Plastic, undeniable, plays part of the important role in our lives for years. Almost everything that we used in daily life involved with plastic. But, while we are unconsciously using unlimited plastic, did we ever think of the consequences? Plastic usage brings great harm to the environment especially since it is not biodegradable or maybe took hundred years to bio-degrade. But the chances for plastic to biodegrade is low except that when the plastic is manufactured, they are being modified. Plastic does not only harm the environment,it also killed awfully lot of marine lives. These poor creatures tend to eat the plastic that was found in the sea or by the beach and was killed. These does not only affect the marine mammals, but also animals at the land as well. This shown how serious are the impact of the plastic usage. Even though we are being told about the disadvantages of plastic bags, most of the people still preferring using it. But, right now, our country has started to reduce the plastic bags usage by collaborating with supermarkets and shops and has organize on "NO PLASTIC DAY" on certain day. As what I've seen, some of the supermarkets distribute no plastic on saturday, friday and sunday. For those shoppers who needs plastic bags and doesn't bring their own bags will have to pay extra for the plastic they purchase on the day. This is one good practice in order to reduce plastic usage. Starting with these kind of practices, we can slowly implemented this habits into our lives. Referring to the articles http://environment.about.com/od/recycling/a/reusablebags.htm, there are some facts about plastic bags that may open our hearts of the value of reusable bags.
Mary-
Mary,
ReplyDeleteI believe one day we will not using plastic unless for high precision usage. At the moment the effort done by the public does really contribute much effect. The solution is plant to stop producing plastic. What choice of packing do we have? Paper to cut more trees?
cheers
-yes i agree with you and i want share with some ways who can reduce so i thanks other ways this also.
ReplyDeleteWays to reduce use of plastic bags
• Do not throw plastic bags at random on the roads.
• abstained from the use of plastic bags as much as possible.
• Avoid putting hot food in plastic bags.
• Replace plastic bags with another friend of the environment
Offering alternatives to plastic bags
• plastic bags biodegradable.
• multi-use shopping bags.
• canvas bags, cotton and paper
Educate members of the community alternatives and how to reduce plastic bag use
Personally I feel the No Plastic Day campaign implementation is a good start to cultivate the awareness on reducing plastic usage. Imposing a minimal charge for plastic on that day is only temporary measure. Alot of people can afford and dont mind paying the charges of 20 cents. Ultimately consumer need to be aware of the harm of plastic to the environment and eventually reduce it usage.
ReplyDeleteThe following supporting facts are my review from internet on the plastic bag threatens the marine life.
ReplyDelete1) Plastic bag commonly made from petroleum or natural gas with all the attendant environmental impacts of harvesting fossil fuels. Every year, Americans throw away some 100 billion plastic bags after they've been used to transport a prescription home from the drugstore or a quart of milk from the grocery store. It's equivalent to dumping nearly 12 million barrels of oil.
2) Japanese researchers reported that plastic debris acts like a sponge for toxic chemicals, soaking up a million fold greater concentration of such deadly compounds as PCBs and DDE (a breakdown product of the notorious insecticide DDT), than the surrounding seawater. These turn into toxic gut bombs for marine animals which frequently mistake these bits for food.
3) Floating bags can look all too much like tasty jellyfish to hungry marine critters. According to the Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation, more than a million birds and 100,000 marine mammals and sea turtles die every year from eating or getting entangled in plastic.
4) The conservation group estimates that 50 percent of all marine litter is some form of plastic. There are 46,000 pieces of plastic litter floating in every square mile of ocean, according to the United Nations Environment Programme. However in the most concentrated areas this figure was reported to be at over 1 million pieces.
5) Worldwide, at least 143 marine species are known to have become entangled in marine debris (including almost all of the world's species of sea turtles) and at least 177 marine species (including 95% of all the worlds sea birds) have eaten plastic litter. (environment.gov.au 2004)
6) Its estimated that over 10's of thousands of seabirds choke or get tangled in plastic debris (including domestic waste and disused fishing gear) and about 100,000 seals, sea lions, whales, dolphins, other marine mammals and sea turtles suffer the same fate, although some scientists believe this figure to be much higher. (DNR) (Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission)
(source: http://www.plasticbagfree.com/iframe_facts.php)
(source: http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2007/08/10/plastic_bags)
While browsing the internet, I found a few very interesting articles in ScienceDaily that talk about plastic and how to make them 'more' biodegradable. All these articles are published as mentioned in the website.
ReplyDelete1) In an advance toward a new era in recycling of plastics, scientists in Japan are reporting a development of a process that breaks certain plastics down into their original chemical ingredients, which can be reused to make new, high quality plastic. The method employed ionic liquids for effective depolymerization of polymeric materials. (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070625092738.htm)
2) This article reports about the plastics that degrade in seawater. This will definitely reduce the threat to marine life that was mentioned by mary and yap above. The new plastics are made of polyurethane that has been modified by the incorporation of PLGA [poly (D,L-lactide-co-glycolide)], a known degradable polymer used in surgical sutures and controlled drug-delivery applications.
(http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/03/070327113602.htm)
3) A team of South Korean scientists have succeeded in producing the polymers used for everyday plastics through bioengineering, rather than through the use of fossil fuel based chemicals. The team focused their research on polylactic acid (PLA), a bio-based polymer which holds the key to producing plastics through natural and renewable resources. This groundbreaking research, which may now allow for the production of environmentally conscious plastics, is published in two papers in the journal Biotechnology and Bioengineering. (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091123083702.htm)
It's true that the usage of plastic bags brings great harm to the environment. But with proper management and disposal, I am sure that the impacts to the environment and marine lives can be reduced. The plastic bag itself does not kill the animals but a person’s the bad attitude that killed them! People just threw away the plastic bags without even thinking about the consequences.
ReplyDeleteJust to share additional info, a research done by Susan E. Selke, a professor at the department of Packaging at Michigan University, found that paper bags contribute more to water pollution compare to plastic bags, but in terms of air pollution, both of these materials are equal in contributing to the pollution. Most plastic bags need hundreds or thousands of years to degrade, while paper bags may only need few decades to degrade. But the actual time required depends on the conditions. Apart from that, plastic uses less energy and produces fewer air and water pollutants compare to paper bags but papers is easier to recycle and are better for composting. Both materials are suitable for incineration but plastic bags tend to be blown away by wind at landfills.
After all said, reusable bags still triumph over plastic or paper bags :-)