Question

Pls write an essay on "Beat plastic pollution, If u can't reuse it, refuse it"...i will surely mark u the brainliest( 600-800 words)

Answer 1

Beat Plastic Pollution”, the theme for World Environment Day 2018, is a call to action for all of us to come together to combat one of the great environmental challenges of our time. Chosen by this year’s host, India, the theme of World Environment Day 2018 invites us all to consider how we can make changes in our everyday lives to reduce the heavy burden of plastic pollution on our natural places, our wildlife – and our own health.

While plastic has many valuable uses, we have become over reliant on single-use or disposable plastic – with severe environmental consequences. Around the world, 1 million plastic drinking bottles are purchased every minute. Every year we use up to 5 trillion disposable plastic bags. In total, 50 per cent of the plastic we use is single use.

Nearly one third of the plastic packaging we use escapes collection systems, which means that it ends up clogging our city streets and polluting our natural environment. Every year, up to 13 million tons of plastic leak into our oceans, where it smothers coral reefs and threatens vulnerable marine wildlife. The plastic that ends up in the oceans can circle the Earth four times in a single year, and it can persist for up to 1,000 years before it fully disintegrates.

Plastic also makes its way into our water supply – and thus into our bodies. What harm does that cause? Scientists still aren’t sure, but plastics contain a number of chemicals, many of which are toxic or disrupt hormones. Plastics can also serve as a magnet for other pollutants, including dioxins, metals and pesticides.

Answer 2

The evolution of the mankind took place in the hands of nature. Humans consumed the resources in nature and survived through thousands of years. But today the man’s greed has pushed the limit. Today we are destroying the same nature which gave us birth. Today the pollution has become a global problem and its consequences can be seen around us. Plastic was one of the greatest inventions of mankind. But sadly today it has become the enemy of mother nature. The plastic pollution has become a major problem faced by the world and it is harming the nature as well as humans and animals.


Causes of plastic pollution

The properties of plastic that make it attractive are the one that leads to plastic pollution:

Durability– The durability of plastic makes it resistant to the natural biodegradation process. Its composition makes it difficult to decompose plastic through a natural method.Easy availability- Almost all consumer goods are sold in a plastic bag, wrapper, lining or covering and the plastic packaging is then disposed along with the regular trash.Lack of civic awareness– People going on fishing and camping trips often leave with memories and leave behind their trash of plastic bottles and bags.Inexpensive than its counterparts– A plastic bag is generally cheaper than an eco-friendly bag, for instance. For the lower sections of the society, both the lack of awareness and financial constraints make them reach for the plastic bags.


Effects of plastic pollution

Plastic pollution not only causes drastic harmful effects on its own but also aids the air and water pollution. Some of its harmful effects include

Contamination of the ocean beds

 Most of the plastic trash finds its way into the ocean, thus polluting the ocean beds. Some plastics release poisonous substance like BPA (Bisphenol A) during their slow decomposition. Plastic debris also attracts other contaminants towards them by acting as a sponge thus doubling the harmful effects.

Aquatic life at the receiving end

 Small fragments of plastics trash become food for marine animals like whales, sea lions, and zooplankton. Once eaten by them, this plastic blocks their digestive tracts. Unable to eat any other food because of the plastic filling their stomach, they ultimately starve to death. There have been several cases across the world of whales being washed ashore and then dying. Cutting open their stomachs has revealed the horrors of plastic waste filling their insides completely.

The discarded plastic nets cause a problem of entanglement and choking for the smaller sea animals. There have been disturbing videos going viral, of dolphins and ducks getting their necks caught in the six-ring plastic can holder disposed of in water by fishermen. This plastic waste affects the coral reefs as well, as they cannot get enough sunlight due to the plastic debris and start breaking.

Harm to the food chain

The fishes that consume this plastic debris are further consumed up in the food chain, thus passing the harmful plastic pollution indirectly.

Polluting the underground water deposits

 Plastic trash, when filled in landfills, reacts with water and leaches harmful chemicals into the soil poisoning the underground water.

Air Pollution

 The burning of plastic waste releases harmful gases into the atmosphere causing respiratory problems for both humans and animals.


Ways to reduce the Plastic Pollution? | Solutions and Control Measures

Banish the disposables

Almost ninety percent of the plastic that we use is not reusable and goes in the garbage after a single use itself. Plastic spoons, disposable plates, coffee cups, and straws are some examples of the same. Carrying your own cup to the coffee shop or to the office is a habit that will take some time getting used to, but once it becomes a practice, the amount of plastic usage will come down.

Go green

People should carry their own cloth bags when going out for their grocery or vegetable shopping. It may feel like a cumbersome habit in the beginning, but it is going to result in one less plastic bag going in the garbage and choking a cow feeding on it.

Carry your own water

One of the main components of the plastic waste covering the earth is the plastic mineral water bottle that one tends to buy on the go. Carrying a water bottle from home not only ensures that you have easy access to water but also reduces the waste caused by the bottle.

Plastic Bag Ban

Several cities in India have banned the usage of plastic bags and have imposed a ban on its sale and use. Citizens should not only support the ban but facilitate its implementation by carrying their own bags.