Plastic is one of the most popular materials used all around the world. You name a thing and it’s made up of plastic! From shampoo bottles and carry bags to computers and batteries, all have some element of plastic present in them. Being used so commonly all over the world, the waste generated from the use of the element is enormous. This waste, if not managed properly, has numerous ill-effects on the environment and living beings. Hence, plastic waste management is very important.
Plastic: a threat
Despite having a lot of advantageous properties, the ways plastic impacts the environment can’t be neglected. Plastic confers countless ill-effects, which are as follows:-
Types of plastics
Plastics, depending on their properties, can be classified as follows:
“Keep your plastic to yourself” – says a fish
It has been estimated that there are approximately 5.25 million pieces of plastic debris in oceans, with almost 2,69,000 tons floating on the surface. According to the statistics, 1,00,000 marine creatures die from getting entangled in plastic. Approximately, 1 million sea birds die every year by swallowing plastics. The most died creatures include Sea Turtles, who mistake plastic as a food source and hence, blocking their food pipes. Other species include seals, sea lions, Albatrosses, and many others.
Plastic Waste Management: A solution
Plastic waste management refers to managing the plastic waste generated and processing it to make it reusable. Millions of tons of plastic waste generated every year because of plastic bottles, polythene bags, and other plastic items. Since, plastic non-biodegradable, reusing it again is the only alternative. In the case of thermoplastics, the product can be reshaped into desirable products, but thermosetting plastics pose a challenge. Most of the plastic waste generated is made up of thermosetting plastic. These plastics can’t be reshaped. Managing plastic waste is a challenging task. It involves the conversion of thermoplastics into desired products and recycling or reusing the thermosetting plastic.
The 3 R’s of plastic waste management
The plastic waste generated can be managed using 3 R’s of plastic waste management – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Since plastic can’t be destroyed, the R’s of waste management is the best alternative.
Other ways for reducing plastic waste
Plastic waste confers a negative externality to the economy. Hence, devising ways for plastic waste management is very crucial. Some of the ways to reduce plastic waste are as follows:-
Plastic waste poses enormous threats to animals, birds, plants, humans and the environment. Millions of tons of gases are released into the environment from burning plastic, which poses a challenge of climatic change and global warming to the world. Millions of animals and birds die because of swallowing plastic.
The governments of various countries are taking steps towards reducing the use of plastics through regulations and penalties. We, as citizens, should understand our social responsibilities and try to minimize the use of plastics as much as possible to make this planet a safe and healthy place to live, for the humans as well as for the other coexisting species.
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