How Does Plastic Waste Affect The Environment

How Does Plastic Waste Affect The Environment – Plastic pollution is any type of plastic that ends up in the environment – from bottles and bags to less obvious sources such as tea bags and clothing.

Over the past 100 years, humans have created (and used) many plastics. It’s cheap, strong, light and versatile, but eventually it all ends up in the land, air and sea – where sea creatures like albatrosses, dolphins and turtles consume it.

How Does Plastic Waste Affect The Environment

Our plastic waste has invaded the highest mountains and deep oceans. No one knows exactly how long it will take to disappear, but it is at least hundreds of years.

Science Study Shows That Nearly 80% Of The Annual Plastic Flow Into The Environment Can Be Stopped Using Existing Technology

Plastic remains in the environment for centuries, endangering wildlife and releasing toxins. Plastic also contributes to global warming.

Almost all plastics are made from chemicals produced by the production of planet-warming fuels (gas, oil, and even coal).

These microplastics break down larger plastic objects or come from products such as car tires and cosmetics. They even wash synthetic clothes.

Once they enter our rivers, soil and oceans, they can enter the food chain. It is not yet known what effect it had on our health.

Plastic Pollution Facts That Show Why We Need To Do More

In recent years, the scale of plastic pollution and its stranglehold on nature has risen to the top of people’s environmental priorities, but remains on the government’s agenda. Instead of mandating individuals to buy plastic-free products, what if we lived in a world free of unnecessary plastic? And what will it take to get there?

From polluted rivers to dirty air, our environment needs urgent attention. Is the new environmental law good enough to save and restore nature?

In July 2019, Caerphilly (South Wales) was awarded ‘Plastic Free Community’ status by the marine conservation charity following the town’s campaign to reduce single-use plastics. So how did they do it?

But all our efforts are undermined. Companies tend to throw away more plastic, making it even harder to avoid becoming dependent on it.

The Negative Effects Of Plastic On The Environment

We need the government to hold big business accountable for the damage they do to the environment, whether it’s cutting plastic or contributing to deforestation.

The total amount of plastic entering the marine environment is more than 12 million tons per year – according to a 2016 Eunomia report. For comparison, a double-decker bus weighs about 12 tons.

Marine animals can become entangled in plastic or mistaken for food, and the results are often fatal. Harmful chemicals linked to plastic have been found in species from plankton to dolphins.

The best alternatives to single-use plastics are ones you can use more than once – or ones that can be easily recycled or composted.

Plastic And Climate Change

But it’s not always easy to know when you’re buying plastic. It can come in crisp packets, coffee mugs and even tea bags. Scientific research shows that almost 80% of the annual flow of plastic into the environment can be stopped using existing technology

A man stands next to plastic waste at Juhu Beach in Mumbai, India on June 30, 2019. Debris washed ashore during the storm.

More than 29 million tons of plastic enter the environment every year, harming animals and damaging habitats. Co-authored and published research by researchers at The Pew Charitable Trusts

However, on July 23, it was found that this flow could be reduced by almost 80% over the next 20 years using existing waste management and recycling technology.

Why Are Disposable Water Bottles Harmful To The Environment?

Achieving this reduction requires significant changes in how countries handle plastic waste – both upstream (production and design) and downstream (use and disposal). Changes include reducing plastic use, replacing plastics where possible, improving recycling strategies, expanding waste collection and building better disposal facilities.

However, even with immediate and concerted action, the study found that 710 million tons of plastic waste will enter aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems between 2016 and 2040.

“While the technology exists to address much of the plastic waste challenge, the infrastructure and business processes are not yet in place,” said Winnie Lau, senior officer of Pew’s Ocean Plastics Prevention Project and lead author of the study. “Sufficient investment in collection infrastructure, patch exchange and recycling facilities will need to be made before we see real change.”

