Since August 2019, government agencies have officially eliminated single-use plastic products from their internal operations. This is a strong measure aimed at reducing plastic usage while also promoting the widespread social movement "Say NO to plastic bags," a campaign that has been vigorously implemented since early 2019.
In some localities, this movement has been further reinforced with the slogan "Say NO to Plastic," creating a strong trend of boycotting plastic products. However, this approach has inadvertently led to misunderstandings within the community, causing many people to develop a negative perception and prejudice that plastic is the "culprit" of environmental pollution. In reality, it is human actions that determine how plastic is used and disposed of responsibly and sustainably.
With its outstanding advantages, plastic has penetrated every field, from manufacturing, economy, and science and technology to daily life. Plastic appears in high-end products such as polymer banknotes, aviation and marine components, and information technology and telecommunications equipment, as well as in everyday items like furniture, water bottles, and bags. While plastic brings convenience, it also becomes a serious environmental issue when plastic waste appears everywhere, leading many to perceive plastic as a negative consequence of development. Plastic is often labeled as the "villain" of the environment. Most of us have been using plastic naturally, without considering it a serious issue—until we realize that plastic waste, if not collected, sorted, recycled, or properly treated, will become a major source of pollution.
According to statistics from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, of the 78 million tons of plastic used for packaging globally each year, only 14% is collected for recycling, 14% is incinerated, 40% is buried with other waste, and most alarmingly, 32% is directly discharged into the environment without control. This demonstrates that the problem does not lie with plastic itself but rather with how humans manage and handle plastic waste after use. We are condemning an environmental issue of our own making—a consequence of irresponsible plastic consumption and reckless waste disposal. Instead of finding effective solutions, we tend to blame the very product that has provided countless benefits to our lives. Consequently, the common mindset of "if it can't be managed, ban it" becomes a reactive measure, reflecting irresponsibility and helplessness in addressing the root cause of the problem.
Meanwhile, many developed countries such as Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Dubai, Germany, Nordic countries, and Switzerland have implemented effective waste management and treatment systems, including plastic waste. This explains why Vietnam ranks among the top four countries contributing to severe marine pollution, following China, Indonesia, and the Philippines—even though Vietnam's plastic consumption is only one-seventh of that in the U.S. The root cause is not the volume of plastic used but the lack of an effective waste management and treatment system.
Packaging plays a crucial role not only in protecting products and minimizing damage but also in ensuring hygiene, food safety, and optimizing the distribution process. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in industrialized countries, the percentage of products damaged during transportation from manufacturers to consumers is below 2%, whereas in developing countries, this figure can reach up to 50%.
Food shortages in many countries are not only caused by natural disasters such as droughts, crop failures, or floods but also by significant waste due to inadequate packaging to protect food during transportation, storage, distribution, and preservation. This highlights that packaging is not just part of a product but also a vital solution to reducing food loss and ensuring global food security.
With its superior properties, plastic has become the optimal solution for the packaging industry, especially food packaging. Therefore, comparing the recycling rate of plastic (14%) with that of paper (58%) is unreasonable, as paper can hardly meet stringent requirements for food preservation.
Moreover, considering long-life plastic products that are reused multiple times—such as supermarket bags (often reused as garbage bags), plastic doors, plastic pallets, or plastic crates—the actual recycling rate can exceed 80%.
The question arises: What exactly are many organizations advocating against? It is difficult to imagine opposing a product that has become an essential, irreplaceable part of every industry and sector. Plastic is not only a part of modern life but also plays a crucial role in production and consumption. Therefore, instead of elimination, the key is to find effective plastic management and disposal solutions, promoting sustainable use rather than radical prohibition.
Based on actual data, environmental pollution caused by waste in general and plastic waste in particular originates entirely from irresponsible waste disposal behaviors and a lack of control in waste management by authorities. Plastic does not pollute on its own—human usage and post-use disposal methods are the main causes. Therefore, instead of extreme anti-plastic measures, we should focus on raising community awareness and improving waste management systems to move toward a sustainable circular economy. Both individuals and major corporations must bear social responsibility in addressing the plastic waste issue. Each person must enhance awareness of proper waste disposal, while businesses must take responsibility for recycling and developing sustainable solutions.
Thanks to technological advancements, plastic can be completely regenerated from used bottles into new bottles that meet food safety standards. By reconnecting broken molecular chains and removing odors and impurities through FDA-approved processes, we can create an effective recycling loop. This is the direction many major corporations worldwide are adopting to minimize environmental impact.
However, as plastic packaging often comes into direct contact with food and various packaged substances—and since many packaging types are designed from multiple material layers to optimize functionality and cost—not all plastics can be recycled into high-grade packaging through material recycling.
These factors complicate the recycling process, requiring advanced technology to separate layers, clean, and efficiently process plastic. Therefore, in addition to material recycling, other methods such as chemical recycling and energy recovery should be considered to maximize the resources extracted from plastic waste.
Various complex plastic waste treatment technologies have been developed and will continue to improve, enhancing efficiency and economic viability when widely applied. Advanced solutions include:
Applying these technologies not only helps reduce environmental pollution but also opens opportunities for resource optimization, reducing dependence on raw materials, and promoting a circular economy in the plastics industry.
Without a comprehensive solution and thorough implementation, merely campaigning against plastic will not solve environmental pollution at its root. More importantly, the question remains: What will replace plastic?
Several alternatives have been proposed, including:
However, practical studies, including reports from the German Federal Environment Agency, have revealed unintended consequences of these alternatives. This raises a critical issue: Are alternative solutions truly more sustainable than plastic, or do they merely shift negative impacts to another form?
Therefore, instead of radical plastic elimination, a more effective approach is to develop recycling technologies, optimize product lifecycles, and enhance social responsibility in scientific waste management.
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