International Relief Through Upcycling

Globally, we consume approximately 500 billion and 1 trillion polyethylene (PET) plastic shopping bags every year. Nearly 3 billion people live on less than $2.50 per day and often cannot afford even the most basic necessities. Upcycling is a way to use the near limitless resource of plastic bags that can be fashioned to produce items such as tarps for emergency shelters or even shoes to prevent elephantitis or fishing nets to help with subsistence fishing, while coasting the individual nothing, which is beneficial to developing countries where raw materials are expensive. Polyethylene plastic bags were originally created by the U.S. gas and oil industry and then introduced to U.S. supermarkets in the 1970s, however, a decade later they were introduced to Western Europe, and finally to the developing world in the 1990s.

Polyethylene is made by utilizing fossil fuels, which are typically petroleum or natural gas, in which are created when organisms are buried and then exposed to extreme heat and pressure from the Earth's crust for approximately 35 million years or more. Astonishingly, roughly 8% of the world's fossil fuel use goes to the production of plastic. Up to one-half of all plastics produced are for “disposable” single-use items such as saran wrap, or ziplock bags. However, most plastic bags end their life cycle in landfills or polluting the land and water leaving the plastic bag to be “cradle-to-grave”, rather than “cradle-to cradle”.

Fossil fuels take millions of years to produce and are a rather finite resource despite this it still maintains a linear use from fuel to waste via disposable plastic. More than a quarter of the world's population lives on less than $1.25 a day and nearly half lives on less than $2.50;. while there are an unprecedented number of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working both internationally and locally in areas affected by extreme poverty, many people still have to go without even the most basic necessities. Funding is a notorious issue for NGOs since they rely on private donations or grants from governments. Many needs go unmet do to a sheer lack of resources.

While plastic may not be fantastic, all plastic that has been made since its creation in the 1950s, still exists on this planet excepting what has been incinerated. There have been studies done in the 1970s which further go to show that plastic degrades in an extremely slow pace and is estimated to put full biodegradation in the range of centuries to millennia . Quantitative data on the abundance of debris on the seabed are still rather limited, however, there are concerns that degradation rates in the deep sea will be drastically slower than on land due to the sheer darkness and cold. The large scale production of plastic began nearly 60 years ago and plastic is now a component, partially or wholly, of nearly every product in the world. Due to this rapid increase of use, plastic fragments make their way to every inch of the globe to pollute soil, rivers, lakes, and oceans. Plastic waste has been found in even the most remote locations, from Antarctica to sub-Arctic islands in the Southern Ocean to 1000 meters below the ocean surface.

In addition, up to 80% of land and ocean pollution is plastic, with polyethylene films, this includes plastic bags which are the most common pollutant. Not to the surprise of anyone, very few plastic bags are recycled –less than 5% of all plastic bags in the U.S. find there way to recycling containers, and almost no plastic bags make it into recycling in the developing world, this is due to the fact that recycling infrastructure is practically non-existent. Plastic film is one of the least valuable recyclables, this is due to the fact that there is a low demand for the post-consumer commercial goods which it is made and is troublesome to in turn recycle. However, for the rather scarce number of plastic bags that are collected for recycling, they are generally not recycled into new plastic bags, rather downcycled into other products of lesser quality and value.

Recycling plastic bags does not eliminate the continued need for fossil fuels for polyethylene manufacturing. Additional chemicals are often required in order to turn the plastic into a useable product, thus making the environmental impact of the downcycled product potentially worse than if one had simply thrown it away. Furthermore, alternative to traditional plastic bags, “biodegradable polyethylene” does not actually contain any biodegrade – rather the starch holding the polymer together breaks down, which in turn leaves the pieces of polyethylene that are too small to see and they do not mineralize, despite what is advertised.

In addition, plastic bag bans and restrictions are becoming more common and are a necessary step to attempt to combat the ever growing issue at hand, sadly they will not eliminate the trillions upon trillions of plastic bags that already litter the globe.

Furthermore, plastic is more than pollution brought on by plastic bags, they are not just an environmental problem, they are also a hazard to human health and animal welfare . Ruminants, like sheep and cattle, tend to mistake the bags for food and consume them, causing them to either suffocate, or it can build up in their stomachs until the animals starves to death because the plastic is indigestible. Since the bags are so light, they catch on the wind causing them to then get stuck in trees and bushes. Once there they collect standing water which in turn allows the polyethylene to retain heat, thus rendering them a perfect breeding grounds for mosquitoes carrying Dengue Fever or the likes of malaria.

