Preventing Plastic Pollution

The plastic that we litter will surely outlive us and may prove to be a much bigger weapon against humanity than we thought.

Plastic has always been a very regular part of our day-to-day life. It’s virtually impossible to go a day and not see or use plastic material.

It’s so well integrated into our lives that most of the time we don’t even think about the fact that we are using it.

However, if we don’t seriously consider the impact of improperly discarding plastic on our environment, then we might have to suffer grave consequences.

Plastic is defined as a synthetic material made from a wide range of organic polymers.

There are seven different types of plastic, all of which function in manners that vary.

Regardless, plastic is responsible for some of the most impressive feats of humanity. We actively use plastic in things as small as cans to things as big as space travel.

Additionally, we use plastic in order to facilitate activities in our everyday lives. It’s a material that’s quintessential to the benefit of humanity.

Nonetheless, plastic has the very dangerous flaw of being inorganic. Plastic, unfortunately, can not be decomposed naturally over a small period of time.

Instead, plastic, depending on the size and variant, takes many tens to hundreds of years to decompose.

Inorganic materials have chemical compositions that are not biodegradable, and can not be absorbed back into the earth through natural processes.

The inorganic chemical in plastic materials is polyethylene terephthalate, or PET, which is virtually impossible for bacteria to break down.

Throwing a candy bar wrapper on the ground is much more harmful to the environment than throwing the candy bar on the ground. The candy bar can be eaten and digested by animals around it.

Furthermore, it can be dissolved into the ground and used as a source of food for insects that benefit their relative biosphere.

However, chemicals in plastic can not be digested by any organism. The plastic won’t decompose and will remain an obstacle for any living thing that stumbles across it.

While recent studies have suggested that plastic decomposes faster in water than on land, there’s so much plastic in the ocean that the process has begun to inhibit, due to plastic grouping together.

For reference, it is estimated that it takes a single plastic cup around 50 years to biodegrade.

As objects get bigger, their degradation period only increases. For example, it’s estimated that it takes a fishing rod some 600 years to fully biodegrade.

Due to the fact that plastic can vary in size so much, all types of organisms are affected by plastic pollution.

For example, many millions of various marine species die every year by strangulation or suffocation from plastic littered into the ocean.

Many animals mistake plastic for food and eat it when they see it floating in the water, only to find out that they can’t eat it when it’s too late.

Additionally, plastic pollution has even been seen to alter drinking water. Studies have concluded that around 94% of water samples contain plastic contaminants due to extreme amounts of pollution in our water.

Furthermore, from an economic standpoint, plastic pollution has severely affected fisheries, shipping, and tourism from country to country.

Finally, it’s believed that at the current rate of plastic pollution, that by the year 2100, plastic pollution would be responsible for emitting over 260 billion tons of carbon into the atmosphere.

Recent studies have suggested that plastic pollution is now a more serious issue than ever. Every year, over 8 million tons of plastic waste are discarded into the ocean.

The process of discarding plastic into the ocean is virtually irreversible, so we need to begin to really decide how to proceed.

If we continue to ignore the immense amount of plastic materials in our oceans, then the consequences can be very damaging to our environment.

The only logical route is to be aware of the absurd amount of plastic that’s released into the ocean and properly cease to contribute to plastic pollution.

While dire, the situation isn’t hopeless. To combat this, we need to be more aware of the amount in which we recycle.

As repetitive as it may sound, we don’t recycle half as much as we should be.

Be sure to properly make sure that you’re putting items in the correct bins when it comes to recycling.

Additionally, we can cook more instead of purchasing packaged food. Not only is it more healthy, but it prevents contributing to needless plastic consumption.

Additionally, we should limit our use of plastic utensils and smaller plastic machinery that could just as easily be metallic. In many situations, metallic alternatives are more environmentally friendly than their plastic counterparts.

It pays to be aware of the effect that we’re having on the planet, especially when it could be so severe.

However, there is still promise that, if we take proper precautions, then we can effectively prevent plastic pollution.