{"id":29540,"date":"2019-04-01T11:04:48","date_gmt":"2019-04-01T09:04:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ferrovial.com\/blog\/?p=29540"},"modified":"2025-12-12T00:20:27","modified_gmt":"2025-12-11T23:20:27","slug":"live-without-plastics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ferrovial.com\/blog\/en\/2019\/04\/live-without-plastics\/","title":{"rendered":"Is It Possible to Live Without Plastics?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nowadays, our society is saturated with polymeric materials that we simply call “plastics.” Plastic was a revolutionary material during the last century. Affordable and easy to shape, this multipurpose material has unfortunately been a pillar of single-use culture<\/strong> for some time.<\/p>\n

Polymers aren\u2019t harmful per se, if we use them in moderation and where they are most useful. For example, some can last hundreds of years outside, which is useful for various parts of outdoor installations, like exercise machines. The problem is when we use them for everything. But is it possible to live without plastics?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bananas over Muffins<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Food is one of the areas where the demand for plastics is highest<\/strong>, more out of ease than necessity, as we\u2019ll see later on.\u00a0 Maybe you haven’t realized it, but bananas are “plastic,” too, as are apples, grapes, and pine nuts.<\/p>\n

A polymer covering protects the edible part of the apple from its surroundings. We call it the “skin,” and not only is it perfectly biodegradable, it\u2019s also perfect for making compost, generating natural gas, and serving to protect the fruit if we take it to work. If an apple is capable of “surviving” in the outdoors, it will undoubtedly make the one trip to your house without being covered in plastic.<\/p>\n

\"food

Source: Unsplash | Author: Tim Mossholder<\/p><\/div>\n

On the other hand, we all know those muffins and pastries that come wrapped in their own individual plastic bags, in addition to the bag that holds the rest of the muffins, of course. Thus, for every pastry or pound cake, several grams of plastic are used just to transport this food.<\/p>\n

Is it possible to eliminate plastics from our food?<\/strong> The truth is that we can, at least basically all of it. Fruits, vegetables, cereals, and legumes can be bought in bulk, eliminating packaging beyond even our cloth bags. Those reusable bags, even though they\u2019re made with polymers, will last for years if we handle them with care.<\/p>\n

One exception would be meats, fish, and eggs, which require specific packaging for transportation, but we can take plastic containers or egg cartons<\/strong> to the store instead. Anyone who lives in a city can eat affordably and healthily by avoiding products that come in plastic, especially with buying in bulk on the rise.<\/p>\n

Avoid Single-Use Plastics<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"Avoid

Source: Unsplash | Author: Toa Heftiba<\/p><\/div>\n

We wake up and we turn off the alarms on our phones. These phones are made in part from polymers <\/strong>of various sorts. It\u2019s highly likely that the pajamas we\u2019re wearing are, too. Clothing that\u2019s 100% cotton is a thing of the past now that we have resistant polyester. Plastics are all around us, but these examples are precisely the ones that are not the most harmful to the environment.<\/p>\n

A phone lasts for years, as do pajamas. Electric toothbrush heads last for three months. Tires, for thousands of kilometers. Plastic blinds, for decades. When polymeric materials are used for a certain amount of time, their impact on the environment is rather low, especially when they\u2019re recycled properly.<\/p>\n

Serious problems arise when large amounts of plastic are used for a brief period of time and aren\u2019t recycled or can\u2019t be reused. Earlier, we talked about industrial baking, while the classic example is that of PET plastic water bottles<\/strong>, just 9% of which are properly recycled<\/a>, as National Geographic reported last year.<\/p>\n

\"recycle

Source: Unsplash | Author: Steve Johnson<\/p><\/div>\n

In our homes, we can use glass or metal bottles, and the latter are perfect for carrying in bags or backpacks, given their low cost and thermal retention. Except for during water outages, we can do away with plastic bottles entirely<\/strong>. Doing away with them, as the European Commission has proposed<\/a>, would mean saving millions of tons of plastic every year.<\/p>\n

The same idea applies for plastic “cutlery,” ketchup packets, and generally any packaging that will be used for 10 minutes and comes wrapped in plastic.<\/p>\n

Can Plastic Be Recycled?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Tires are made of plastic (along with other compounds), as are umbrellas and sportswear. As we said at the beginning of this article, plastic doesn’t have to be bad if it is durable and is recycled properly after being used. The problem is when circular economy isn’t taken into account<\/strong> and there is a lack of demand for recycled plastic.<\/p>\n

Regardless of how long its useful life may be, throwing it into a landfill will end up having a greater negative impact. That\u2019s why there are brands trying to give that plastic a second life<\/strong>, like Ferrovial Services\u2019 Center of Excellence for Environment.<\/p>\n