You've probably heard about potential problems getting worse. So why not replace the problem with a broom?
One Cambodian entrepreneur is doing just that. Hass Kea, 41, started her upcycling business as part of her mission to help tackle plastic pollution in the capital Phnom Penh. In his 11 months, workers turned about 44 tons of plastic bottles into durable brooms.
Reuters reported that Phnom Penh's environment department said the city produces up to 8,400 tons of single-use plastic every day, which ends up in landfills and waterways.
Kea's business upcycles approximately 5,000 plastic bottles per day. His team first spins the bottle into strips that become broom bristles. The plastic strips are assembled into bundles by machine, softened in hot water, and then sewn onto the ends of bamboo sticks.
Kea buys the bottles from garbage collectors and dumpsters.
“These brooms are very sturdy and won't break easily,” Suong Kosar, a monk whose temple purchased 80 brooms in January, told Reuters.
Cambodia is by no means the only country suffering from out-of-control plastic pollution. According to the United Nations Environment Programme, we produce around 440 million tonnes of plastic waste globally every year.
Discarded plastic plagues our land and oceans, putting wildlife and human health at risk. Millions of animals are killed by plastic every year, and decomposed 'microplastics' can cause serious health effects, including cancer in humans.
They also contribute to overheating the planet, with around 98% of single-use plastic products produced from fossil fuels or “virgin materials,” UNEP reported.
Fortunately, some governments are starting to develop healthier environmental policies regarding plastics. For example, the UK and France have banned plastic cutlery in most fast food and takeaway meals. And in 2022, India will ban single-use plastic options.
You can make a difference by limiting your consumption of single-use plastics and choosing reusable items instead. If you must use plastic, please recycle it as much as possible.
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