This blog contains complete information about Environmental Impacts of Plastic Pollution. It also contains Good Qualities of Plastic as well as Negative Properties of Plastic. We also discuss the Major Causes of Plastic pollution along with its Environmental Impacts.
1. What is Plastic ?
Plastic is a synthetic material made from a wide range of organic polymers such as polyethylene, PVC (Polymer of Vinyl Chloride), Nylon etc. It is invented to replace costly materials such as glass, fabric, and other materials used in packaging and transfer of goods from one place to another.
Plastic is widely used in every sector and is mainly used for transportation of goods and packaging purposes. Our world is full of plastic as it comes in our lives as a Cost-effective and suitable material for making products of daily use. It replaces many expensive materials in order to produce or make affordable products for humans. It was considered as a blessing and everyone was amazed for this invention by the scientists. Some of the qualities of Plastic that was promoting it among people are as follows:
Qualities of Plastic:
- Plastic is a very durable material that has resistance to wear and tear and it persist for a long time.
- It also has a remarkable heat resistance to bear a great limit of heat conditions and thermal pressure.
- This is a light weight material that can be converted into any size and shape for different purposes.
- It is a tough material and does not damage easily by pressures and hazards.
- Plastics are poor conductors of Electricity, so they are safe to use for every purpose.
- It has built in chemical resistance to avoid damage from chemical hazards.
- Its processing cost is extremely low as compared to other options used for the same purposes in our daily life.
- This is a cost-effective material for the production of products and goods for daily use.
- We can use the plastic goods and products roughly in our daily routine. It is durable and does not destroy easily.
These are some of the remarkable qualities of Plastic. This blog is all about Plastic, Causes and Environmental Impacts of Plastic Pollution.
2. What do you know about the Use of Plastic?
Plastics are so common in almost every sector and are used in every kind of product and good that we use in our daily life. It is the part of our food, usable things, accessories and almost everything we use. Lets have a look on plastic use in our daily routine. In the start of the day, we brush our teeth with a plastic toothbrush and use the toothpaste from a plastic tube. Then we brush our hair with a plastic hair brush. We also apply lotions and creams that are in plastic bottles.
In the same way, our cups, glass, and all the cutlery is mostly of plastic. So this is a valid statement that we eat, drink, and breathe plastic. The use of plastic has increased with every passing year and the plastic has been a huge addition in our Waste since its invention. We are facing a serious situation in our Environment regarding Plastic.
3. Is Plastic a Danger for the Earth?
Plastic has become a danger for Earth because of its excessive use and its properties that it shows into the Environment. We should be aware of the negative properties of Plastic along with knowing its Positive properties. Following are some Negative Properties of Plastics:
1) Most of them are Single-use Products:
Most of the normal routine products of plastic are Single-use products. It means that most of them are once used, and then they become part of trash or garbage. This is the biggest reason of the Pollution and contamination of the Environment.
2) Microplastics:
Microplastics are the microscopic particles that are released from plastics every time it is used. The older a plastic gets, the more it release microplastics. These microplastics may be carcinogenic, infectious or disease causing when they comes in contact with humans and their body organs.
3) Persistent in the Environment:
The most harmful property of Plastic is that they are persistent in the Environment for 100s of years and sometimes thousands of years. They keep moving in different components and cycles of the Environment and they keep emitting toxic gases and microplastic resulting in pollution.
4) Non-Biodegradable:
They do not degrade naturally in the Environment. Their degradation may take hundreds and thousands of years naturally in the Environment and making them degraded by treatments will add tons of Atmospheric pollutants and Air Pollutants into the Environment.
These are few dangerous Properties of Plastics.
4. What is Plastic Pollution?
Plastic Pollution is a new term in Pollutions. It refers to the pollution that contains the plastic wastes. Every major type of pollution contains plastic in it as a pollutant. As a whole it is called as Plastic Pollution.
The plastic pollution is an integral and significant part of pollution in the present era. Plastics are becoming a part of every ecosystem on Earth and Plastic pollution is a very serious issue for the Human Population and living organisms on Earth. We are facing an exponential increase in Plastic Pollution and facing many health and Environmental Problems on Earth. This blog contains the Causes and Environmental Impacts of Plastic Pollution. You will have a complete explanation and awareness of Plastic Pollution by reading this.
We use plastic excessively. This is the major reason for Plastic Pollution. As we know that pollution cannot occur if a large amount of waste is not produced. As plastic is a part of most of the Commercial and Industrial Sectors, so its wastes lead to Plastic Pollution.
