Plastic Pollution Essay

100 Words Essay On Plastic Pollution

Plastic products like bags, spoons, toys, etc., are abundantly available in the market. These are easy and cheap to manufacture and, thus, are widely used. Plastics do not dissolve in water or land. It has an adverse effect when burnt. These stay on the face of the earth for years together, accumulating and increasing daily, leading to plastic pollution. Plastic harms the climate. It hurts marine life in the ocean when dumped in the water, polluting the water by releasing toxins. Plastic disposed of in soil doesn’t degrade, leading to garbage accumulation and the breeding of insects.

Tiny plastic particles mix with gases in the air, leading to smog formation. When ingested by animals from the land, these plastic particles can also result in serious illness in them. Adhering to measures will lead to prevention. People must be encouraged to use alternatives to plastics, such as the implementation of plastic recycling.

200 Words Essay On Plastic Pollution

Plastics are easy to manufacture, cheaper than other substances and can be moulded into any shape and form. These advantages have made plastic widely used and a popular substance. Easily found in our daily life, from toothbrushes to tiffin containers. Plastic can neither dissolve in water nor in the ground. Thus, leading to its accumulation, which causes plastic pollution. With the increase in usage, pollution is peaking every day.

Harmful Effects | Polymers in plastics have hazardous effects on the environment, impacting humanity, aquatic life, the ocean, land and wildlife. This plastic doesn't dissolve in water and stays inside water bodies for a long time, resulting in the release of chemicals into the water, affecting the quality of water and threatening the life of marine life in those water bodies. Similarly, plastic dumped in landfills reduces soil fertility, leading to poor crop quality. Additionally, this dumped waste becomes a breeding ground for insects, resulting in increased diseases among people and animals.

Prevention | To prevent these harmful effects of plastic, we need to take practical steps like reusing plastic products before discarding them or choosing biodegradable alternatives to plastics like cloth and paper. Recycling used plastics is the best way to control the harmful effects. The government should encourage people to stick to alternative plastics and start programs for recycling the existing waste. Finally, we need to create and spread awareness about plastic effects and how to overcome them among more and more people. These steps collectively can reduce plastic pollution.

500 Words Essay On Plastic Pollution

The evolution of Science and technology has revolutionised several fields, leading to discoveries that have significantly impacted human life. One such discovery was plastic. Plastics, as we know them today, are a byproduct of crude oil, a subset of polymers. Plastics are known for their ability to mould in any form or shape, are lightweight, flexible, cheaper to manufacture, and sustainable.

These advantages have resulted in the unique and innovative applications of plastics in sectors ranging from healthcare, medicine, automotive, construction, aerospace and everything in between. Plastics are everywhere in our daily lives, from the toothbrush we use in the morning to the switch of the light we turn off at night.

Although plastic has many advantages, it has one major disadvantage. Its nature of non-biodegradability. Any substance that cannot be naturally broken down is a non-biodegradable material. These substances cannot be decomposed, thus becoming a source of pollution, ultimately threatening the environment. Accumulation of plastic leads to plastic pollution. Plastic pollution has become one of the major global concerns.

Impact of Plastic Pollution

• Plastic pollution has multiple adverse effects on the climate, such as ocean pollution, land pollution, food pollution, and groundwater pollution.

• Every day, tons of plastic are dumped in water bodies, which don't dissolve in water, releasing toxic chemicals into the water and degrading their purity. These items are sometimes mistaken for food by marine life, and consuming them leads to severe illness in marine life. Research shows that the death of aquatic creatures due to plastic consumption increases yearly. Plastic nets used in commercial fishing sometimes break and become submerged in the water, releasing toxic chemicals and contaminating the fish.

• Human beings dispose of tons of plastic in landfills and soil, thus polluting the land. These plastics do not dissolve in mud, eventually releasing chemicals into the soil and affecting soil quality. They also leak into the ground, resulting in groundwater contamination. These plastic-filled landfills become a source of disease-causing insects and mosquitoes.

• Polluting material comes in all dimensions and is present in the air. These particles form particulate matter, leading to ozone and smog, which are significant causes of Air Pollution.

• Finally, plastics lead to food flow disruption, i.e. contamination of tiny species due to plastic ingestion, which poses a threat to larger animals that consume them, leading to a myriad of problems.

Steps To Curb Its Effects

If not handled carefully, plastic pollution can have catastrophic effects on us. We must take practical and immediate steps to control it.

One of the main steps is the implementation of the 4Rs.

• Refuse | Avoid single-use plastics. Choose alternatives like cloth or paper bags.

• Reuse | Reuse plastic as long as possible before discarding it.

• Reduce | Limit or reduce the use of plastics.

• Recycle | Recycling plastic products into other valuable products.

Apart from following the above steps, we must educate the masses about plastics and create awareness among them and also implement an effective waste disposal system. Preventing plastic pollution is every human's responsibility. The combined effort and careful measurements by everyone can vastly reduce plastic pollution to a large extent.