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MPU3022 APPENDIX 1 Malaysia Is 8th Worst In The World For Plastic Waste “Please let’s waste less plastic.” That was the quiet plea made one evening by my 10-year-old son. I was somewhat surprised. We avoid single-use plastics and always use our own shopping bags. My children have long stopped using plastic straws, persuaded by a video of a turtle with a nose bloodied from a straw stuck right up its nostril. Yet his concern was understandable and well-founded, and prompted me to write this column. We have a huge problem with plastic waste on this planet. It’s everywhere. You’d have to be blind not to see it. Empty drink packets on the streets. Plastic bags and Styrofoam food packets in the park. Beaches that look like rubbish dumps, with waste strewn all over. Apart from the fact that it is simply disgusting, displaying our careless disregard for the environment, the problem has wide repercussions – literally. There is a global crisis in plastic waste. And we Malaysians – yes, us – are major contributors to it. According to a 2015 study in Science Magazine, Malaysia is the eighth worst country worldwide for plastic waste. The study, which named China, Indonesia and the Philippines as the top polluters, estimated Malaysia produced almost one million tonnes of mismanaged plastic waste (waste not recycled or properly disposed of) in 2010. Some of our waste ends up in the oceans, poisoning and choking marine life and sea birds; some may become part of one of the big “islands” of accumulated plastic waste. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is estimated to be bigger than the size of France. According to National Geographic magazine, scientists gathered 750,000 bits of plastic in 1sq km of that patch. During the search for wreckage of the missing airliner MH370, investigators were constantly confounded by false leads that turned out to be junk. There will soon be more plastic than fish in the sea, according to scientists. I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s already the case in our local seas. A recent video of a diver in Bali swimming in a sea of trash provided shocking proof of the extent of regional marine trash. Last year, Bali declared a “garbage emergency”; the clean-up of beaches yielded 100 tonnes of rubbish on some days.

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MPU3022 Earlier this month, some 500 people, led by Reef Check Malaysia, cleaned up 15 Malaysian beaches. On Pulau Tioman, this extended to all villages. Volunteers collected nearly 14,000 plastic bottles, 6,200 plastic bags and 1,700 straws from the effort. Plastic doesn’t really degrade. It could be there for hundreds of years. And if it does degrade, it breaks down to microscopic particles that may then be ingested by fish, which we then eat, along with any pollutants absorbed by that plastic. In short, there is serious bad karma from plastic – everything that we waste eventually comes back to us, sometimes right in our mouths. And yes, some of this stuff is poisonous. Given such facts, it’s shocking that there was a pledge recently in a political party manifesto for free plastic bags in Selangor. We need radical solutions to curb plastic use rather than allow free, unrestricted use! It may be inconceivable for us to imagine life without plastic bags, but in fact, some countries – including several in Africa – have banned plastic bags entirely, or almost entirely. Bangladesh instituted a ban in 2002 after it was found that major floods were caused by plastic bag litter caught in waterways and the sewerage system. Mauritania banned plastic bags because cattle were getting sick from eating them. Many other governments have taken action to reduce single-use plastic bags. In many western European countries, there is a charge for bags, which has led to consumers bringing their own bags. Some German shops only sell reusable bags. Bags, though, are just a part of the problem. Ultimately, we need to tackle the enormous problem of plastic waste. That’s a huge, complicated business requiring change on many levels of societies (including consumers) – something for another column. Yet I should add this: Change is possible, as seen in some European countries. In Germany, some 98.5% of refillable plastic bottles are collected for recycling or reuse. Glass beer bottles are also re-used. How do they manage that? A little financial incentive helps: a Pfand (deposit money) is added to the bottle price, which you get back when you return the bottle to the shop. It’s just 25 cents (about RM1) per plastic bottle, but alongside a general consciousness about recycling, that’s enough to ensure a habit. With the escalating amount of waste generated in urban areas, we need to come up with such solutions soon. In the meantime, we can consider what we as individuals can do. So please, let’s waste less plastic.

March 25, 2018, The Star By Mangai Balasegaram https://www.star2.com/living/2018/03/25/plastic-waste-pollution/

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MPU3022 Graphic Organisers 1

Problem with plastic waste on this planet

•Empty drink packets on the streets. •Plastic bags and styrofoam foos packets in the park. •Beaches that look like rubbish dumps, with waste strewn all over.

Why Malaysia is the eighth worst country worldwide for plastic waste?

•China, Indonesia and the Philippines as the top polluters. •Malaysia produced almost one million tonnes of mismanaged plastic waste (waste not recycled or properly disposed of) in 2010. •Some of our waste ends up in the oceans, poisoning and choking marine life and sea birds. •some may become part of one of the big “islands” of accumulated plastic waste.

14,000 plastic bottles

Things that collected by the volunteers at Pulau Tioman. 6,200 plastic bags

1,700 straws

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Why many countries banned plastic bags entirely, or almost entirely

•Bangladesh instituted : ban in 2002 after it was found that major floods were caused by plastic bag litter caught in waterways and the sewerage system •Mauritania : banned plastic bags because cattle were getting sick from eating them.

