Plastic Pollution - Introduction
Plastic is a general term for a wide range of synthetic materials that are malleable and can be moulded into solid objects of diverse shapes. Developed in the 1860s, plastic is now one of the most useful and important materials in modern society. Thousands of products have plastic in them.
Plastic preserves and protects food and medicine. It is used to make electronic devices like computers and smartphones. It helps make transport more fuel efficient through its use in vehicles. It is more versatile and less expensive than many alternative materials.
Developed countries like the United States, Japan and many European countries produce significant amounts of plastic waste. Per capita annual plastic consumption in the USA is about 100 kg, in Europe, it is around 65 kg and in China is around 40 kg. This is much higher than the global average of 28 kg of plastic use per person annually.
However, developed regions like the European Union, Japan and the USA are relatively good at managing plastic waste. Developing countries like China, Vietnam, Indonesia etc. are fast growing. As consumption booms, plastic waste generation also increases.
Important facts about Plastic Pollution -
Plastic does not decompose easily - Styrofoam and plastic bags take up to one thousand years to decompose. When they are thrown into the water, they contribute to the deaths of thousands of marine animals, let alone plastic pollution and contamination of the water.
There will be more plastic in our oceans than fish by 2050 - Scientists estimate that 3.5 trillion fish are currently in our oceans. So, can you try and imagine just how much plastic that means there could be in the oceans by 2050?
About 8 million tonnes of plastic end up in the world’s oceans every year- as per the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) about 8 million tonnes of plastic end up in the world’s oceans each year. Rivers carry plastic waste from deep inland to the sea. This contributes to marine pollution. Rivers like Ganga, Brahmaputra, Indus, Mekong, Yellow, Yangtze, Amur, Nile and Niger are some of the major rivers carrying plastic waste to the oceanic environment.
78% of marine mammals are at risk of choking on plastic - Seventy-eight per cent of marine mammals are at risk of accidental deaths, such as getting caught in fishing nets. Plastic bags and other plastic garbage that end up in the ocean kill over 1,000,000 sea animals every year.
Globally about 300 million tonnes of plastic waste is generated every year. - As per the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) annually 300 million tonnes of plastic waste is generated globally. Half of all plastic produced worldwide is used only once and then trashed away. The most common examples of single-use plastics are cigarette butts, plastic drinking bottles, plastic bottle caps, food wrappers, plastic grocery bags, plastic lids, straws and stirrers, and foam take-away containers.
Plastic is everywhere - Plastic bags and bottles are found discarded everywhere. They now form an increasing proportion of municipal waste and cause many environmental problems. They clog sewage lines and canals and litter public places, gardens, wildlife reserves, and forests. Animals, birds, and marine organisms consume plastic items and even die as a result. Microscopic particles of plastic transfer toxins into the food chain. Chemical additives used in plastic goods are hazardous to human health.
As per the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), Since the early 1950s, more than 8.3 billion tonnes of plastic has been produced. Only 9% of all plastic waste ever produced has been recycled and about 12% has been incinerated. About 60% of that plastic has ended up in either a landfill or the natural environment.
Plastic pollution has become an all-pervasive problem, with some scientists suggesting that it could serve as a geological indicator of the Anthropocene era.
Microplastic - Massive Environmental Problem
The most worrisome feature of plastic pollution is that it remains in the environment for countries. Most plastics are non-biodegradable. Over time, they slowly break down into smaller fragments known as ‘Microplastics’. These are extremely small plastic pieces that are less than 5mm in size. Microplastics can come from multiple sources and can be either primary microplastic or secondary microplastic.
Primary microplastics are tiny particles designed for commercial use. One example is microbeads. These are very tiny pieces of manufactured polyethylene plastic that are added as exfoliants to health and beauty products, like cleansers and toothpaste.
Secondary microplastics are those which are formed from larger plastic debris that degrades into smaller and smaller pieces. The breakdown can take place due to the sun’s radiation or the action of ocean waves.
Environmental Impacts of Plastic Waste
The environmental impacts of plastic waste are:
- Microscopic particles of plastic transfer toxins into the food chain. Chemical additives used in plastic goods are hazardous to human health.
- Plastic bags can block waterways and exacerbate natural disasters like flooding. For example, one of the reasons for the Mumbai flooding of 2019 was plastics clogging the drainage system of the city.
- Globally, between 20% to 43% of plastic waste is disposed of in landfills. Such landfill sites affect the lives and health of local communities. If plastic is mixed with other materials becomes more complex, costly, and dangerous. Disposing of plastic by burning only creates more toxic fumes.
- By clogging sewers, plastics provide breeding grounds for mosquitoes and pests. This is because plastic bags can increase the transmission of vector-borne diseases like malaria.
- Plastic bags are often mistaken for food by turtles and dolphins. Marine organisms like dolphins, turtles, whales, and fishes can ingest them and high concentrations of plastic materials, have been found blocking the airways and stomachs of hundreds of species.
- Microplastics are a bigger problem as it is easily ingestible by fish. This way, plastics eventually enter human food chains. Microplastics have been detected in marine organisms from plankton to whales, in commercial seafood, and even in drinking water.
