What was once thought as a bright invention, is now causing a major concern not only from environmentalists but from almost every waste management bodies in the world. I am talking about man’s discovery of plastics and its current threat to our environment. There is no doubt that plastics are very useful to people because of its durable and light property; they made up more than 50% of products we use at our homes, from containers, furnitures, home appliances, electronic gadgets and even our cars. According to businessmen who manufacture plastic products, “it’s easier and cheaper to mold products from plastics than from wood or metals”, this refers to the malleability of plastic to be cast, pressed, and extruded into variety of shapes. Plastics can also be recycled, giving the assurance of sustainability of raw materials for future plastic needs.
Environmental Issues
Plastics are durable and degrade very slowly; the molecular bonds that make plastic so durable make it equally resistant to natural processes of degradation. It is estimated that an ordinary plastic product will take about one hundred to a thousand years to degrade, and at the rate we are producing plastic products, it would have covered our entire planet many times over before we can even see the first batch of them degrade back into a biomaterial. Critical to this present generation is how to address the piling garbage mostly made up of discarded plastic products; another is the health hazards that they pose on human beings and other living organisms on this planet. Manufacturing of plastics often creates large quantities of chemical pollutants while burning them can release toxic fumes, this is the reason why incinerators were never considered as a solution to the plastic garbage problem. At present, there is no full proof solution yet discovered for the plastic garbage menace, what we can do right now is to abstain or regulate its use.
Our Role
Environmental organizations such as the Green Peace are admonishing governments to regulate the production of plastic products; they are pushing the use of substitute materials for products that can dispense with plastics, so as not to aggravate our present problem with plastic wastes. Our world does not belong only to us; it also belongs to our children, our children’s children, and the next generations to come. So let us preserve and protect it with utmost care, we can start now by practicing the least at our very homes. Are you willing to consider this advocacy the next time you buy your groceries?
Environmental Issues
Plastics are durable and degrade very slowly; the molecular bonds that make plastic so durable make it equally resistant to natural processes of degradation. It is estimated that an ordinary plastic product will take about one hundred to a thousand years to degrade, and at the rate we are producing plastic products, it would have covered our entire planet many times over before we can even see the first batch of them degrade back into a biomaterial. Critical to this present generation is how to address the piling garbage mostly made up of discarded plastic products; another is the health hazards that they pose on human beings and other living organisms on this planet. Manufacturing of plastics often creates large quantities of chemical pollutants while burning them can release toxic fumes, this is the reason why incinerators were never considered as a solution to the plastic garbage problem. At present, there is no full proof solution yet discovered for the plastic garbage menace, what we can do right now is to abstain or regulate its use.
Our Role
Environmental organizations such as the Green Peace are admonishing governments to regulate the production of plastic products; they are pushing the use of substitute materials for products that can dispense with plastics, so as not to aggravate our present problem with plastic wastes. Our world does not belong only to us; it also belongs to our children, our children’s children, and the next generations to come. So let us preserve and protect it with utmost care, we can start now by practicing the least at our very homes. Are you willing to consider this advocacy the next time you buy your groceries?
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