Introduction:
The word plastic originated from the Greek word plastikos, which means pertaining to molding. They are man-made synthetic polymers made up of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, silicon, chloride.64% of the total plastic accounts for Polythene. Polythene is a linear hydrocarbon polymer consists of a long chain of monomers of ethylene (C2H4). Polymers such as silk and rubber naturally exist in nature. They decay naturally and do not cause any pollution to the environment. But these man-made plastic materials are highly non-degradable and remain in the environment. This recalcitrant nature of polythene is due to the presence of hydrophobic carbon backbone and high molecular weight of the polymer. This is the reason behind major importance to rapid biodegradation of plastic in the waste management problem (Rodrigo and Ribes Greus 2002).
Increasing plastic waste disposal, landfilling and burning of plastics causes pollution thereby results in global warming (Swapnil K. Kale). Incineration burns off the plastic waste entirely but causes air pollution by releasing toxic gases like dioxins, carbon monoxide, and CO2 into the air. Recycling of plastics is an expensive procedure and the quality of the recycled products of plastic are lower than the
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Microbial enzymes induce the rate of biodegradation of LDPE very efficiently without causing any damage to the environment. The extracellular enzymes are too large and they cannot penetrate deeply into the polymer material, and therefore act only on the polymer surface, as a result, the biodegradation of plastics is generally a surface erosion process. The UV irradiation, thermal and chemical oxidation of polythene prior to its exposure to the biotic environment (with plastic degrading microbes) enhances the process of
Nowadays, plastic can be seen almost everywhere including electronics, furniture, and cars. Plastic became so successful because of the diverse uses people came up as a way of imagining a better future. Similar to radio, plastic also “conjured up utopian visions” (Meikle 77) and many Americans viewed plastic as a “miracle material” (Meikle 79). People thought that plastic would shape the future that they imagined during the dark times of the World War. Most importantly, people found the opportunity to take control over its current state and to “gain freedom from chance” (Meikle 78) in a time where they had little control.
When the poor burn trash for heat they burn anything they can find including plastic and rubber which produced more smoke when burned. The effect on citizens is probably the worst part the smog is so unhealthy that it is the equivalent of smoking around two and a half packs of cigarettes a day. One Delhi local, Amaan Ahuja, thought that someone had burned a few pieces of paper in her house one
To recycle plastic one must use low temperatures. Since low temperatures are used residue is still left behind. If higher temperatures were used than toxins would be released. The truth is, plastic does not go away.
One of the products which has become the most popular in the last century is plastic. Today, plastic is found in most of the items we own or use, everything from toys to kitchenware even automobiles. Unfortunately, plastics have a side effect that few people consider in their day to day routines. Al l plastic contains chemicals, either inherent to the creation of the plastic, or as a biproduct of the manufacturing. These chemicals in plastic can adversely affect the human body, specifically the endocrine
“Endangered wildlife like Hawaiian Monk Seals and Pacific Loggerhead Sea Turtles are among nearly 300 species that eat and get caught in plastic litter” (“Ocean Plastic Pollution”). If an animal gets caught in plastic, then it could suffocate them. “In 2008, two sperm whales were found stranded along the California coast with large amounts of fishing net scrapes, and other plastic debris in their stomachs” (“Ocean Plastic Pollution”). When an animal eats plastic, it causes their minds to believe that they are full but plastic does not give them the nutrients that they need and will cause them to starve. The last well known pollutant is oil.
Imagine living in a world where the air is polluted and most people are afraid to step outside their front door, in the near future, this may be reality for Americans. Americans throw out over 200 million tons of garbage a year, yet recycle not nearly as much. Most people do not realize it but recycling is a vital part of America’s society and if Americans do not perform this action, it will backfire on them. People in America are debating whether Americans are recycling enough and correctly. After analyzing the data, one will definitely agree that Americans need to be more educated on recycling due to the fact that most people do not know what happens after they recycle an item, nearly all Americans are recycling incorrectly, and Am To begin,
About 71 percent of our planet Earth is covered by water, and the majority comes from the oceans (about 96.5 percent of all Earth’s water). It remains as the most expansive, diverse, and mysterious places on planet Earth. But it is being threatened by the pollution by people and nature itself. By polluting the habitat of marine organism will indirectly affect the ecosystem of the marine life. Marine life is dying and as the result the oceanic ecosystem is threatened.
Everyday people buy plastic things from the cafeteria, from plastic containers, lids on cups, and things as small as straws, and like 50% of plastic used it will be thrown away after one use. However, do you ever stop and think, what happens to the plastic? If you’re thinking that it just magically goes away you 're wrong. It will most likely end up in a landfill somewhere or in the ocean, and as you may think that your actions do not impact the world, think again. Everyone in the world has at least used one piece of plastic, adding to the problem of plastic pollution and helping certifying the terrifying statisticc that acooording to the 2018 Earth day video, “by 2050 there will more plastic in the ocean than fish”, which almost is impossible to think of.
The amount of plastic products that ended up in the ocean as of 2015 are quite high. How high you may ask yourself? No not 1 million but 9 million tons of plastic waste laid in the ocean as of 2015. Who could be responsible for most of this plastic in the ocean? Surprisingly its china, they are responsible for 2.4 million tons per year.
The reason plastic is used in many products is because it can withstand up to tons of pressure per cm3, is cheap, is durable, and finally, there is no worry for discoloring. But these days, plastic is becoming a major problem the world has to deal with. Plastic is thrown into the ocean, and it is breaking down into very small pieces, and killing marine life, as they mistake those pieces to their prey. As a matter of fact, nearly all plastics are recyclable, but it 's the recycling companies ' machines that refuse to recycle that kind of plastic(eartheasy.com). I. Plastic, what have you done?
Imagine what happens if we keep on polluting our planet? What happens to our future generation? Since plastic takes years to biodegrade, if we keep polluting our environment with plastic, then our future generation will suffer from the environment around them. It also means that plastic and other trash will continue polluting the ocean, which can cause thousands of sea animals to go extinct, providing us with less source of food. Not only sea animals, but animals all over the world might extinct or become endangered because of pollution.
Have you ever wondered what grocery stores would do without plastic bags? Stores would have to start using reusable bags and without the plastic bags there would be less liter. Other people all around the world are having a debate whether they should ban plastic bags or not. Many people are taking the ban very seriously and believe that they should ban the plastic bags. The U.S. should ban plastic bags because they cause litter, they cost too much, and they can damage to marine life and livestock.
That means that our use of plastic is not sustainable at all. Plastic does not biodegrade; it degrades very slowly which is a very big problem because the debris will apparently persist for centuries in the ocean. The garbage remains in the ocean until they break into smaller and smaller pieces. (Marine Turtle Newspaper,
Recycling reduces the rate of pollution, and pollution affects human conditions. As an example, in a landfill, the chemicals that are decomposing are releasing air toxins, harming human's senses. Hydrogen sulfate gases are an example of harmful chemicals, and these gases can cause respiratory problems and irritation in the eyes and nose. When the waste material that could be recycled is burned, that process also releases a whole mass of toxins that people breathe. Finally, recycling helps people in terms of health and
Pollution is the introduction or release of substances or energy that decrease the quality of the marine environment. Many pollutants are toxic of harmful to marine life (Castro and Huber, 2010). South Africa is known around the world for being one of the most diverse marine environment in the world, with 83% of the known fish families residing in South Africa (Van der Elst, 2007). There are also many marine species that are endemic to South Africa, which means they are only found in South Africa. Almost 30% of the South African population lives on the coastline (Taljaard et al. 2006), which has led to the urbanization of the coastlines and which then led to the industrialization of these areas.