Plastic Pollution and Our Environment
Tags: Oceans, Wildlife, Pollution, Plastic Pollution, Environment

Plastic usage has become a major problem. It’s a massive understatement to just talk about plastic pollution and not talk about the benefits it has brought us. To put things in perspective, plastics save lives daily by providing safe and clean drinking water in bottles, and in the form of airbags, incubators, and helmets.

Plastics help reduce fuel consumption and subsequent pollution from cars and airplanes, by reducing weight when used, as compared to legacy materials. Plastics have saved the wildlife, as, before its use, piano keys or billiard balls were made of elephant ivory. Plastics also help increase the shelf life of fresh food providing nourishment to billions of humans and reducing food resource stress on societies.

The fact is, we cannot stop using plastics as there literally isn’t an alternative which is lighter, easy to mass-produce, and comparatively stronger pound to pound. It is arguably one invention that helped humanity reach modernity faster. The problem with plastics is mostly centered around the disposal. Plastics, since they are produced from oil and natural gas, have a tough time breaking down in the natural environment. It can take as long as 400 years for a plastic litter to break down in nature.

Plastics Are Everywhere, And That’s A Problem

The global output of plastics stood at a staggering 359 million tonnes in 2018 as compared to 1.5 million tonnes in 1950. 8.3 billion tonnes of plastic products have been produced since 1950, out of which almost 6.3 billion tonnes ended up as waste. Only 9% has been recycled, 12% was incinerated and 79% ended up in landfills and nature. It is worth noting that the beauty of this material is that almost all plastic produced can be recycled. But currently, as you see by the numbers, it’s clearly not recycled.

A portion of the plastics discarded in landfills makes its way to the oceans where it gets broken up into smaller pieces called microplastics due to natural elements like sunlight and ocean current. It then gets eaten by the fishes and follows its way up the food chain to humans. It is now understood that microplastics are present everywhere. Literally from the highest point on Mount Everest to the deepest spot in the Mariana trench. By 2050 there will be more plastics in the ocean than the fishes.

90% of the bottled waters and 70% of tap water contain microplastics. This particular fact should bring seriousness to the picture. This means that at least 70% of us are drinking water contaminated with microplastics. There are serious health concerns associated with it. Microplastics act as magnets for toxic elements while in the environment and nature. The implications are still not known entirely, one thing is for sure that it causes hormonal changes in humans and is really harmful.

The plastic waste crisis stems from two major problems, abundant single-use plastics and a low percentage of recycling. 50% of the entire plastic production is of single-use plastics. That’s roughly 180 million tonnes of plastic products we use only once every year. And, we don’t even recycle one-tenth of the plastics we produce.

Just by cutting down on the usage of single-use plastics like bags and bottles, there can be a massive reduction in the global plastic waste footprint. Use bags made out of reusable and natural materials. But if you can’t do that, make sure your plastic waste is being disposed of responsibly to get recycled. That way whatever plastic you use, be it single-use or otherwise stands a better chance of getting used again in the form of new plastic products.

Plastic Hurts The Growth Of Communities

Yes, you read it right. Plastic waste is directly hurting communities around the globe. From causing massive amounts of pollution in rivers rendering shortage of fresh water for daily use; to causing a steady reduction of tourist arrivals to coastal communities where tourism is a major source of revenue. Not to mention the health hazards caused due to waste collection and the spread of diseases like malaria. The excess waste in rivers is also credited with the annual flooding of regions close to it, destroying livelihoods and wealth.

Thailand is probably a startling example of such problems. The Mekong river which flows through several countries including Thailand is estimated to be one of the most polluted rivers in the world. Mostly because of the 40,000 tonnes of plastic it carries to the oceans every year. It has caused a plastic waste nightmare in the communities surrounding it.

The Mekong isn’t the only river colluded with plastic waste. Rivers around the world have the same problem to varying degrees. Organizations like TerraCycle Global Foundation and Plastic Pollution Coalition are working with governments and local communities in clearing the waterways from plastic pollution and in creating awareness. The source of the problem is ultimately poor waste disposal practices in the communities. For comparison, Japan uses a far greater amount of plastics yearly as compared to Thailand, but due to better waste disposal programs and recycling, the global footprint of Japan in plastic pollution is far less. This again emphasizes the difference responsible disposal of plastics can have.

Oceans and marine life are facing greater life-threatening problems due to plastic pollution

Plastic Harms the Environment and the Wildlife

Well, this is widely known that plastic pollution hurts not only us but also the environment and the wildlife in it. Especially the ecosystems in the oceans and seas. Marine life has been the worst hit by the plastic waste crisis.

Almost 8 million tonnes of plastic escapes into our oceans causing all sorts of problems. From directly endangering marine life as fishes ingest microplastics causing starvation and death; to eroding coral reefs and ecosystems as large piles of it block sunlight and oxygen from reaching the bottom. Around 600 species of marine life are estimated to be affected by this problem. And almost 90% of the world’s seabirds have fragments of plastic in their stomachs, compared to 5% in 1960.

It is the clearest evidence of plastics moving up the food chain eventually reaching our plates as well. In an absurd event, huge mountains of plastic waste washed into the sea are, for the first time, creating trash islands off of the shore disrupting marine life and ecosystems altogether. Millions of animals die every year because of it. This includes land-based animals like elephants, hyenas, zebras, tigers, camels, cattle, and other large mammals.

Along with all these, the majority of plastic waste which goes into landfills is steadily increasing the toxicity and fragments of plastic on the topsoil. Organizations like Ocean Conservancy, Surfrider Foundation, and Oceana are working steadily towards preserving ocean ecosystems and reducing human impact. A healthy marine ecosystem is essential in many ways from food to economies and businesses which depend on it like fishing. Without a healthy marine ecosystem, the general environment gets affected causing problems not only in the waters but on land and in the air too.

The Future Is Hopeful Though

Even though we’ve been late in recognizing these problems, there are increasing reasons to be hopeful about the future. Technology and human effort have shown considerable headway in tackling this global crisis.

From the invention of biodegradable bags alternatives derived from food waste and natural oils which look like traditional plastic bags; to the discovery of bacteria that readily decompose plastics in a matter of days; and mycelium based plastic alternatives which are derived out of nature; technology is shifting gears to accelerate a resolution to these problems.

Sweden is a great example of a community that has put greater emphasis on recycling. Swedish communities recycled 46% of the plastic waste as compared to the 30% they had targeted for the year. Not only this, but they are also pioneers in recycling other types of daily use items like glass and paper as well. The credit of this revolution goes to policy changes and subsequent behavioral changes about waste disposal within the community.

There are solutions out there, all we need to do is reach out and incorporate them into our lives. But the process starts with awareness and grows through sustainable changes. Let’s make sure that we do our bit.

Reuse. Recycle.