Plastic Pollution: A Menace Throughout The Entire World

By Abulude, Francis Olawale

No home in Nigeria and beyond is free of plastic. It comes from the markets, farms, industries, hospitals, even imported into the country. Plastics are used and eventually dumped, when it becomes waste, then it becomes pollution. Plastic wastes have become a menace throughout the world. Its disadvantages outweighed the advantages.

It was reported United Nations Environment declared war on plastics pollution. The war is targeted on the sources of marine litter, micro-plastics in cosmetics and excessive waste of single-use plastics by 2022. A Dutch Foundation confirmed that between 1.15 and 2.41 million metric tons of plastic waste entered the oceans each year mostly in Asia, which account for about 67 percent of the global total. Meanwhile, The U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned that steps should be taken to curb the pollution, plastics could outweigh fish by 2050. Environmentalists have estimated that over more than eight million tons of plastic ends up in the ocean, impacting ecosystems, killing around one million sea birds, some 100,000 sea mammals and millions of fish. In a conference communiqué released in Asia, it called Asian nations to take steps in reducing plastic consumption.

This short piece was written to enlighten the populace on the subject plastic pollution.

What is plastic pollution?
Plastic pollution is the accumulation of plastic products in the environment that adversely affects wildlife, wildlife habitat and humans. Moreover, the chemical structure of most plastics renders them resistant to many natural processes of degradation and as a result they are slow to degrade.

Causes of plastic pollution
Over use of plastic is one of the causes. The reason is because world-wide it is cheap, it has many uses which people cannot forgo and so makes it widely available. After use, it needs to be disposed. The disposal, especially in developing countries is by throwing on the ground, which means they are not properly disposed. In fishing industries, fishing nets made of plastic are used for fishing. The nets are being fed upon by the fishes and the fishes are also eaten by men, which mean any toxin released by the nets will be taken on by men in a cycle chain. The result is the adverse effects (Healthwise) on the consumers (Fish and man). Recycling of plastics has not assisted in the cutting down on the volume of plastics because it just the use of existing plastics in a new form.

Type of plastics
Plastic 1: Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET). Common uses: 2 L soda bottles, cooking oil bottles, peanut butter jars. This is the most widely recycled plastic..” Recycling programs and centers request that you remove caps and flatten the bottles.

Plastic 2: High Density Polyethylene (HDPE). Common uses: detergent bottles, milk jugs, grocery bags: Most curbside recycling programs accept rigid narrow neck containers.

Plastic 3: Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC). Common uses: plastic pipes, outdoor furniture, shrink wrap, water bottles, salad dressing and liquid detergent containers.

Plastic 4: Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE). Common uses: dry cleaning bags, produce bags, trash can liners, food storage containers. Recycling centers rarely take here.

Plastic 5: Polystyrene (PS). Common uses: packaging pellets or “Styrofoam peanuts,” cups, plastic tableware, meat trays, to-go. Many shipping/packaging stores will accept polystyrene peanuts and other packaging materials for reuse. Cups, meat trays, and other containers that have come in contact with food are difficult to recycle.

Plastic 6: Others. Common uses: certain kinds of food containers and Tupperware. This plastic category is any plastic other than the named #1-#6 plastic types.

Sizes of plastics
Plastics can be grouped into micro-sized (1 μm–1 mm) and nano-sized (<1 μm) plastic particles (1 μm–1 mm) and nano-sized (<1 μm) plastic particles which are being consumed by marine animals.

The disadvantages of plastic

  • Harmful Nature. Disposable plastics used in packaging foodstuff meant for human consumption contain harmful compounds. ...
  • Environmental Degradation. Plastics are generally non-biodegradable
  • Low Melting Point. ...
  • Durability.
  • Made of chemicals which can be leached into water
  • It disintegrates into microbeads which enters into fish body, but the fishes are eaten the consumer takes in the plastic.
  • Marine bird species are found to be eating and dying from consuming plastic particles.
  • Environmental exposure to a widespread compound used to make common plastic food containers and baby bottles and to line tin cans interferes with cell division in the eggs of female mice.
  • Contaminants that can affect the quality and usefulness of water and others are chemical, physical or biological.
  • Industrial practices in plastic manufacture can lead to polluting effluents and the use of toxic intermediates, the exposure to which can be hazardous.
  • Most plastics are relatively inert biologically, and they have been employed in medical devices, such as prosthetics, artery replacements, and “soft” and interocular lenses.
  • In countries such as Nigeria, and other countries discarded plastic bags are a major eyesore.

How to solve Plastic Pollution

  1. Reduce Your Use of Single-Use Plastics.
  2. Recycle Properly.
  3. Participate In (or Organize) a Beach or River Cleanup.
  4. Support Bans.
  5. Avoid Products Containing Microbeads.
  6. Spread the Word.
  7. Support Organizations Addressing Plastic Pollution.
  8. Try as much as possible to buy in your own shopping bag.
  9. Stop buying bottled water.
  10. Bring your own thermos to the coffee shop.
  11. Choose cardboard over plastic bottles and bags.
  12. Say no to straws.
  13. Get the plastic off your face.
  14. Skip the disposable razor.
  15. Switch from disposable diapers to cloth.

The problems caused by plastics
Burning of plastic in the open air, leads to environmental pollution due to the release of poisonous chemicals. The polluted air when inhaled by humans and animals affect their health and can cause respiratory problems.

Adverse effects of plastic pollution

  1. Cancer
  2. Pathological stress
  3. False satiation
  4. Reproductive complications
  5. Oxidative stress
  6. Genetic disruption
  7. Decreased growth
  8. Impaired reproductive
  9. Accumulation of micro plastics in marine tissues

Time taken for plastic to decompose
It takes about 450 years for plastic to decompose. Plastic waste is one of many types of wastes that take too long to decompose. Normally, plastic items can take up to 1000 years to decompose in landfills. But plastic bags we use in our everyday life take 10-1000 years to decompose, while plastic bottles can take 450 years or more

Conclusion
Plastics have advantages and disadvantages, but the disadvantages outweigh the advantages. Efforts should be geared in reduction in use or complete abstinent in the use of plastics. All the stakeholders should ensure to keep to necessary precautions in their production, purchase and useage.

Abulude, Francis Olawale writes from Science and Education Development Institute, Akure, Ondo State.