\u00c9g fatta\u00f0i um daginn a\u00f0 \u00e9g er \u00ed rauninni l\u00edtill plastkall, sem lifi \u00ed plastheimi. Litla plastlandi\u00f0 mitt er umluki\u00f0 af st\u00f3ru plasthafi. \u00cd stuttu m\u00e1li: L\u00edf mitt \u2013 og okkar allra \u2013 er allt \u00ed plasti.<\/p>\n
\u00c1 \u00e1ri hverju eru framleiddar 3\u2013400 millj\u00f3nir tonna af plastefnum. A\u00f0 minnsta kosti \u00e1tta millj\u00f3nir \u00feeirra enda \u00e1 hverju \u00e1ri \u00ed sj\u00f3num. \u00dear hj\u00e1lpast \u00fatfj\u00f3lubl\u00e1 geislun s\u00f3lar og kraftur haf\u00f6ldunnar a\u00f0 vi\u00f0 a\u00f0 brj\u00f3ta plastefnin ni\u00f0ur \u00ed \u00f6rsm\u00e1ar agnir sem finna s\u00e9r lei\u00f0 inn \u00ed l\u00edfverur og valda \u00fear ska\u00f0a. N\u00fdlega var \u00e1\u00e6tla\u00f0 a\u00f0 um 51 trillj\u00f3n \u00f6rplastagna v\u00e6ru \u00e1 sveimi \u00ed sj\u00f3num um \u00feessar mundir, e\u00f0a 500 sinnum fleiri an allar stj\u00f6rnur Vetrarbrautarinnar. Allt of st\u00f3rar t\u00f6lur au\u00f0vita\u00f0 til a\u00f0 hafa einhverja raunverulega merkingu fyrir okkur venjulegt (plast)f\u00f3lk.<\/p>\n
Plast kom til s\u00f6gu \u00ed i\u00f0nr\u00edkjum Vesturlanda um mi\u00f0bik 20. aldar og var\u00f0 strax a\u00f0 t\u00e1knmynd einnotahagkerfis fj\u00f6ldaneyslunnar. Hins vegar er um 60% \u00feess plasts sem endar \u00ed hafinu n\u00fa um stundir tali\u00f0 koma fr\u00e1 einungis fimm l\u00f6ndum \u2013 sem \u00f6ll eru \u00ed As\u00edu. \u00deetta eru K\u00edna, Ind\u00f3nes\u00eda, Filippseyjar, Thailand og V\u00edetnam. Hver er \u00e1st\u00e6\u00f0an?<\/p>\n
H\u00fan er marg\u00fe\u00e6tt. Fyrir a\u00f0 fyrsta eru \u00f6ll \u00feessi fimm l\u00f6nd \u00e1 hra\u00f0ri lei\u00f0 inn \u00ed svipa\u00f0 neyslusamf\u00e9lagsmynstur og vi\u00f0 \u00feekkjum \u00far eigin ranni. En me\u00f0fer\u00f0 \u00fargangs er v\u00ed\u00f0a \u00e1b\u00f3tavant. Einungis l\u00edtill hluti sorps er hirtur me\u00f0 skipul\u00f6g\u00f0um h\u00e6tti \u00e1 vegum opinberra a\u00f0ila og komi\u00f0 \u00e1 vi\u00f0eigandi sta\u00f0. E\u00f0a stundum alls ekki \u2013 \u00fear sem eftirlit er l\u00edti\u00f0 freistast sorpverktakar gjarnan til a\u00f0 sturta ruslinu einfaldlega \u00e1 st\u00f6\u00f0um \u00fear sem enginn s\u00e9r, til a\u00f0 spara s\u00e9r akstur og \u00fatgj\u00f6ld.<\/p>\n
Hins vegar er \u00ed As\u00edu og v\u00ed\u00f0ar afar l\u00edflegur marka\u00f0ur me\u00f0 endurn\u00fdtanlegt rusl. Safnarar, sem eins og kannski gefur a\u00f0 skilja tilheyra einkum f\u00e1t\u00e6kustu l\u00f6gum samf\u00e9lagsins, hir\u00f0a \u00fea\u00f0 \u00far ruslinu sem selja m\u00e1 \u00e1fram til endurn\u00fdtingar. \u00deetta f\u00f3lk vinnur sannarlega miki\u00f0 \u00fej\u00f3\u00f0\u00ferifastarf. \u00deeir sem kaupa rusli\u00f0 gegna l\u00edka st\u00f3ru hlutverki. Undirrita\u00f0ur heims\u00f3tti fyrir skemmstu endurvinnslufyrirt\u00e6ki\u00f0 Wongpanit, hi\u00f0 st\u00e6rsta \u00ed Thailandi. \u00dear st\u00f3\u00f0 her manns vi\u00f0 f\u00e6rib\u00f6nd og flokka\u00f0i plastefni, allt ni\u00f0ur \u00ed str\u00e1in sem fylgja hverri plastfl\u00f6sku sem seld er \u00ed 