5. What are the Causes of Plastic Pollution?
Plastic usage is not the problem, but its excessive use is a big danger for the Environment and cast many Harmful health impacts on the Humans and living organisms. Following are some of the Causes of Plastic Pollution:
i. Inefficient Waste Management:
Plastics are the frequently used for different purposes and then in a very short period of time, it is left as a trash. And most of it is not reused or recycled. It is used for a short time and then it transforms into waste to persist in the Environment for next hundreds and thousands of years. This includes in inefficient waste management. This is the biggest reason for the Plastic Pollution and Environmental Impacts caused by Plastic Pollution. We should be aware of Plastic Waste Management Strategies in order to control Plastic Pollution.
ii. Inefficient Waste Disposal:
We dispose of plastic wastes, glass wastes, food wastes and other forms on wastes in the same bins or containers. This makes the recycling and reusing purposes very difficult and the wastes are polluted with different chemicals and also pollutants by exposing them to other wastes. The efficient waste disposal will help us to distinguish between different types of wastes and their amounts more accurately. This will also be useful for recycling and reusing purposes. We should spread awareness about efficient waste disposal and importance among the populations.
iii. Lack of Coordination:
Many sectors use plastics in different ways. Some use as a raw material, some use it as main material for the manufacture of goods and products. Unfortunately there is no coordination between industries and sectors about the utilization of Plastic and they produce tons of wastes because of lack of coordination. In this way, the large amount of emissions, pollutants and microplastics are released in the Environment as a result of Plastic utilization. With coordination, we can reduce and limit the plastic waste production and eventually limit the Environmental Impact of Plastic Pollution.
iv. Uncollected Waste:
When the plastic wastes stays on the roads, streets, water and in open Environments, they add microplastics in the air, water and soil. This is one of the biggest way of increasing Plastic Pollution because it opens ways for the transfer of polluted gases, microplastics and harmful materials in the Environment. This is why, it is compulsory to collect the plastic wastes from the open Environments and open places. Plastic pollution in parks and gardens makes the Environment unhealthy for the visitors and other forms on Biodiversity that lives there.
v. Single-use products:
Most of the plastic products are single-use. We use them once and then throw them in the garbage or trash. In this way they contributes in most of the Plastic Pollution in the World. These products provide benefits for a very short time and pollute the Environment for a very long time. This time is much longer than the time taken in their Manufacturing and the time of their use by people. These products and goods are the basic reasons for Plastic Pollution. They are bulk so their management is very difficult to implement properly. We should prefer reusable things in place of Single-use plastic products.
Other causes include extreme mismanagement of Plastic Wastes, Inefficient Recycling, and many such other things contribute in Plastic Pollution.
6. What are Environmental Impacts of Plastic Pollution?
With providing many benefits and luxuries in Economic and Commercial Sector, Plastic Pollution is unfortunately very dangerous for the Environment. Its Environmental Impacts are increasing with passing years due to over-use of plastic products and uncontrollable Plastic Wastes. Following are some of the Major Environmental Impacts of Plastic Pollution:
1: Green House Gases:
Plastics manufactures in the Industries and Factories. As we know they produce in bulk quantities, so they are big contributors of Anthropogenic Green House Gases Emissions. These gases are warming gases and they are major reason behind Global Warming. Most of the Green House Gases emits by the production of Plastic Products and Power Generation in the Environment. They are toxic for the Environment and also cause extreme Air Pollution.
2: Health Risks:
As we already know that Plastic Pollution is harmful for the Environmental Composition. It is even dangerous for the health of Humans and Living materials on Earth. It cause many diseases and health conditions to Biodiversity. This can be in the form of Toxic emissions such as GHGs, that results in Respiratory disorders and Lung diseases. Plastic can be the reason for Cancer, Heart Diseases, Reduced Fertility and Breathing disorders directly or indirectly by existing plastic wastes.
3: Ocean Acidification:
Ocean comprises of 70% of the area on the Earth. It is a biggest Natural Carbon sink. The GHGs from the plastic production adds a huge concentration of CO2 in the Oceans causing Ocean Acidification. Other ways by which Plastic Pollution contributes in the Ocean Acidification by addition of Plastic Wastes into the Ocean. These plastic wastes releases huge concentrations of toxic chemicals and acidic materials that is very dangerous for Aquatic Species and Ocean Composition.
4: Air, Water and Land Pollution:
Plastics keep polluting the different types of the Environment in every possible way. When they emits in the Air through GHGs or Microplastics, they leads to toxic Air Quality. In the same way, when plastics interact with Water in the form of Solid or liquid wastes containing microplastics, they cause Water pollution of dangerous levels. Similarly, when the plastic is left on the Land or soil, it adds pollutants to the land that can cause harmful impacts on its fertility and productivity.
Other impacts includes the Acidic releases, Biodiversity loss, Contamination of Ecosystems etc. This blog is all about Environmental Impacts of Plastic Pollution.
7. Conclusion:
Plastic Pollution is a very serious problem in the Present Era. The main causes of Plastic pollution includes Single-use products, Inefficient Waste Disposal and Management, Uncontrolled Wastes etc. We are using Plastics in every sector in bulk and also we use them in our daily routine. Plastic Pollution has very alarming Environmental Impacts, these includes; Ocean Acidification, Health Risks, Air Pollution etc. In order to control Plastic Pollution we should work on Plastic Waste Management Strategies and their Implementation.
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