Plastic Pollution and Zero Waste
By: Maham Rashid
Tags: Amaacademy, Zero Waste, Problem Solving, Plastic Pollution, Amal Project

Problem Statement:

Due to increase usage and lack of awareness plastic pollution is increasing day by day in Pakistan.

Details:

“Plastic” and “Pollution” are obligatory for each other. Where there is plastic, there will be pollution. Problem with plastic is that it persists in environment. It pollutes land, if go in water it pollutes water and if burn down to remove it then it pollutes air. Its a complete package of pollution.

As whole world is trying to get rid of plastic materials but unfortunately in Pakistan it still seems a long way to do it. Plastic bags, plastic bottles, plastic wrappers, plastic covers, plastic cups and plates, straws, utensils, baskets etc., everything is so common in Pakistan that its quite hard to forbade yourself completely from using plastics.

But “Health is Wealth”, and people should know about its health and environmental effects. Best place to start is to start from home and so I started..

“Awareness” is the pioneer step and social media can be best platform for it. Posts on the harmful effects of plastic can be made, like presence of plastic material around us and how it deteriorate the environment.

This image is full of plastic, from dustbin to shopper bags, cans, plastic disposable cups and plates, plastic shopping bag, flexes and many more… the pollution that has no solution.

This picture is from Pakistan and we can see how plastic is polluting our country

Plastic is not only causing land pollution but also water pollution. Marine life and environment is totally destroyed by it. Rivers are getting polluted and is destroying the aesthetic beauty. For an example look at the following picture:

A picture from “The Nation” stating that Pakistan is among top countries that dump plastic in River

Not just the surface pollution but plastic can destroy the marine life too.

Sadly, to remove the totally plastic from environment it is burned and as a result it plays its roll in air pollution.

Moreover, plastic can also cause adverse health effects in human being if they are absorbed in human body. Following image from a website “The Happy Turtle” has compiled them very well:

All these reasons are enough to motivate someone to work on “Plastic Pollution”.

Zero Waste:

In my course, I studied a concept known as “Zero Waste”. It is based on the concept to send less to less waste out from house, to try to produce as much as less waste you can. It works on basic “5R theory” i.e., “Refuse”, “Reduce”, “Reuse”, “Recycle” and “Rot”.

Refuse the plastic as much as you can. Try to use alternate products. Buy as much as less plastic products.

the plastic as much as you can. Try to use alternate products. Buy as much as less plastic products. Reduce the plastic usage. Try to shift at alternates.

the plastic usage. Try to shift at alternates. Reuse the used product as much as you can. Involve your creativity in it and try to make a useful product from waste.

the used product as much as you can. Involve your creativity in it and try to make a useful product from waste. Recycle the waste left. Give it to recycling industries so they can recycle them so it can be reused again.

the waste left. Give it to recycling industries so they can recycle them so it can be reused again. Rot, compost the remaining waste so it can be biologically degraded.

We should promote a “zero waste” lifestyle and also apply it in our homes so we can protect ourselves, our environment as well as our health.

An overview of “zero waste” lifestyle

Raising awareness and then applying in our own home.

Third step can be implementing it in society.

Awareness campaigns can be carried out at schools and educational institutes.

Exhibitions or Festival can be organized where students are asked to present their zero waste ideas and also products made from plastics, as a way to promote “reuse”.

Different baskets can be provide to houses so they can put waste plastic there which can not reused so it can be sorted out for “recycling” and “composting”.

Though making our country fully “plastic free” requires government involvement but change can be bring even at individual level. If we individually work and reduce plastic usage at individual level then at least we can play our role in this regard. And if everyone do this at his individual level then definitely we can bring a big change.

#saynotoplastic