Environmental activists condemn plastic and its use, as it causes irreparable damage to the oceans and marine life, but they overlook human irresponsibility.

It is unfair to pass sweeping judgment against plastics.

No other material could perfectly replace the ubiquitous plastic supply chain, with essential products such as shrink wrap, watertight sheets and bags, and medical equipment.

Paper or fabric could scarcely fulfil the unique requirements of food safety and medical sterilisation.

The latter is especially significant, as practically all crucial medical protective apparatus are made of plastic, from surgical robes, syringes and goggles to instrumented valves.

In fact, single-use plastics are integral to infection control in medicine, for they prevent cross-contamination and infection far better than repeated sterilisation of reusable equipment.

Hospitals could be rendered helpless without single-use plastics if they were banned.

The recent mobilisation in Wuhan to fight the coronavirus revealed the crucial role of plastic.

Plastic has perfectly replaced glass because it is lightweight, practically unbreakable, durable and cheap.

The only way forward is to focus on better biodegradable plastics, and to develop efficient waste management equipment, perhaps by converting disposed plastic into construction or insulation material.

The United States is considering legislation to force manufacturers to recycle plastics responsibly, while China has announced plans to ban all single-use plastics across the country by 2025.

In that time, it will ramp up the manufacturing of biodegradable and alternative products to replace single-use plastics.

These strategies rightfully shift the onus back onto plastic producers and commercial entities to resolve the pollution conundrum.

Paul Chan Poh Hoi