Palstics give a helpful hand, but they are polluting our land! “SAY NO TO PLASTIC.

♦Introduction:               

1.  Plastic waste is a non -biodegradable in nature persist in to the environment for hundred or even thousands of years.
2. Plastic pollution is caused by accumulation of plastic waste in environment.
3. It can be categorized in to:-
4. Primary plastics: such as cigarette butts and bottle caps.

• Secondary plastics :resulting from degradation of primary ones.

♦Types of plastic waste microplastics:

• microplastics- small plastic pieces of less than five millimeters in size
• Microplastics includes microbeds, used in cosmetics and personal care products, industrial scrubbers.
• single use plastics-plastics-it is a disposable material that can be used only once before it either thrown away or recycled like a plastic bags, water bottles, soda bottles, plastic plates, cups etc.

♦Extent of plastic waste

• Plastic has  accumulated in landfills, dumps, or natural environment.
• Plastic waste whether in river, an ocean or on land can persist in seas and oceans across the world will weigh more than fish

♦Impact of plastic waste

1. Economic losses: plastic waste along shoreline has negative impact on tourism revenue.
2. Implications for animals: plastic waste have profoundly affected animals in aquatic, marine, and terrestrial ecosystems.
3. Implications for human health: chemicals present in plastics can interfere with functioning of endocrine system and thyroid hormones.
4. Land pollution: plastics leach hazardous chemicals on land, resulting in destruction and decline in quality of earth’s land surface in term of use, landscape and ability to support life forms.
5. Air pollution: plastic burning releases poisonous chemicals in to atmosphere impacting general well being and causing respiratory disorders in living beings.
6. water pollution: many lakes and oceans have reported alarming cares of platic debris floating on water surface affect great number of aquatic creatures.
7. Poor drainage: drainage system clogged with plastic bags, films, and other plastic items, causes flooding.
8. Impact on habitats: seafloor plastic waste sheets could act like a blanket, inhibiting gas exchange and leading to anoxia or hypoxia.

♦solution: plastic waste management

1. Reduce –first step is to minimize single use plastics by supporting tax on plastic bags and using alternatives of plastic or biodegradable plastics.
2. Reuse- Reusing plastics can reduce demand for new plastics, hence it can act as natural restrain on plastic manufacturing.
3. Recycle- plastic recycling is process of recovering waste or scrap plastic and reprocessing it in to useful products.        – It offers several benefits like •economic benefits due to value addition.                                                         • Generates employment                           •Reduces depletion of fossil fuel         resources.                                                       •Reduces landfill problems.                       •Reduces of plastics require less energy.

♦Way forward 

1. Raising awareness amongst the public of harm caused by plastic pollution through education and outreach programs to modify behavior.
2. promote Alternatives  : before the ban or levy comes in to force, the availability of alternatives need to be assesed.
3. Use of mincrobeads in personal care products and cosmetics must be prohibited.
4. Identify and engange key stake holders groups like retailers, consumers,Industry representatives, manufacturers etc.
5. Enforce plastic waste management measures effectively by making sure that there is clear allocation of roles and responsibilities.