Growing plastic culture not good for future

Plastics are destroying our marine life and animals. The ever-increasing trash is polluting the seas and oceans. According to a report few months back, China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam made up 55% to 60% of the total plastic found in the world’s marine ecosystem. In Australia, the coastlines are being contaminated by plastic debris. Imagine 12.7 million metric tons of plastic went into oceans in 2010. Six years on, this figure must have almost doubled.
Despite the alarming situation, we have yet to take concrete and solid steps to check the growing plastic culture. In fact, we are getting more and more trapped into it, without realizing how its indispensability is dragging us towards a dark catastrophic future.
Plastic packaging is a million-dollar industry today. Most food stuffs and a number of products and equipment come packaged in plastics now. But toxins from these plastics can get into our bodies and do irreparable damage to our nervous system over time. Once we use these products, we throw the plastics away. Did you know that 95% of all plastic packaging produced every year is lost? Where does it go? In landfills and waterways.
The problem is that plastics are not biodegradable. They can stay in the soil or in the sea for over 400 years. Around 32% of plastic packaging escapes collection system. The discarded plastics hold a lot of treasure. The World Economic Forum estimated the value of the discarded plastic to be between $80 billion and $120 billion. If this is reused, it can solve the pollution problem and can also translate into lucrative business. There are many enterprises across the globe making cash from plastic trash. But these are not organized enough. There is an urgent need to have guidelines for plastic recycling so that the right, tested material finds its way back into the market.
There are many biodegradable plastics too that are becoming increasingly popular. However, it is imperative that they are made cost-effective. For this, they have to be promoted on a very large scale and publicized through different communication channels.
But as the adage goes: prevention is better than cure. We have to devise preventive ways to break away from the over-dependence on plastic. We have to curtail its use where we can. Asking for a plastic carrybag everytime you go shopping is not a good practice. Shun it. Those who can’t do away with polythene should be charged for its use.
Managing waste has its limits. You can’t expect all the plastic trash generated to be reused, recycled or properly regulated. So, it is better to reduce the waste as much as possible. And reduction is only possible when it is produced less. Producing plastic is not just costly, it is polluting too. Around $40 billion is the cost of greenhouse gas emissions caused by their production. So, plastics are not
only damaging the soil and seas, but the sky too. They are exposing us to more toxic air.
A healthy environment is a precursor to economic growth. Without clean oceans, land and air, progress will be shallow. And a world where plastic
economy thrives won’t go far!