Plastic has become an essential part of our daily lives. Few materials match the affordability, flexibility, versatility, and lightness of plastic. But this takes a massive toll on our ecosystem, and that is something we cannot ignore. The same qualities that make plastic so valuable to us, resistance to degradation and durability, are what make plastic so deadly to our world.
Plastic Production & Pollution
Pollution is one of the most significant downsides to plastic. As well as ordinary pollution, the processes involved in producing plastic release massive amounts of harmful chemicals into our ecosystem every day.
Choosing sustainable polythene over regular plastic is an excellent way to reduce our impact on the world. Recycled polythene can be recycled many times over without the same impact as common plastics. This is why companies like Polythene UK have worked hard to become carbon-neutral and lead the charge with eco-friendly polythene.
Plastic Waste & Climate Change
As mentioned above, we need a lot of energy resources that are obtained from non-renewable sources to create plastic which creates large quantities of greenhouse gases. Furthermore, a substantial percentage of plastics are designed for single-use and, once used, are later found filling rubbish dumps, the side of the road, floating in the sea, or woodland trails.
The only permanent way to eliminate this plastic waste is by thermal treatment. The impact of these waste incinerators is often inefficient and produces high amounts of hazardous and toxic gases.
Plastic’s Affect On Animals
Marine wildlife is especially vulnerable to plastic pollution because of the tons of plastic that end up in the oceans every year. Animals such as whales, dolphins, and seabirds can become entangled in this waste plastic and in some cases, when plastics float on the seawater, animals eat it because they confuse it for food.
Plastic waste has already been shown to harm wildlife and domestic animals on land, often causing choking or poisoning and starvation from ingestion. A solution to this could be the use of eco polythene bags, which could save many animals from a grim fate.
Plastic’s Affect On Humans
Plastics have a far more significant impact on humans than most people think. Studies have found that Human health is at risk from microplastics in our air, food chain, and drinking water, including our bottled water. Microplastics have been found in many different foods such as fish, shellfish, honey, sea salt, and even beer!
What Can We Do?
Individually, it can be hard to know if you’re making a difference. Recycling where you can is always a good start, but if you’re unsure, there are plenty of guides online to help you get started. Reducing how much single-use plastic you use and opting for eco polythene will help fight plastic waste, causing serious pollution problems.
Together we can hold companies accountable for finding alternatives for disposable plastics, asking for sustainable polythene to be used instead. Chemicals in plastic can be toxic, causing various health issues across the world. By holding companies accountable, we can force the changes needed to reduce this impact on both humans and animals.