In turn this is the simple fact that is finally fueling many plastic bag bans in Africa where malaria is still a major health concern that is continuing to grow. Additionally, plastic bags also block drainage and sewer systems, which have contributed to and compounded flooding problems in countries such as Bangladesh and India. Nearly half the world's population lives within 50 miles of the coast where plastic bags are a huge oceanic problem. Plastic entangle, strangle, starve, drag, smother, and drown over 260 marine species, this includes is not limited to: coral, fish, seabirds, turtles, and marine mammals. Furthermore, the physical problems associated with plastic debris has been speculated that plastic fragments collect persistent organic pollutants that, when ingested, have the potential to transfer toxic substances to the food chain. Floating plastic debris have the potential to rapidly become colonized by marine organisms and since it can persist at the sea surface for substantial periods, it may subsequently facilitate the transport of invasive non-native or ‘alien’ species which can then wreak havoc on ecosystems.

Three billion people, which is nearly half the world's population live on less than $2.50 per 6 day, as previously stated above. People living in moderate to extreme poverty are at a much higher risk for negative health outcomes. High infant mortality rates are a severe problem in many developing areas, forty-one percent of under-five year mortality is a result of neonatal causes, including preterm birth. A common issue, particularly among preterm infants, is hypothermia. There have been encouraging studies by Ibrahim and Yoxall on the use of occlusive polyethylene wrapping for preterm underweight newborns to prevent hypothermia. These studies were conducted in hospitals in the United Kingdom and France and the polyethylene that was utilized was sterile hospital stocks, however. it is possible to find a creative solution using available polyethylene in the developing world.

Additionally, neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are a common accompaniment to poverty, affecting over 1 billion people globally. Among these NTDs, parasitic diseases such as hookworm and podoconiosis which are also known as non-filarial elephantiasis, can be partially prevented by wearing shoes. Unfortunately, due to neglect, tropical diseases are most common among the poor, those afflicted often cannot afford preventative footwear Furthermore, in cases of extreme poverty and negative health outcomes they are also an issue for the nearly 42 million refugees and internally displaced people, many of which whom live in temporary settlements.

When funding runs out, so do supplies to repair tarps used as their makeshift roofs or walls. This lack of adequate shelter can further result in health problems associated with life as a refugee. There are millions of relief, aid, and development organizations working to reduce poverty, infant mortality, NTDs, and assist displaced people. However, obtaining the necessary resources is often quote complex and rather time-consuming. By upcycling polyethylene into products such as the likes of shoes, newborn swaddlers, and even tarps, they may be an answer to funding problems for NGOs working in international relief, aid, and development. This may also provide a sustainable solution to fulfilling needs after NGOs leave a project or region.

Upcycling is a rather relevant, and practical solution for pollution reduction via plastic which is an extremely durable material that requires fossil fuels for material and production. Majority of plastic products, including plastic shopping bags, are intended to have a lifespan of minutes or hours. The material which is made will likely last a millennia on a product that may be used for its initial purpose only for a few moments. By upcycling plastic bags, they can have an extended life outside of landfills and the ocean; however, should a viable biodegradable option be found, the product can be broken down at the end of its life, rather than burying it never to be recovered or burning it.

Upcycling is also relevant for international development, despite the extremely creative uses for upcycling trash make for interesting art and social commentary, there is also a far broader base of people who can benefit from it. For example, there is a Honduran company, called Eco-Tecnologia, which makes houses from PET beverage bottles in many impoverished countries, including Bolivia, India, and Cameroon. The houses are made entirely out of plastic bottles filled with sand and then covered in adobe or concrete. The bottles are stronger than brick, are great insulators, and are likely to last a millennia. Plastic bottle houses are a great example of using upcycling ideas for developmental needs.

Furthermore, upcycling also has the potential to provide an additional income source for organized garbage pickers. The Waste for Life Initiative works with garbage pickers in Argentina and Lesotho; the organization mainly helps to create a manufacturing stream from the informal recycling system and provides the technology and know-how to create mixed fiber and plastic textiles. The only real way to eliminate plastic bag pollution, is to pick it up by hand, but then upcycle them; plastic bags are a resource that is both free and abundant in every part of the world. Upcycling is possible even in the most resource poor settings. Fusing requires only heat, material that holds heat, and paper or a similar material that will not stick to plastic. The simplest form to do this is with a metal cooking pot heated over a fire and a paper bag or other paper trash placed between the heated pot and the plastic. While knitting requires two sticks with pointy ends of similar size. Anyone can do it, regardless of skill level, and with a little practice; it is easy to tailor knitting or fusing projects to a specific need.