📘 Part 3: Plastic use and environmental impact

This episode's vocabulary

Alternative (noun/adjective) – something you can choose instead of something else. → We need to find a sustainable alternative to plastic.

Biodegradable (adj) – capable of being broken down naturally by bacteria. → Paper is biodegradable and causes less harm to the environment.

Packaging (noun) – materials used to wrap or protect goods. → Many food items come in plastic packaging.

Unavoidable (adj) – impossible to prevent or avoid. → In some industries, the use of plastic is unavoidable.

Casing (noun) – a cover or shell that protects something. → The plastic casing of a laptop helps protect its components.

Hazard (noun) – something dangerous or risky. → Replacing plastic in electronics could create a fire hazard.

Lightweight (adj) – not heavy; easy to carry. → Plastic products are popular because they’re lightweight.

Wrapper (noun) – a piece of material used to cover something, especially food. → There were plastic wrappers all over the park.

Viable (adj) – capable of working successfully. → We need viable alternatives to plastic for daily use.

Legislate (verb) – to make or enact laws. → Governments can legislate to reduce single-use plastics.

Incentivise (verb) – to encourage someone to do something by offering rewards. → They launched a programme to incentivise plastic recycling.

Hectic (adj) – very busy and full of activity. → People with hectic lifestyles may rely more on single-use plastic.

Microplastic (noun) – tiny pieces of plastic that pollute the environment. → Microplastics have been found in drinking water supplies.

Leach (verb) – to leak or seep into another substance. → Chemicals from plastic can leach into water and soil.

Saturate (verb) – to fill completely, often excessively. → The environment is becoming saturated with plastic waste.

Single-use (adj) – intended to be used once and then thrown away. → Single-use plastics are one of the biggest pollution problems.

Recyclable (adj) – able to be processed and used again. → Not all plastics are recyclable, which adds to the problem.

Sustainable (adj) – able to be maintained without harming the environment. → We need sustainable packaging solutions.

Waste management (noun) – the process of dealing with garbage and recycling. → Proper waste management is essential to reduce plastic pollution.

Public awareness (noun) – how much people know about a specific issue. → Increasing public awareness can help reduce plastic consumption.

Questions and Answers

Maria: How can we reduce our use of plastic?

Rory: Well, switching to alternative materials would be a good start. Paper and cardboard are relatively harmless and biodegradable, so using them as packaging as much as possible would be good. And indeed, they do this now for lots of products which used to be in plastic packaging.

Maria: Do you think we should use plastic products?

Rory: I mean, in some circumstances it's unavoidable, isn't it? For example, the hardened plastic casing on laptop computers couldn't be easily substituted by something else. Or at least not without turning the laptop into a fire hazard.

Maria: Why do people like to use plastic products?

Rory: Well, I'm not so sure they do like using them. It's just a lack of viable alternatives. Like I said before, sometimes using various plastic products is just unavoidable. They might like the products because they're cheap and lightweight. That would make sense. But that's less about the material and more about what it does for people or what it allows them to do.

Maria: What kinds of plastic waste are often seen in your country?

Rory: Oh wow, it would be easier to talk about what isn't seen, frankly speaking. It's a Western country, so there's a huge amount of plastic products and packaging that gets used on a regular basis. Much of it is like wrappers and food packets for food that get thrown away after the food inside of them has been eaten.

Maria: Do you think we can do without plastic altogether in the future?

Rory: Well, if alternatives that work well and can be easily mass-produced become available, then I don't see why not. We would definitely need a replacement, though. It's not like we can just abandon it overnight. Too many industries rely on the use of plastics for that to be viable.

Maria: What can the government do to reduce plastic pollution?

Rory: I'm not sure there is much the government can do, really. It's tempting to think they can enact laws and legislate the problem away, but that wouldn't be very effective if there's nothing to replace them with. With that in mind, I suppose they could encourage investment in the development of alternative products and launch programmes to incentivise their use. That might be more effective.

Maria: Do you think that people could reduce their plastic waste?

Rory: I think they could. Whether they will or not is entirely up to them because different people have different needs. So, if it's someone like me, then I could do without a great deal of plastic, but maybe someone with a more hectic lifestyle who doesn't have the time to make these sorts of decisions couldn't do that.

Maria: But what do you think, in the future, will plastic waste be reduced?

Rory: Well, I want to say yes, because people are more conscious of the fact that plastic can do damage to the environment. For example, things like microplastics leaching into water supplies can be a problem. So now that we're aware of this, and the consequences it has as they start to saturate ourselves, we should be seeing less, but people don't always make the right decisions, and sometimes change can be hard. So the jury's out.

Maria: Thank you Roy for your answers.

Rory: No worries.