Member Stories, Real Solutions - Posted on February 01, 2023

Reuse systems address single-use plastics (SUPs) pollution by reducing the demand for SUPs and in the longer term, reducing the production of SUPs.

What is going to replace single-use plastics?

This is a question that Tiza Mafira, Executive Director of Gerakan Indonesia Diet Kantong Plastik (Indonesia Plastic Bag Diet Movement) posed during a panel discussion at the International Zero Waste Cities Conference in Manila, Philippines in the last week of January 2023.

Talking about overcoming barriers to mainstream reuse as a norm, Mafira emphasized the importance of showing that reuse is an already existing solution to plastic pollution and the emissions that exacerbate the climate crisis.

“If our vision is for reuse to become mainstream, we need to visualize reuse as an entire infrastructure whereby it's a circular infrastructure and the existing infrastructure is entirely used and modified and adjusted to accommodate for a reuse system," said Mafira.

Amid conversations on curbing the climate crisis and commitments on capping carbon emissions, industries have also been presenting various schemes and technologies which they claim as “solutions” to the continuous plastic pollution. Waste-to-energy technologies, waste burning, chemical recycling, and other false solutions do not address the root of the problem: unnecessary production of plastics. Simply replacing single-use plastics with other single-use materials such as paper or other bioplastics will not address the problem at source and will only perpetuate ‘throwaway culture’ thus contributing to waste pollution.

Reuse as a solution to plastic pollution

Reuse is not only about reusable cups and canvas bags, but entire systems that require standards, infrastructure, political will, financing, and promoting behavioral change.

Reuse systems address single-use plastics pollution by reducing the demand for single-use plastics (SUPs) and in the longer term, reducing the production of SUPs. This removes some of the responsibility from end-of-pipe waste management, to reduction of upstream use of raw materials.

If we are to conserve materials and make better use of our natural resources without wasting and causing damage to the environment, redesigning product delivery and reuse should be of high priority before resorting to recycling and waste remediation.

Creating an enabling environment for Reuse Revolution

Reuse is a system and it is not a new one.

One of the common means to reuse is the refill system where consumers bring their own containers to the store then purchase products using their own reusable containers or packaging like glass bottles, jars, and reusable bags among others. Another system is returning containers to the producer through which the producer will reuse the containers to package their products.

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