I remember the last bottle of coke soda i drank. So nourishing and energy giving and gbam! Into the thrash can.
Am i one of the problems we have in the world? Personally, i would deny being one. But in the real sense, let's see why i might be tagged a problem.
Amongst the many problems ravaging earth, there is one that is chief and to a large extent controls the intensity of the others; Overpopulation.
The increasing presence of man on earth is both beneficial and harmful. Technology has helped us harness energies we never believed existed but it also aids the presence of pollution and currently, no 'sphere' is safe.
Biosphere (landfills),
Atmosphere (global warming),
Lithosphere (excessive mining and drilling)
Hydrosphere(pollution).
We are loosing our aquatic animals to pollution. From oil dumping on water to plastic pollution. Recently, i heard of animal pollution. Well, that's a discussion for another day.
In 2016, 480billion plastic bottles were sold globally and almost a quarter of it was produced by drink giant; coca cola. According to statistics from wikipedia, 6.3 billion tonnes of plastic has been produced from 1958 till date. And of this large number produced, only 9 percent has been recycled, and 12% incinerated. What about the whooping 79%, it has been accurately dunked into the oceans.
Environmentalist have condemned plastic because of its 'un-renewability' (permit me to use that word). In essence, unlike human waste, that decomposes in weeks, plastic can take up to 100 years or more to decompose. And they don't fully decompose. They break down into particles that are almost immortal.
TYPES OF PLASTICS
there are basically three types of plastic
- Micro-plastic
- Meso-plastic
- Macro-plastic
Meso and macro plastic are majorly found in footwears, packaging materials, plastic bottles, cigarette butts etc. They amount to 85% of the world's plastic
Micro plastic are the plastic between 3mm and 5mm. They started as either meso or micro plastic but have reduced so much in size due to decomposition or collision with other plastics or materials .
EFFECTS OF PLASTIC POLLUTION
- Plastics release harmful substance which when released on land can seep into groundwater therefore being harmful to the species that drink it.
2.Landfill areas are home to many different types of plastics. In these landfills, there are many microorganisms that catalyze biodegradation of plastics. ( These bacteria Pseudomonas, nylon-eating bacteria, and Flavobacteria) break down nylon through the activity of the nylonase enzyme. This breakdown of biodegradable plastics releases methane, a very powerful greenhouse gas that contributes significantly to global warming.
3.From plankton (that eat the plastic in the waters) to fishes( that feed on plastic) to man (that feed on fishes), plastic can cause cancer and birth disorders in the people that ingest them.
Plastic ingestion can kill aquatic animals therefore reducing the food available to man and disrupting the food chain.
Due to preservatives used to keep plastic, they have potential harmful effects (carcinogenic), reduce sex hormones(primarily by binding to globulins that normally bind to sex hormones such as androgens and estrogens, leading to the disruption of the balance between the two.) or promote endocrine disruption. Some of the additives are used as phthalate plasticizers and brominated flame retardants.
HOW TO REDUCE PLASTIC POLLUTION
Though no tangible solution has been provided to eradicate plastic pollution, here are four ways to reduce plastic pollution and the effects.
Sensitization
Informing people about the effects of plastic pollution will create a sense of awareness and promote recycling or upcycling.Recycling
More emphasis can be placed on recycling. There is a saying that if you cannot reuse it, refuse it. This should reduce the plastics dumped in landfills or in the oceans.
- Upcycling
This is the use of already used plastic for other purposes like primary for plants etc.
Upcycling has been a good alternative to recycling and improves the natural aesthetics of the environment.
- International laws
Stringent laws should be enacted to reduce dumping of plastic and punishments should be swift and done irrespective of person.
REFERENCES