National Efforts Call to Use Less Plastics and Turn to Alternatives
Plastic dominates the opening list of most harmful wastes to the environment; as it stays in the environment for a long time and contains non-degradable chemicals, thus affecting the ecosystem. The impact of plastics goes beyond damaging the soil, and goes beyond groundwater or surface water, due to its potentiality to impacts living organisms in the marine environment such as plants or fish that feed on or affected by these plastics.
A study published by be’ah Company as part of the company`s Sustainability Report for 2022O indicated that of the prominent initiatives which help decrease the impact of plastic is by recycling it or using environmentally friendly alternatives and increasing community awareness about it. The volume of waste produced in the Sultanate which is recyclable is about 2.3 million tons per year, and could make a revenue of 530 million rials annually if plastic is recycled locally, and the volume of circular economy investments in the Sultanate is estimated at about 577 million rials.
Some good practices may make the difference to solve the problem of plastic waste accumulation and reduce it relies on the awareness of community members in their role towards the environment as they are a part and the vital system on the plane, by adopting optimal and effective waste management to minimize the use of unnecessary plastics in everyday life, and even thinking seriously before buying plastics, by replacing it with other biodegradable and reusable materials or disposing plastic in a way without causing harm to the environment.