Single-Use Plastic Essay

Essay On Single-Use Plastic - Single-use plastics are products made primarily from chemicals derived from fossil fuels (petrochemicals) and are intended to be disposed off immediately after use, often within minutes. Here are 100, 200 and 500 word essays on single use plastic.

Single-use plastics are used only once before being thrown away or recycled. We produce about 1 million tonnes of plastic annually, half of which is thrown away. Of this, 10% to 13% of these plastic products are recycled worldwide. Petroleum-based single-use plastics are difficult to recycle due to their nature. Only a few products are made using recycled plastic. Here are a few sample essays on Single-Use Plastic:

100 Words Essay On Single-Use Plastic

Single-use plastics are products made primarily from chemicals derived from fossil fuels (petrochemicals) and are intended to be disposed of immediately after use, often within minutes.

Due to its devastating effect on nature, the ban on single-use plastics is very important. Governments of many countries, including India, have launched campaigns to stop using single-use plastics and use eco-friendly tote bags. Single-use plastics are generally non-biodegradable. Many marine animals like fish, turtles and so on consume these plastics, and they die due to their poisonous effect. Hence, these plastics are slowly being eradicated from every country.

200 Words Essay On Single-Use Plastic

Single-use plastics (SUP) are typically used once but take nearly hundred of years to decompose in landfills. Single-use plastics such as straws, bags, coffee stirrers, food packaging, soda and water bottles do not fully decompose. Instead, they break down into microplastics and continue to pollute the environment.

Environmental Impact

Here are the impacts of single-use plastics on our environment:

• Plastic additives are highly toxic. SUP kills aquatic life and pollutes the ocean.
• Marine mammals, turtles, seabirds, and fish swallow or choke on plastic debris, causing suffocation and drowning.
• SUP kills millions of aquatic life. Small pieces of plastic can be recycled but not recovered, and many plastics are not biodegradable. P
• Plastic can take upto hundreds of years to decompose and continues to pollute the environment.

Also directed the SPCB and the Pollution Control Board to amend or revoke licenses granted to single-use plastic product industries under the Air and Water Act.

Local governments have been ordered to issue new commercial licenses provided they do not sell SUP items on their premises. If found to be selling these items, existing commercial privileges will be terminated. Any person violating the ban may be punished under the Environmental Protection Act 1986. This is punishable both by imprisonment and a fine of up to Rs.100,000, or both.

500 Words Essay On Single-Use Plastic

The carbon footprint of plastics is often reduced through recycling. One of the most recyclable materials, polyethylene terephthalate, makes most water and soda bottles and can be used in everything from polyester fibre to automotive parts. The most common uses for single-use plastics are packaging and service items such as bottles, wrappers, straws and bags. It is one of the major causes of global pollution, which includes water and environmental pollution.

History Of Plastic

Plastics, mostly synthetic polymer chains, appeared in the mid-19th century but did not become widespread until the 1970s. In particular, small items such as straws, bags and forks tend to get stuck in trash cans and are often thrown into landfills, making them difficult to recycle in the past.

Plastic breaks easily if not taken care of. They don't dig. The heat from the sun breaks the plastic down into small pieces over time, eventually turning it into microscopic plastic. Microplastics pose a particular danger to animals because, if ingested, they can quickly accumulate in the animal's body and cause health problems such as organ rupture and fatal gastrointestinal upset.

Single-Use Plastic Leading To Water Pollution

They are also not biodegradable and usually end up in landfills or eventually submerged in water. They remain in soil and water for over 100 years, releasing toxic chemicals and damaging our environment. Plastic bags in water bodies are a major source of water pollution. This degrades our environment and ecosystems.

Facts About Single-Use Plastics

• California took the first initiative to ban plastic bags in 2014. 127 countries have laws regulating the use of plastics.

• The 2018 International Coastal Cleanup collected 1.9 million plastic and other bags.

• Chemicals released from the plastic material interfere with the growth process of one of the essential microbes, Prochlorococcus. A marine bacterium that provides one-tenth of the world's oxygen

• Each person in the United States uses an average of 365 plastic bags per year. In Denmark, one person handles four plastic bags each year.

• Plastic takes 1,000 years to decompose in a landfill. Plastic bags don't decompose completely, but light breaks them down into microplastics that absorb toxins and continue to harm the environment.

• He produced about 730,000 tons of wipes, sacks and bags in the United States in 2015. 87% of these items were not recycled and ended up in the ocean or landfill.

• India has banned certain single-use plastic products from 1 July 2022. At national and state levels, checks for illegal manufacture, import, storage, distribution, sale and use of prohibited single-use plastic products have also been initiated by India.

Initiatives Taken

Many companies are taking their own initiatives:

• McDonald's has replaced plastic straws with paper straws in its restaurants in the UK and Ireland, and Disney is phasing out single-use plastic straws and stirrers at all its theme parks, resorts and facilities.

• Starbucks, which uses an estimated 1 billion plastic straws annually, is phasing out in favour of paper straws. These actions are in response to calls for change and changing consumer habits.