An Essay on plastic pollution in 500 words !

On the eve of International Plastic Bag Free Day - 03 July Introduction to plastic pollution *source: https://unsplash.com/@hermez777      P...

On the eve of International Plastic Bag Free Day - 03 July

Introduction to plastic pollution

*source: https://unsplash.com/@hermez777

    Plastic has a unique capacity to mold into any required shape and pattern because of its malleability, flexibility, and strength. So it is available in every sector, from domestic to planes, agriculture to electronics. Many times, we get attracted to plastic by its different attractive colors, designs, and

shapes. The most important and unique feature of plastic is its lightweight, so we prefer using plastic goods compared to other goods available, as it becomes easy to carry, handle, and use, but what happens to those plastics once we use them and throw them as waste? Day by day, we are losing every square inch of an area that is acquired by plastics, whether it is land, ocean, or mountain. It is a well-known fact that it takes about 300 years to disintegrate. We normally give much concern to environmental issues like global warming, deforestation, air and water pollution, as compared to plastic pollution. Today, it is not only harmful to land or water creatures but also to human beings up to an alarming level because it has already entered our food web, so directly or indirectly, we are consuming plastics, which is hazardous to our bodies. In fact, we are eating, swallowing, and breathing in about 2000 tiny pieces of plastic each week, the equivalent of a credit card. The polymer has caused such havoc that the United Nations has declared plastic pollution a global crisis. We generate 300 million tons of plastic waste every year, equivalent to the weight of the entire human population.

 What to be done to minimize plastic pollution?

1. 

                  *Freepik.com

   The maximum and effective implementation of 3 well-known methods that are (a)  reuse, (b) reduce, and (c)  recycle, in the case of reusing and recycling, is to melt them and blend them with bitumen for laying roads. Such roads are smoother and water-resistant. India has 36000 km of these plastic roads. Recycled plastic is also used in a variety of products such as pots, bumpers on cars, to drainage pipes. Plastic waste is also used to feed cement kilns.
2. A complete ban is to be imposed on single-use plastics.
3. Switching over to cloth, jute paper, or canvas bags, make denim bags from old jeans. Today, goods made from bamboo are proving to be the best option for plastic.
4. Here, the main concern is that the maximum percentage of plastic waste generated remains uncollected, so motivating and inspiring rag pickers and collectors. Actually, most plastic waste remains uncollected, and that is the main concern when generating heaps of plastic waste. Here, for eg, we can imagine the number of water bottles used in the world per day, and out of that, how many empty bottles go to the recycling industry.
5. More recycling hubs are to be generated.
6. Research to be undertaken to find out different and effective methods for the proper disposal of plastics. 

    *According to Ruthann Rudal, Director of research, silent spring institute, "plastics are made of a complex mixture of chemicals, many of them are endocrine disruptors or are of concern for other health effects". Also as per report of national academy of sciences, "plastics also contain many toxic additives such as flame retardants, metals, antimicrobials, non stick coatings and many more".

Conclusion: 

Today plastic became unavoidable commodity in our daily life. Our day starts and ends with plastic as we start our day brushing teeth with plastic brush we go to bed after having a glass of water from plastic bottle. Actually we are forced to use plastic goods even though we all are well awared of harmful effects of plastic and it is because we do not have perfect alternative for plastic. But here question is " How long can we overlook dangerous effect of plastic"? Very soon, we will be witnessing such heaps of waste plastic and polythene all around unless solid and effective measures are not taken either to minimize the use of plastic or find out equivalent alternative of plastic. 

Now we have to think weather we want light weighted planet without plastic or heavy weighted earth with plastics. One day our mother earth herself will say no to plastics before that we must say no to plastics.

~ source The Free Press. 

*Source: Un environment firm