Environmentalists on the American west coast are cheering on a new “extensive” ban on polystyrene, approved unanimously last month by the San Francisco County Board of Supervisors. The ban will prohibit businesses in the area from using the material in the packaging of goods. The victory is prompting environmental activists worldwide, including those in Macau, to call for similar bans.
A common plastic, polystyrene is used in the production of such items as CD cases and plastic model assembly kits, as well as composing disposable items such as takeaway packages (the “tapau” that is used extensively in Macau), plastic cutlery and dinnerware. The material is also used in a variety of circumstances where a rigid but affordable plastic is required.
It is widely thought to contain toxic substances known as Styrene and Benzene, which are suspected of being carcinogens and neurotoxins that are hazardous to humans. It is also the subject of controversy among environmentalists due to the fact that it is very slow to biodegrade. This problem is compounded by the fact that it is an abundant form of refuse, particularly along shoreline areas.
Although the material’s ban in San Francisco was only announced last month, and will take effect from next year, other cities in the U.S. including New York City, Seattle, Washington DC, Los Angeles and Miami Beach have already resolved to implement their own prohibitions.
A scholar at the University of Saint Joseph (USJ) told the Times that he would like to see a similar ban imposed in Macau both because of the material’s extensive use in the territory, and because the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and International Agency for Research on Cancer have extensively written about the harmful properties of polystyrene.
Chan Shek Kiu of the Institute of Science and Environment at USJ says that he is regularly involved as an organizer and participant in beach clean-up operations in the MSAR.
One recent clean-up operation collected 2,595 pieces of polystyrene in just one hour, making the material the second most frequent type of refuse found on Macau’s beaches after plastic bottles.
“Overall I believe that the situation is getting more serious,” Ho Wai Tim, the president of the Macau Ecological Society, told the Times last week, speaking on the matter of plastic waste accumulation in the territory.
Chan says that a significant quantity of polystyrene is dumped into the sea only to find its way to Macau’s shores. As for the source of the dumping, Chan suspects that potential sources include refuse from shipping and illegal dumping in mainland China. However, he noted that there may also be a sizeable amount of direct disposal by residents, workers and tourists at the beach.
He told the Times that the government and the responsible agencies could do more to remedy the situation. “I suppose they are just treating the symptoms and not addressing the cause,” assessed Chan.
In response to a Times’ enquiry last week on the matter, a statement from Macau’s Environmental Protection Bureau (DSPA) indicated that it is the responsibility of Macau’s cleaning concessionaire, Companhia De Sistemas De Resíduos (CSR), to clean the territory’s beaches, while the Marine and Water Bureau is accountable for the surrounding seas.
The marine bureau says that it dispatches personnel to the sea around Macau on a daily basis to monitor the situation, increasing the number of staff and the frequency of cleaning as is deemed necessary. CSR have not been available for a comment on the issue.
Meanwhile, DSPA pledged in its statement to “strengthen the environmental awareness of society’s waste reduction at source, [of] recycling and other aspects through different channels.”
Indeed, a more effective recycling system may circumvent the need for a ban on polystyrene. Macau-based scholars such as Professor Hojae Shim told the Times that a more holistic recycling program for plastic products is required in the city.
Plastic waste “should be separated first before [being incinerated]” he said, adding that, “if the respective technology is available, plastics should be recycled instead [of] incinerated.”
Environmental critics of San Francisco’s ban agree that the material should be recycled instead of simply prohibited, as the city is unable to prevent polystyrene items from being imported from other areas where it is permitted. Critics have also warned that if the ban is unable to reduce the supply of polystyrene then it will defeat its own stated purpose of reducing waste.
This month, activists and concerned citizens across the globe are abstaining from using plastic where possible as part of “Plastic Free July.” The undertaking aims to raise awareness of the prevalence of single-use disposable waste in our lives and its negative impact on the environment.
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