Random Rambles

53 - Earth Day

In conjunction with Earth Day, I decided to use the essay I wrote for a competition in school back in 2021. So here it goes...

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 Unless you've been living under a rock in the past decade, you would have heard of the term 'climate change'. This itself is self-explanatory, which means that when there is a change in the climate, it is most probably not a favourable thing. But hey! wait a minute, there are ways to stop climate change. So let's focus on one method, which is reducing the consumption of single-use products.

First of all, let's look at the meaning of single-use products, the term is also self-explanatory which means a product that can only be used once. It will either be disposed of or destroyed after it is been used. This is where the 'disposing or destroying' part commences and it poses to be a major and challenging problem. Invariably, we human beings are irresponsible creatures, we litter practically everywhere which means we simply just throw trash anywhere we like rather than in the trash bins. The second problem is that single-use plastic, for example, will take many years to decay. Disposed plastic bags could pollute and dirty the environment creating an unhygienic situation. We need to learn to be more responsible and civilised not to simply litter at our whim and fancy. At the same time, the government must also do their part in educating the public by increasing awareness through social media such as newspapers, pamphlets, tv, radio and other social media. The government should enforce stricter laws on littering such as imposing heavy fines for breaking the law. It will help if the city councils put more trash bins and recycle containers in popular public areas around the country. The public should pay attention to disposaldispose of their plastic waste in the correct recycling containers.

There are numerous ways to reduce the consumption of single-use products and it starts with you and me. We can begin by minimising the consumption of plastic products by changing our lifestyle and eventually the lifestyle of our loved ones and friends. For example,

if there is a need to use plastic bags or plastic containers, it is best to reuse them until they are depleted. On the other hand, you could bring your own paper or cloth bag to go shopping rather than asking the counter for plastic bags. Furthermore, cloth bags can be reused until they are ripped or spoiled. However, a more effective way to reduce the use of plastic containers may be to substitute them with glass or steel containers.

Recycling is also an important process in reducing the production of plastic. It means converting plastic waste into reusable new products. Plastic is a good example of a material that can be recycled. However, the plastic that is commonly recycled in Malaysia is made up of a material called Polyethylene Terephthalate. To identify what plastic can be recycled, each packaging will have the '3R' logo located on the label of a plastic product. On top of saving the earth's environment, when you recycle, you get financial aid from the recycling company, so it's a win-win situation!

Moving forward, schools around the country should embark on an awareness campaign aimed at reducing the consumption of plastic material in relation to single-use products. Ideally, such a campaign should be organised on an annual basis with fun activities to garner more attention and involvement of school officials, students and parents. It will also be helpful for the government to

encourage schools around the country to organise competitions among schools in each state to select the best school in the state with the best campaign. This will motivate schools in the country to perform to their best abilities and ultimately inspire the whole country to take a serious view of why it is important to reduce the consumption of plastic materials.

In conclusion, reducing the use of plastic materials therefore not only requires us to change our habits but also our mindset. It will be rewarding if we can influence our family and friends to be aware of the importance of reducing the use of plastic materials. It is never too late

to reduce the consumption of single-use products before it is too late to change. Though these changes may be small, remember even the smallest of changes can make a big difference.