Plastic Wastes and its Management

2. Plastic Wastes and its Management Plastic seems omnipresent and inevitable. Since the 1960s, our use of plastic has increased dramatically and as a result, the percentage of our plastic waste has also increased from 1% of the total municipal waste stream (household waste) to around 13% (Protection Agency of India). the environment.

3. Plastic products range from containers and packaging (soda bottles, caps, shampoo bottles) to durable goods (for example, appliances, furniture, and automobiles) and non- durable items, including items ranging from a part plastic shelf to equipment doctors. Sometimes marked with a number and a tracking arrow, it gives the illusion that all plastics are recyclable and therefore recycled. However, this assumption raises several problems. As the use and consumption of plastic increases, so do concerns about viable options for reuse, recycling, and disposal. Complications such as the increasing number of additives used to alter the strength, texture, flexibility, color, resistance to microbes, and other properties of plastics make plastics less recyclable. Furthermore, some plastics have a very low market value, leading municipalities to dispose of them as waste or burn them. According to the EPA (2011 data), only 8% of plastics are recovered through recycling. Another big concern of plastics in the waste stream is their longevity and whether or not they biodegrade. It is estimated that most plastics would take between 500 and 1000 years to decompose into organic components. Due to this longevity and low recycling rate, a large part of our plastic waste ends up in landfills or as waste. Some of this plastic waste reaches the sea through rivers and the wind. Trash cans and the transcontinental transportation of recyclable materials are also causing an increase in the amount of plastic in our oceans and waterways. Plastic waste has a direct and indirect impact on living organisms throughout the ecosystem, including an increasing impact on marine life at the macro and micro scale. According to the Nations, almost 80% of marine debris is plastic. Policy enforcement remains weak, global plastic manufacturing continues to grow, and the amount of plastic waste in the oceans and on land is likely to increase. With the limited sustainable recovery of plastics, the movement to reduce plastic production is growing around the world. Some types of plastics may be "safer" for the environment than others. However, they are associated with problematic issues leading to the conclusion that action is needed to eliminate plastic waste and that stricter controls are needed to limit new sources of plastic pollution. Efforts like lightweight packaging and the switch to compostable plastics are options. Many people use eco-bags to live green. Policies that limit the use of plastics, such as bottle notes and bag bans, are other ways to reduce the production and consumption of plastics. Dismantling the debris fields of our oceans and turning plastic waste into usable materials, from socks made from fishing line to fuel made from various types of Plastic Waste, is one way to defuse the current situation. You can do your part with renewable cotton bags.