Question

Plastic boon or a curse 20 points

Answer 1

Plastic is one of the few new chemical materials which pose environmental problem. Polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene is largely used in the manufacture of plastics. 


Benefits of plastics-Boon


a. Extreme versatility and ability to be tailored to meet very specific technical needs.
b. Lighter weight than competing materials, reducing fuel consumption during transportation.
c. Extreme durability.
d. Resistance to chemicals, water and impact.
e. Good safety and hygiene properties for food
packaging.


Plastic as a Curse

Misuse of any technology can lead to curse. Plastic was thought to be a boon but it turned out to be a curse. Plastic can be very harmful as it produces harmful gases when it is burned. As it is non bio degradable, it is harmful to the soil and takes hundreds of years to degrade or decompose. With more and more plastic products, particularly plastic packaging, being disposed of soon after their purchase, the landfill space required by plastics waste is a growing concern.

Plastic waste, such as plastic bags, often becomes litter. For example, nearly 57% of litter found on beaches in 2003 was plastic.
The waste problem is a major curse, mainly because they degrade slowly. They are difficult to recycle because of the great variety of plastics which are hardly distinguishable.

Many plastics poison the environment when degrading. PVC for example contains chlorine; generally there is no problem during use, but the chlorine returns into the environment when the waste is processed. Also, the manufacturing of plastics often creates large quantities of chemical pollutants.
Plasticizers like phthalates are suspected to cause upheaval in the hormone systems of animals and people, especially kids.