Plastics pollution in India

Plastic needs to be banned. Every piece of plastic that you have ever used is still on this Earth.

Plastic is forever. It is not biodegradable therefore it never goes away. Plastic pollution wreaks havoc on our ecosystem as well as our biodiversity.

The current mass production of plastic is unacceptable. Bottles, straws, lids, utensils, bags are manufactured at a warped speed and are intended for one-time use only. There are an abundant amount of resources we can use other than disposable plastics, yet most people chose not to due to the convenience. Every time we use a plastic bag we are increasing the demand for oil, since oil is a necessity to make plastic, according to “Saving the World- One Plastic at a Time.”

There are also toxic chemicals in plastic. “Important Call: Plastics Kill” these dangerous chemicals are absorbed by humans and cause hormonal changes. The chemical compounds found in plastics are harming and causing biological effects in both humans as well as animals. Plastic bags are derived from petroleum and polyethylene. Petroleum is a non-renewable natural resource. Extracting petroleum causes damage to the environment while diminishing a natural resource. Polyethylene is extremely hazardous to make. They also take approximately 450 years to decompose in water and 1,000 years to decompose on land, according to a study done by CAAP

If you take a stroll along the beach, or take a walk through the park I can almost guarantee you that plastic debris will be joining you. Plastic is light-weight therefore they fly freely into the air getting caught on tree branches and float along rivers and oceans. Since plastic takes hundreds of years to biodegrade, they basically stay put unless they are disposed.

Our marine wildlife suffers greatly due to plastic pollution. Marine animals confuse the plastic debris for food, ingesting the plastic causes them to suffocate. I have seen countless photographs of lifeless animals’ stomachs engrossed with plastic particles. The helpless animals’ bodies cannot digest plastic which causes them to die. In the North Pacific about 100,000 marine mammals die every year due to plastic debris in the ocean, states CAAP. Sea turtles often mistake the plastic bags for jellyfish. Seals and sea lions get caught in six-pack rings which cause them to starve to death. It is a travesty that innocent animals are dying due to our laziness to use sustainable products and do away with harmful plastic.