Say No to Plastic Bags
Plastic has become an integral part of our daily life……….. take for instance the plastic (polythene) bags…….. Plastic bags have made our life so easy and comfortable………
Be it vegetable or grocery shopping, or purchase of other items such as books or clothing…………….everything comes in plastic bags…………. They are light weight, reusable, water proof and very convenient to carry things……… Their usage has increased tremendously in recent years………
However, have we ever paused to think how harmful such plastic bags are………… and what effect they have on our environment?
Plastic bags cause environmental hazards by polluting our environment. Our earth is getting contaminated due to our unnecessary use of plastic bags………...
I read somewhere that some monomers used in the manufacture of plastics can cause cancer…………
There is door-to-door garbage collection in many cities……….. The corporation has put up big garbage collection bins at many places around the city……..even then, people have a tendency to throw garbage on the streets…………
Due to the growing ‘Throw away culture’, plastic bags tend to block the drains and gutters on roads and streets causing water logging during monsoon…………..The sewage may overflow and become breeding grounds for disease-causing germs and bacteria………This creates unhygienic environment, resulting in health hazards and spreading of water borne diseases.
Very thin plastic bags are banned but people still use them………I’ve seen cows roaming about in the streets eating such plastic bags along with other things……….
These plastic bags cannot be digested or passed by the cows or other animals that eat them…….….so they stay in their stomachs…..This can prevent proper digestion of food and can lead to a very slow and painful death………poor animals…...
Plastic bag litter also affects the marine environment (lakes, rivers, oceans….)…… Many whales, seals and turtles, as well as birds are killed due to plastic bag litter……….
Recycling of plastic is a remedy……… plastic bags can be recycled but it is a difficult and costly affair………………So they are usually thrown in landfill sites……These plastic bags take up to 1,000 years to biodegrade…….breaking down into very small toxic particles that contaminate the soil as well as the water channels……..entering the food chain and posing a health hazard to man and animals……..
Therefore, it is in our interest to avoid using plastic bags as much as possible…….a little effort can go a long way………
As far as my family is concerned, we always keep 1 or 2 cloth bags in our bike and car, and use them whenever we go shopping………
Initiative for this was taken by my husband……….. he started taking a cloth bag with him whenever he went out for buying anything………..he also encourages others to do the same………..most of the vegetable and grocery vendors near our place know him, as he never takes plastic bags from them while buying things………..
So friends………let strive to reduce pollution by saying NO to plastic bags…… and make this earth a better place to live……………..
Plastic - Chemical Waste
In 1860, plastics were invented by Alexander Parkes. In the past few decades, however, plastics first became mass produced. Plastics are used for all kinds of things due to their flexibility to be able to be molded into different shapes. Unfortunately, the production of plastic and chemicals can result in health hazards if proper precautions are not taken.
Have you or a loved one suffered from health problems due to was from a plastic chemical tank? Contact an Environmental Lawyer in your area today regarding any US chemical plastic issues.
The main 3 stages of how products made of plastic are produced include the following:
* Resin powder is heated
* The plastic is shaped
* The plastic is cooled and the shape is retained
Plastics are made from long chain molecules also known as polymers, which originally come from monomers, which are smaller molecules. The polymers are created under special circumstances in large vessels using catalysts with specific pressure and temperature. Chemical and plastic waste can be dangerous to the environment if not disposed of properly.
The chemicals that result from plastic production are due to their sources, which for the most part, are gas, coal, or crude oil. Much of these materials come from waste in petroleum refining, according to the Plastics and Chemicals Industries Association. If you have legal questions or legal matters to discuss regarding chemical and plastic waste, it is important to speak with a lawyer.
2 . What are the Environment hazards due to plastics?
Health and Environmental Hazards
Although plastic has many positive influences in everyday lives, there have been instances when plastics have posed some health and environmental hazards. Most plastics do not pose any health or environmental hazards, but some monomers that are used in manufacturing plastics, have been proved to cause cancer. Also, benzene, a raw material used in the production of nylon, is a carcinogen (something that causes cancer). Even though recycling continues to reuse plastics, most plastics do not rot and can not be reused. Unfortunately, this will soon become an environmental problem: Where will the plastic be disposed? But, many researchers hope to find a solution to this dilemma in the future. When every plastic can be broken down, plastic will truly become the most useful product!
Political Effects
Unwanted plastic is not only a pile of rubbish, it also smells trouble.
Some countries have too much of plastic rubbish for them to dispose off. And due to the high cost of the disposal of the plastic rubbish, many resort to indiscriminate dumping of plastics. In many cases, some developed countries actually pay the developing countries to dump the rubbish in their country so that the developed countries%26#039; %26quot;backyard%26quot; would be clean of the unwanted plastic products. Sometimes, rumors spread about dumping of toxic waste and this often cause tensions between the related the nations.
Besides dumping of plastics, some countries actually incinerate the plastic waste and all the poisonous gases produced actually spreads across nations; causing serious effects such as acid rain, health and environmental effects across the borders.