Studies are increasingly showing the negative impact of plastic pollution on wildlife. More than 800 species are known to be affected by this contamination, either by ingestion or entanglement. People will also be affected. Drink bottles and other plastic litter beaches, clog sewers and other waste water systems, and provide a breeding ground for disease vectors. The total economic cost of plastic pollution on fisheries, tourism and shipping is estimated to be at least $13 billion annually.

How Toothbrushes Affect The Environment: An Infographic

The rapid increase in plastic pollution in recent decades is partly due to the increase in single-use plastic consumption and the growing culture of throwaways. Furthermore, most waste management systems globally do not have the capacity to safely dispose of or recycle the amount of plastic waste generated.

Because plastic is so ubiquitous, there is no single global strategy to deal with this pollution. The diversity of plastic types also complicates the problem effectively: although rigid plastics dominate recycling, flexible and multi-material plastic waste must be managed using other strategies.

To measure the potential of different strategies to reduce plastic pollution, the researchers developed a model to calculate the flow of plastic through its production, use, recycling and disposal. The model estimates the amount of plastic waste entering the environment and was used to assess the effects of five scenarios: business as usual; improving collection and disposal; increased recycling; reducing the use of plastic and replacing it with an alternative; and system change that integrates all these interventions.

It shows that system changes would reduce annual rates of water and terrestrial plastic pollution by nearly 80% by 2040 compared to the current trajectory. Such renovations would also reduce the production and consumption of newly manufactured plastics by 55%. If manufacturers switch to alternative materials, such as paper and compostable materials, and ensure that products and packaging are intended for recycling, not only will the amount of plastic that can be recycled increase, but its cost will increase as well.

How Does Plastic Waste Affect Marine Life?

Achieving a nearly 80% reduction would require doubling global recycling capacity, and middle- and low-income countries need to expand their waste collection rates. Strategies that focus exclusively on downstream solutions (collection and disposal or recycling) provide significant reductions in annual rates of plastic pollution (56.1% and 31.7% in 2040, respectively), but do not come close to solving the problem. Meanwhile, strategies focused only on upstream solutions (reduction and replacement) also lead to significant but not complete reductions in annual pollution rates (55.6% by 2040).

System changes are not prohibited. In fact, due to reduced plastic production, increased recycling and other changes, the researchers estimate that the global net cost of waste management will be about 18% lower.

Unfortunately, significant accumulation of plastic waste will continue even under the system change scenario. Innovations such as new business models and advanced waste management technologies and commitments from the international community will be needed to eliminate nearly all plastic pollution flows into the environment.

Plastic is ubiquitous on store shelves and in our homes. From packaged foods and disposable bottles to microbeads to body washes, it is widely used in packaging or products because it is versatile, cheap and practical. But this convenience comes at a price.

The Global North’s Environmental Impact On The Global South — Basel Action Network

Press Releases and Announcements July 23, 2020 Study Shows Ocean Plastic Flows to Triple by 2040

A new analysis by The Pew Charitable Trusts and SYSTEMIQ shows that without immediate and sustained action, the annual flow of plastic into the ocean could nearly triple by 2040. But the study also identifies solutions that can reduce that number by more than 80 percent. technologies available today. The world is facing a plastic crisis, the status quo is not an option. Plastic pollution is a serious issue of global concern that requires rapid and international action at various levels with the participation of all relevant actors. This page aims to list relevant information, research, data and/or press releases published by our partners in Geneva and other institutions around the world.

The Plastics and the Environment Series is a collection of online resources on the plastic crisis, its impact on people and the environment, and international cooperation to address this global problem. Produced by the Geneva Environmental Network, the series contains resources and news from Geneva and beyond, including organizations of the United Nations system and other international organizations, government agencies, civil society organizations, academic institutions, and recognized journals and newspapers. The page provides an overview of the various issues surrounding plastic pollution. Detailed information and resources are available for each section by clicking on the “In Focus” buttons.

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How Do Single Use Plastics Impact Sea Life? — Sea Going Green

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