How gourments take action to reduce single-use plastic bag

charge for bags : which has led to consumers bringing their own bags

German shops only sell reusable bags

Aftermath of palstic waste •poisoning and choking marine life and sea birds •some may become part of one of the big “islands” of accumulated plastic waste •There will soon be more plastic than fish in the sea, according to scientists

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MPU3022 APPENDIX 2

This is how much water you waste when you throw away food Food waste is a staggering problem. In 2010, close to 133 billion pounds, or a little over $160 billion worth of food, wound up in U.S. landfills. Give the gift of Smithsonian magazine for only $12! http://bit.ly/1cGUiGv Follow us: @SmithsonianMag on Twitter Food waste is a staggering problem. In 2010, close to 133 billion pounds, or a little over $160 billion worth of food, wound up in U.S. landfills. "There's no benefit to wasting food," says Kai Olson-Sawyer, a senior research and policy analyst at GRACE Communications Foundation. It is an organization that highlights the relationship between food, water and energy resources. "The fact is that food waste is truly a waste to all humanity of every kind." That's because when you toss a rotten apple or a moldy container of leftovers, you're not just throwing away the food. You are tossing all the resources that went into producing it. "It's really important to understand where and how things are grown," says Ruth Mathews. She is executive director of the Water Footprint Network. It is an organization founded in 2008. Its goal is to advance sustainable water use. Water plays a major role in food production. As a result, food waste translates to an enormous amount of water wastage. All foods have a water footprint. That is the direct and indirect water that goes into producing a certain food. But some footprints are larger than others. In general, meats tend to need the most water for production. That is primarily because of the amount of food the animal needs. So for instance, the water footprint of beef includes water that's used to grow the animal's feed and to maintain the farm, as well as drinking water for the animal. Also, larger animals aren't as efficient in terms of meat production as smaller animals, like chickens or turkeys. The bigger beasts therefore have a larger water footprint. Consider this: The water footprint of beef adds up to 1,800 gallons per pound -- think 35 standard-size bathtubs. Meanwhile, a chicken's water footprint is roughly 519 gallons per pound. Almonds, too, have a massive water footprint. It takes more than 2,000 gallons of water to produce a pound of almonds. They have been in the news lately for their water-guzzling ways. But it isn't as simple as that when you account for the amount of food wasted. "When food is wasted, it's often because of how we prepare it or how perishable it is," Olson-Sawyer says. "For instance, almonds tend not to spoil as quickly as milk. So less is wasted." In 2010, Americans wasted 23 percent of every pound of beef. It accounted for 400 gallons of water that, quite literally, went down the drain. In general, fruit, vegetables and dairy account for the most consumer waste. Also in 2010, consumers wasted 25 percent of every pound of apples. It ultimately translated to 25 gallons of wasted water. Similarly, it takes roughly 620 gallons of water to produce a dozen eggs. It means that each time we dump an unused egg in the trash, we waste about 50 gallons of

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MPU3022 water. Food waste has other environmental impacts, too. "If you put all the food waste into one country, it would be the world's third largest greenhouse gas emitter," says Brian Lipinski, an associate in the World Resource Institute's Food Program. Decomposing food that makes its way into landfills releases methane, which is significantly more harmful to the environment than carbon dioxide. All is not lost, however. There are numerous efforts underway to cut food loss at every level. The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency recently called for a 50-percent reduction in food waste by 2030. Meanwhile, Portland launched a citywide composting program a few years ago. And at the retail level, the former president of Trader Joe's recently opened a store near Boston that sells surplus food donated by grocery stores, at rock-bottom prices. Even simple changes can have big effects. A few years ago, college cafeterias began to go trayless. Carrying two plates at most rather than trays piled high with allyou-can-eat daredevilry forced students to think about what they really wanted to eat. It was a seemingly simple move. More than 120 colleges chose to adopt it. The move helped reduce food consumption and waste. In some colleges, the savings was 25 to 30 percent. Still, waste is inevitable. "There's never going to be some ideal or perfect way to eliminate it all. But it's pretty egregious right now," Olson-Sawyer says. More so, perhaps, because according to the United Nations' World Food Program, "there's enough food in the world today for everyone to have the nourishment necessary for a healthy and productive life." Fortunately, change at any level -- whether it's as a supplier, retailer or consumer -will help ease the impact of food waste on natural resources. Simply put, "it does matter how much you consume," Mathews says. "It does matter what you consume, especially when you get down to the details of where this is produced and how sustainable is that production." By Divya Abhat SMITHSONIAN.COM NOVEMBER 16, 2015

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MPU3022 Graphic Organizer 2

Benefit of wasting food •There's no benefit to wasting food says Kai Olson-Sawyer

food waste translates to an enormous amount of water wastage

Role Play Of Water In Food production

All foods have a water footprint

That is the direct and indirect water that goes into producing a certain food

The water footprint of :

Beef : Adds up to 1,800 gallons per pound -- think 35 standard-size bathtubs. A chicken : water footprint is roughly 519 gallons per pound.

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Things That Americans Waste. •23 percent of every pound of beef.It accounted for 400 gallons of water that, quite literally, went down the drain •Fruits •vegetables •dairy account for the most consumer waste •25 percent of every pound of apples. It ultimately translated to 25 gallons of wasted water.

IMPACT OF FOOD WASTE TO ENVIROMENT.

•If you put all the food waste into one country, it would be the world's third largest greenhouse gas emitter," says Brian Lipinski. •Decomposing food that makes its way into landfills releases methane, which is significantly more harmful to the environment than carbon dioxide.

Efforts Underway To Cut Food Loss At Every Level.

• The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency recently called for a 50-percent reduction in food waste by 2030. • Portland launched a citywide composting program a few years ago. • The former president of Trader Joe's recently opened a store near Boston that sells surplus food donated by grocery stores, at rock-bottom prices.

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