|
Topics:
|
|
|---|---|
Words: |
521 |
Page:
|
1
This essay sample was donated by a student to help the academic community. Papers provided by EduBirdie writers usually outdo students' samples.
|
Cite this essay
Download
An individual’s dependence on the use of plastic grows stronger as each year passes, resulting in a massive quantity of detritus being discarded in oceans. Although plastic may be the most versatile material with favorable qualities (mechanical resistance, durability, etc), it has created serious environmental issues that keep snowballing due to its non-biodegradable properties as it takes thousands of years to decompose. With its exponential production and negligence towards recycling and waste management, millions of plastic waste are carried and accumulated in oceans instead of a recycling plant.
At this alarming rate of plastic use, there will be more plastic than aquatic life present in the oceans by the year 2050. This is because, the build-up of litter in oceans, traps and imprison animals in fishnets or debris. It also has a more fatal effect as the ingestion of plastics by organisms concerns the entire food chain of the marine ecosystem.
Besides, the arrival of microplastics and microbeads of plastics from cosmetic and body care products pass through filtration systems, which pose a potential threat to aquatic life as well.
The use of plastics can also have severe impacts on human health. Since chemical additives are used in the production of plastic, exposure to these toxic chemicals can cause cancers, birth defects, impaired immunity, and other health problems.
To overcome plastic pollution, the waste hierarchy could be followed. It consists of the three R’s, reduce, reuse, and recycle. These basic principles can be implemented in our daily activities which would help to live a sustainable life.
To efficiently reduce and reuse plastic pollution, multi-use and durable products can be purchased so that the use of plastic spoons, straws, and plates can be avoided.
It is very crucial to reduce the use of single-use plastic. The plastic pollution crisis has increased significantly, and the word ‘single-use’ was the word of the year in the year 2018 by the Collins Dictionary. And lastly, it is also important to recycle properly. Recycling prevents pollution as it reprocesses materials into new ones which reduces the need to collect new raw materials.
Along with following the waste hierarchy, many individuals have also participated in a beach or river clean-up organization. This can be said to be one of the most direct and rewarding ways to fight ocean plastic pollution.
To combat plastic bag addiction, countries like Canada, India, and Peru aim to ban single-use plastic by 2021. The goal is to replace single-use plastics with 'reusable, biodegradable plastic or others whose degradation does not generate contamination by micro-plastics or dangerous substances.”
Many companies such as Starbucks and McDonald's have also taken the initiative to phase out plastic straws. Although cutting straw usage won’t solve the whole pollution problem, it is still the first step towards it.
While Australia has decided to place nets on drainage pipes. In the city of Kwinana, two drainage nets in Henley Reserve were installed. The nets are designed to prevent waste from flowing into natural reserves. This kind of waste management is cost-effective as it is easy to install and collect them so they can be transported to a sorting facility.
Get your paper done in as fast as 3 hours, 24/7.
Fair Use Policy
EduBirdie considers academic integrity to be the essential part of the learning process and does not support any violation of the academic standards. Should you have any questions regarding our Fair Use Policy or become aware of any violations, please do not hesitate to contact us via support@edubirdie.com.
Stuck on your essay?
