In my last blog, dated 23 April 2019, I pontificated, somewhat light heartedly in places, about the problems facing the world at large and future generations of human beings in particular, from the current excessive use of plastics that cannot be effectively and safely recycled. I did emphasise and acknowledge that it is a very serious problem however and one that must be resolved if we are serious about not destroying the environment.
After completing the blog and putting it to bed I got round to doing some of my other work tasks and realised how hugely significant plastic components are in the products we manufacture here at Solar Solve. Of course I know that the major effective component of our main product, solar roller sunscreens, is the solar shade film, which is properly described as a biaxially-oriented polyethylene terephthalate (BOPET) film. BOPET is a polyester film made from stretched polyethylene terephthalate and is used for its high tensile strength, chemical and dimensional stability, transparency, reflectivity, gas and aroma barrier properties, and electrical insulation.
What will we at Solar Solve do if plastic films are banned? Hope the researchers at our film manufactures plant can come up with an equally effective alternative? I guess that would have to be our first option but how long would it take and what would be the cost and if it consisted of vegetable product would the farmers be able to cope with the colossal demand that would be created if vegetable products were the answer as a replacement for plastics from oil?
I just want to bury my head in the sand and hope that it will either all go away, or sort itself out, without input from me. Unfortunately and too late, it is that sort of attitude that has caused the world to be in the dire situation that it now finds itself.
As a ‘war baby’ I did endure rationing and a little bit of austerity for the first 10 years of my life, which was not a bad thing by any means, as I, along with my wife and most family members and friends of my age tend not to waste anything. Old habits die hard and for most of us personally, it makes no sense to waste stuff as part of our lifestyle.
However, since the mid 1950’s, after rationing in the UK ended, for 50 years until well into the first decade of this century, wastage on a general scale was rife and recycling almost non-existent. With a mind-set that embraced things like planned obsolescence, the ‘throw away’ society thrived, with very little thought about where it was all going to lead and when it would all come to an end. It seemed that most people didn’t care, me included.
It wasn’t so much that I didn’t care; I didn’t care enough to think about it. When I did, I naively assumed it would all last forever and gave no thought at all to the consequences. The majority of people in the ‘free world’ were living it up and having a great time.
Now it’s payback time, things have to change; but by how much and will it ever be enough??
