keys, phone or wallet. Why not also start carrying a small, collapsible bag in your purse or backpack instead of relying on store-bought plastic ones?
When we shop more, small canvas bags may not be convenient, but a large, sturdy bag is quite sufficient for most purchases. We can also use the boxes from the shops themselves, so-called secondary packaging, which are often available to us.
Another small step we can take is to stop using small plastic bags without handles – the ones that are usually found next to fruit and vegetables in the supermarket. We can put most of the produce separately in the basket and measure it on the weighing scale without the need for a bag. For smaller fruit, like cherries for example, we can bring a box from home. Something simple and effective: use the plastic bags repeatedly until they tear. The same goes for cans, jars and all kinds of containers. And for the skeptics, no one will stop you from putting your food from the warm display in a personal container instead of buying disposable cans. It’s your choice and a first step to a better life for you and your children.
Disposable plastic cans are extremely dangerous, especially when in contact with hot food, as they have been shown to release harmful chemicals. How does this affect human health?
– It is extremely dangerous! Scientists are still investigating the full effect of microplastics on the human body, but the early evidence is more than alarming. Plastic fibres have been found in human tissues, including the brain, and microplastics are deposited in all organs and systems of the body. At the molecular level, plastic can penetrate inside cells. There is direct evidence of infertility, reproductive problems of all kinds and because of so-called bisphenol A (BPA), which acts as a hormone disruptor, i.e. it interferes with hormones in the human body. Other harmful substances such as bisphenols, colourings and stabilisers are a trade secret on the part of plastic manufacturers. The consequences are very dire. Traces of chemicals found in plastics have been found in the blood and urine of over 95% of people tested.
The fact is that if we gathered every single piece and possession of plastic in one place, they would permeate the globe. In practice, we have already covered the Earth with plastic waste and we urgently need to find a solution. The solution when we have a flood is to stop the tap. So prevention is the first thing – to stop this very intensive use of plastic objects, and in the very short term.
Is it possible for companies to stop offering plastic bags?
– They would rather not give up or they will do so once they agree among themselves. Unfortunately, as someone with a very long trading experience, I don’t think a trader would turn out of potential turnovers. A traders job is to sell and they do everything to create the best conditions. In that sense, they get into a conflict of interest when they have to limit the use of bags. Only if there is a law that prohibits this use and this law applies to absolutely everyone and is enforced at the same time, then the industry will have no problem with their other competitor being more competitively able if they offer such bags.
What do you say about this statement, which quickly spread: ,,The Bulgarian Black Sea coast is one of the cleanest in Europe”?
– What is typical here is that we have smaller plastic particles floating around. The pollution is by no means small. I am quoting here a study from three years ago, in which it was proven that three tonnes of waste enter the Black Sea every day, of which nearly 90% is plastic. The majority of the plastic debris is fishing nets, and the other part is that which comes from the use of packaging for drinks, food, etc. A few years ago it was shown that our sea is no less polluted than the Mediterranean, for example.
What are you teaching your children, because let us face it, they are the future?
– I always talk to them, I always ask them to bring a bag. I buy them bottles. Here they are – now they’ll tell you about it, themselves.
Dimana, 10: What we do as a family is we try to always bring a reusable bag. Another thing is, instead of using disposable plastic bottles, we drink from reusable ones, like the metal ones for example. My bottle is 3 years old. When we go on the road we have big jugs with a jug – a tap – and we fill them with six litres of water instead of buying. They are plastic, yes, but they are reusable. We like to drink smoothies with metal straws and then wash and reuse them. We have separate plastic and paper collection bins.
Adelina, 13: When we forget our reusable bag, we don’t immediately throw away the plastic one we picked up at the store. We use it several more times until it breaks. And then we recycle them.
OK, but aren’t single-use plastic bottles harmful to reuse?
– Yes, we can use plastic bags more than once, but not single-use plastic bottles because plastic is not made to be reused. It has quite a lot of substances in it that are volatile – they go back into the water and we generally advise no one to do that. If we want a bottle like this, it has to be made of a plastic that is commonly used to make dentures. In medicine, for example, plastic is also used, but it is very special. This bottle lasts at least five or six years, even longer. And then it is also recycled. A bottle like this is quite expensive, let’s say about 30 leva, but I will use it for many years. If I use it 365 days a year, imagine how many thousands of times I will use it. This is incomparable to the quality of other more ordinary plastics, where it is important to sell them, but the packaging itself is not of sufficient quality.
And we’ve come to the poll you want to use to prove a big point? Tell us a bit more about it?
– The aim of this survey is to measure consumer attitudes towards the use of the small plastic bags without a handle that are commonly used for fruit and vegetables. Furthermore, the survey aims to find out to what extent people are willing to give up their use altogether. As environmentalists, we have reasonable doubts that it is these bags that are left out of the official statistics. In Bulgaria, there are general statistics, but there is no division. In other countries, a clear distinction is made between larger, thicker bags and smaller, thin bags without handles.
Why do you think the statistics don’t account for small bags?
– This is just a guess on my part, but I think that importers are not reporting to the state, and the state is not doing enough. In order to arrive at these statistics in Eurostat, the responsible Ministry for the Environment and Water collects data on the volume of distribution of such plastic bags. Each producer and distributor is obliged to fill in certain templates, and at the end of the year, a total statistic is produced and submitted to Eurostat. This is actually at the initiative of the producer himself, who again has a conflict of interest because he may not want to give accurate data. Imagine if there is no control either. For example, I am a fictitious producer and I put 500 000 bags on the market and I can report 50 000 bags. Who is going to come and check me?
Are there enough studies on public attitudes to this problem?
– I think there is not. I think this topic has been abandoned. The authorities are currently concentrating on attitudes towards themselves rather than addressing the real problems of society, including environmental problems, which are in fact a problem for people’s lives, health, if you like, and even our food security. After all, the production of plastic, in general, not just plastic bags, contributes at least 10% of the total carbon dioxide load in the atmosphere. What is even scarier is that much of this waste, single-use plastic, goes to incineration, is not recycled, and this enters the air and creates extreme problems for people, the population, the fertility of women and men, and the nation in general.
How long will humanity last without doing anything about this?
– Not a day more. We are too late. Many experts believe we are doing too little, too late. Not enough. Very, very decisive action and legislative measures are indeed needed to achieve lasting and rapid results on turning off the tap. Because the measures have not been taken in time, we are now at the point where urgent action must be taken against single-use consumption and against this style of consumerism in general, the so-called ‘throwaway society’, or, in English, the commonly used term throwaway society.
It is worrying that the public is not very responsive and not informed enough. Bulgarians rank last in awareness of environmental issues. We need to get out of this apathy. Only then will we be all right. And here I want to point out something important. Plastic has its advantages, but it needs to be used for the right purpose, for durable items and products, and of course it needs to be of high quality, with a certificate that it does not emit hazardous substances. To make a real difference, we must not see the environment as something external and separate from us, but as our living environment. Only then will we understand that it is an integral part of life and our health.
