Article For Brunei Times

To: The Opinion Letters Editor The Brunei Times, 3rd Floor, Wisma Haji Mohd. Taha, Jalan Gadong BE 4119 Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam. Email: [email protected]. We would like to share about our concern on the usage of plastics and polystyrene in food and drinks in Brunei Darussalam. There are various types of food packaging namely plastic, polystyrene, paper, cardboard, aluminum foil, glass, etc. From our survey, we can conclude the following on the “popular” usage of plastics and polystyrene in Brunei. 1. In recent years, they are widely available in Brunei and are used to a high extent due to the advancement of technology to create better food packaging products. 2. They are also very convenient to use, are easily accessible and are very cheap. 3. Polystyrene and cling wrap are most often thrown into bin after they have been used once. Unlike plastics, most people would keep it and reuse it. 4. Paper and cardboard are not that convenient to use because only dry food can be packaged in such way and they are relatively more expensive. However, there are also many disadvantages of using plastics and polystyrene for packaging food and drinks. From our research, we have found out the following dangers and consequences of using plastics and polystyrene. 1. The raw products used to produce plastics and polystyrene is from the byproduct of oil, which is “a non-sustainable, heavily polluting and disappearing commodity”. 2. Plastics and polystyrene decompose very slowly. This means we will have them as rubbish for a long time, leading to the requirement of more landfills as the amount of waste increases by each year. 3. Bisphenol A, which is widely found in plastic (polycarbonate) bottles, is suspected to cause a higher incident of miscarriage or conditions such as Down Syndrome. 4. Some plasticizers such as DEHA [di(ethylhexyl)adepate] from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) film wrap have been found to migrate into food. DEHA is a suspected carcinogen. 5. DEHA migration level increase in proportion to the time that the food was in contact with the PVC film wrap when the cooking temperature increases. The highest migration level arises when the film was in direct contact with

food with a high fat content on its surface. Migration levels were low when there was little or no direct contact between the food and the wrap. 6. Styrene molecule in the polystyrene can also migrate into the food. Styrene is known to be carcinogenic. The migration levels of styrene depend on the fat content of the food. The higher the fat content, the higher the migration level. 7. Polystyrene are recycled, but only in small amount. Only non-packaging polystyrene are collected for recycling since polystyrene packaging are contaminated due to food. Hence, it makes sense not to use plastics and polystyrene for food and drinks to a high extent in Brunei but to reduce their usage by reusing the products if possible. Conversely, alternatives can also be used such as bringing back the conventional style of packaging food which is the use of tiffins or “ringkat”. We hope that this letter and your cooperation with us will help us in bringing Brunei on step further to live in a more sustainable environment. Christina Eu Nguk Ling Hjh Siti Nor Faezah Bte Hj Abd Rahman Noor Aliham Bin Haji Muhamad Kasnol Bin Haji Muhammad Kincho Third and Fourth year Students of PS 3403; A Multidisciplinary Approach for A Sustainable Environment, University of Brunei Darussalam