7-Eleven-sjoppunum \u2013 en \u00fe\u00e6r eru b\u00f3kstaflega eru \u00e1 hverju str\u00e1i \u00ed \u00fev\u00ed g\u00f3\u00f0a landi. Wongpanit selur s\u00ed\u00f0an plasti\u00f0 flokka\u00f0 og fr\u00e1gengi\u00f0 til frekari vinnslu. Fyrirt\u00e6kinu hefur tekist a\u00f0 gera rusl af \u00f3tr\u00falega margv\u00edslegu tagi a\u00f0 marka\u00f0sv\u00f6ru. En sumt er einfaldlega ekki n\u00f3gu ar\u00f0b\u00e6rt fr\u00e1 sj\u00f3narh\u00f3li ruslasafnaranna. \u00cd Ind\u00f3nes\u00edu fylgdist \u00e9g me\u00f0 berf\u00e6ttum safnara me\u00f0 st\u00f3ran sekk \u00e1 baki t\u00edna upp plastfl\u00f6skur af g\u00f6tunni. Plastpokana hins vegar l\u00e9t hann alveg eiga sig. \u00deeir skila enda litlu \u00ed vasa safnarans. Miki\u00f0 af plastpokum hafnar \u00feess vegna \u00ed sj\u00f3num \u00e1 endanum. Og reyndar fur\u00f0u miki\u00f0 af plastfl\u00f6skunum l\u00edka.<\/p>\n
\u00cd \u00e1\u00f0urnefndum fimm l\u00f6ndum \u2013 og \u00ed allri Austur- og Su\u00f0austur-As\u00edu reyndar \u2013 er \u00f6rt st\u00e6kkandi millist\u00e9tt, sem tekur \u00fe\u00e1tt \u00ed neyslusamf\u00e9laginu af krafti. \u00cd Thailandi er t.d. mj\u00f6g \u00e1berandi hversu miki\u00f0 er selt af tilb\u00fanum mat, \u00ed plastumb\u00fa\u00f0um a\u00f0 sj\u00e1lfs\u00f6g\u00f0u, til a\u00f0 taka me\u00f0 heim. \u00datbreidd f\u00e1t\u00e6kt \u00ed \u00feessum heimshluta er hins vegar me\u00f0 vissum h\u00e6tti l\u00edka ors\u00f6k a\u00f0 ofgn\u00f3tt plasts \u00ed umfer\u00f0. L\u00edtil kaupgeta almennings lei\u00f0ir til \u00feess a\u00f0 fyrirt\u00e6ki selja gjarnan v\u00f6ru s\u00edna \u00ed \u00f6rlitlum og \u00f3d\u00fdrum sk\u00f6mmtum. \u00cd Ind\u00f3nes\u00edu er \u00feetta mj\u00f6g \u00e1berandi \u2013 sm\u00e1skammtar af \u00fevottaefni, sykri, kaffi og fleiri v\u00f6rum til daglegs br\u00faks eru fyrirfer\u00f0armiklir \u00ed hverri b\u00fa\u00f0, \u00ed plastumb\u00fa\u00f0um a\u00f0 sj\u00e1lfs\u00f6g\u00f0u. \u00deegar pokinn litli er t\u00e6mdur lendir hann oftar en ekki \u00ed kl\u00f3m vinda og vatns. Lei\u00f0in liggur \u00e1 endanum til sj\u00e1var, \u00fea\u00f0 s\u00e9r n\u00e1tt\u00faran um.<\/p>\n
\u00dea\u00f0 er reyndar umhugsunarvert hve einkennileg \u00fer\u00f3unin hefur veri\u00f0 \u00ed kaffim\u00e1lum \u00e1 \u00cdslandi og v\u00ed\u00f0ar, \u00fear sem kaffiv\u00e9lar fyrir einnota plasthylki hafa rutt s\u00e9r til r\u00fams. Fur\u00f0uleg \u00f6fug\u00fer\u00f3un \u00fea\u00f0! Samkv\u00e6mt t\u00f6lum sem finna m\u00e1 \u00e1 heimas\u00ed\u00f0u Landverndar notar hver \u00cdslendingur 40 kg af umb\u00fa\u00f0um \u00far plasti \u00e1rlega. Best v\u00e6ri au\u00f0vita\u00f0 a\u00f0 minnka \u00feessa plastnotkun verulega. En a\u00f0 minnsta kosti hefur hi\u00f0 forr\u00edka \u00cdsland enga afs\u00f6kun til a\u00f0 standa sig ekki \u00ed stykkinu \u00ed \u00fev\u00ed a\u00f0 koma \u00ed veg fyrir a\u00f0 plast endi \u00ed hafinu. Einstaklingar, fyrirt\u00e6ki og yfirv\u00f6ld \u00feurfa a\u00f0 leggjast \u00e1 eitt vi\u00f0 a\u00f0 h\u00e6tta a\u00f0 tro\u00f0a plastmarva\u00f0ann. \u00cdsland \u00fearf ekki a\u00f0 vera Plastland.<\/p>\n