Question

Draft a poster to bne issued by the Invironment club. New Delhi about ill-effects of
plastics on the envirounment suggest alternative solution as well.​

Answer 1

Answer :

Effects of plastics.

Be it food packets, toys, storage packing, furniture or electronic items, plastics are so widely used that imagining our lives without it is impossible. It is one of the best substitutes for wood, thus reducing the cutting of trees and helping the environment. On the other hand, sometimes it poses problems too, for example: when it comes to their disposal. Upon usage, artifacts made from plastic sustain wear and tear and become brittle, so it is necessary to dispose of. For e.g. a plastic chair being used for five years cannot be used further or a plastic sachet containing shampoo cannot be reused to store shampoo again. So, what do we do with these items? Most often, these are thrown into the dustbin, which is then collected by the municipal corporation. But what if they are not disposed of properly? We have seen heaps of garbage lying along the roads or in the drains or other water bodies, clogging them. Plastics, supposed to be a boon to the environment is now becoming a bane.

Harmful Effects of Plastics.

• Littering of plastics in open spaces creates unhygienic conditions, as it acts as a breeding ground for insects and mosquitoes that cause diseases like malaria and dengue.
• Plastics do not undergo degradation, thus, stay in the soil for many years, which affects soil fertility and degrades the soil quality.
• When plastic artifacts enter the drainage and sewerage system, they block the pipes and the drains causing waterlogging.
• The improperly disposed of food bags, when eaten by animals, cause stomach and intestine related disease which even lead to suffocation and death.

The waste from the plastic manufacturing industry is thrown directly into the water bodies, thus affecting the chemical property of water, causing hazards on a very large-scale.

Proper disposal and usage of plastic discards can reduce these problems. A set of regulations should necessarily be followed to stop these problems.

Plastic Waste Management

There are primarily three ways of managing the plastics:

Reduce

Reuse

Recycle

Plastic - Waste Management.

Reduce.

This refers to the reduction or decreased consumptions of plastic artifacts.

• We can reduce the use of plastic bags and carry jute bags and paper bags to carry items from the market.
• We can reduce the use of plastic containers for storing food and other items and use more durable materials like metal.
• We can avoid using takeaway food containers.

Reuse.

• We can use discarded bottles and jars to store food items and water.
• We can reuse the plastic bags whenever possible, keeping safety and hygiene in mind.
• We can use broken artifacts and create something new with our own creativity, for e.g. discarded water bottles can be used as containers.

Recycle.

• We can give the old plastic chairs and jars for a recycle and support the cause by using recycled items.
• We can try using recyclable plastic bags whenever possible.

Apart from these techniques, we can make changes in our daily lifestyle to make a huge difference towards.

• Using proper disposal techniques. For e.g. separating the biodegradable items and non-biodegradable items and disposing of them accordingly. Biodegradable items can be used for composting and vermicomposting whereas non-biodegradable items can be disposed of in the dustbin, for recycling or incineration.
• By not throwing kitchen garbage in plastic bags.
• By not burning plastics or other garbage.