- Styrofoam products are generally used for making disposable plastic cutlery like glasses, cups etc, It contains carcinogenic chemicals like styrene and benzene. These, if ingested, can damage the nervous systems, lungs and reproductive organs. The toxins in styrofoam containers can leach into food and drinks.
- Disposing of plastic waste by burning it, in open-air pits releases harmful gases like furan and dioxin.
What does Plastic Waste Do to the ocean?
The 2014 UNEP Report on ‘Valuing Plastic’ include these findings:
- Plastic is the most common type of marine litter, comprising up to 80% of total waste in marine litter surveys. Most come from land-based sources, with marine-based activities such as shipping, cruise lines, and fishing accounting for the remainder.
- 10 to 20 million tonnes of plastic is finding its way into the world’s oceans each year, costing approximately US$ 13 billion per year in environmental damage to marine ecosystems. This includes financial losses incurred by fisheries and tourism as well as time spent cleaning up beaches.
- Over two-thirds of plastic litter ends up on the seabed with half of the remainder washed up on beaches and the other half floating on or under the surface.
- Levels of litter in the ocean are increasing despite efforts to control the problem.
Industry, bodies, businesses, governments, civil society, and international institutions are recognizing the magnitude of the issue and the need to tackle it. Many of them have joined UNEP’s Global Partnership on Marine Litter (GPML) and the global plastic associations have signed a declaration to develop solutions to marine litter.
Beat Plastic Pollution -
Globally, about 2 million plastic bags are used every single minute. Certain plastic can be recycled. Many household articles like water containers and buckets are made of recycled plastic. Non-reusable items include carry bags, cups, plates, and magazine wrappers. Even in these cases, eco-friendly plastics are available as options.
There are strong views for and against plastic. The plastic industry cites the advantages of convenience, low cost, employment potential, recycling possibilities, etc. Environmentalists point out the problems listed above and also add the difficulty of separating recycled plastic items in landfills.
To tackle the plastic waste menace, the theme of UNEP’s World Environment Day 2018 was ‘Beat Plastic Pollution’. World Environment Day 2018 was hosted by India. The objective was to build momentum to fight the plastic waste problem globally. Over here, India for the first time committed that it will ban all single-use plastic by 2022. However, later at the United Nations Environment Assembly’s meeting (September 2019), this was revised and India committed to reducing plastic use by the year 2030.
Recommendations offered by the UNEP to policymakers to tackle plastic pollution were:
Government need to improve waste management practice. They may introduce financial incentives to change the habits of consumers, retailers and manufacturers.
Promote eco-friendly alternatives to plastics. Examples include biodegradable cutlery, and bamboo straws used in India.
Strong government policies are needed to encourage a circular model of economy that emphasises reuse and recycling.
Educate consumers to enable voluntary plastic reduction strategies.
Successfully implement bans or levies on the use and sale of single-use plastics. Countries like Kenya, Botswana, Peru and Chile have already done that.
Later in September 2018, the UNEP along with the European Union also launched the Global Plastics Platform to reduce plastic pollution. It is a network of member states to support countries and cities in establishing policies to reduce plastic pollution. Support will be provided for the transition to a more circular economy.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Question: What is plastic Pollution?
Answer - If there is one type of waste problem, that is ubiquitous, it is Plastic Pollution. Plastic pollution is the accumulation of plastic objects in our environment that affects humans and wildlife and their biodiversity.
Question: How is plastic pollution affecting the environment?
Answer - Plastic pollution adversely affects humans, wildlife and the marine ecosystem. About 8 million tonnes of plastic end up in the world’s oceans every year and 78% of marine mammals are at risk of choking on plastic. Microscopic particles of plastic transfer toxins into the food chain. Chemical additives used in plastic goods are hazardous to human health.
Question: What are the effects of plastic pollution?
Answer -
- Globally, between 20% to 43% of plastic waste is disposed of in landfills. Such landfill sites affect the lives and health of local communities. If plastic is mixed with other materials becomes more complex, costly, and dangerous. Disposing of plastic by burning only creates more toxic fumes.
- Plastic bags are often mistaken for food by turtles and dolphins. Marine organisms like dolphins, turtles, whales, and fishes can ingest them and high concentrations of plastic materials, have been found blocking the airways and stomachs of hundreds of species.
- Microscopic particles of plastic transfer toxins into the food chain. Chemical additives used in plastic goods are hazardous to human health.
Question: Why is Plastic harmful?
Answer - About 280 million tonnes of plastic is produced globally each year and only a very small percentage is recycled. Plastic manufacturing processes use non-renewable resources, such as oil and release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere contributing to climate change.
Microscopic particles of plastic transfer toxins into the food chain. Chemical additives used in plastic goods are hazardous to human health.
Question: How can we reduce Plastic pollution?
Answer -
- Ban Single-use Plastic -The easy way to reduce plastic pollution is to avoid all single-use plastic that can not be recycled.
- Eco-friendly alternative - we should promote eco-friendly alternatives to plastics. Examples include biodegradable cutlery, and bamboo straws used in India.
- Strong Policy - Strong government policies are needed to encourage a circular model of economy that emphasises reuse and recycling.