Tackling Plastic Pollution: From deep-sea sediment to Mount Everest, no area on the planet Earth is left untouched by plastic pollution. With th...
Published on by Dr. Arvind Kumar, President- India Water Foundation
From deep-sea sediment to Mount Everest, no area on the planet Earth is left untouched by plastic pollution. With the rate of plastic production witnessing exponential growth – faster than any other material – there have also ensued severe environmental consequences. Currently, according to UN Environment Programme (UNEP), nearly 300 million tonnes of plastic waste are produced annually, with eight million tonnes finding their way into the world’s oceans. And if things are allowed to go on at this rate, the ocean may contain more plastic than fish by volume, by 2050. Cautioning that of all the plastic waste ever produced, only 9% gets recycled, 12% incinerated, and the remaining 79% gets accumulated in landfills and natural environment, scientists warn that over time, these accumulated materials breakdown into micro-plastics that facilitate additional pollutants into the food chain, freshwater systems, and the air.
Magnitude of Problem
The menace of plastic pollution has assumed serious dimensions as it is polluting oceans, affecting biodiversity, and impacting human health. Admittedly, the name ‘plastic’ originates from the Greek plastikos, meaning capable of being shaped or moulded; nonetheless, the material which seemed to afford so much because of its being flexible is now plaguing the world. On average, 1,000,000 plastic bottles are bought every minute worldwide, and less than half of all plastic bottles end up getting recycled, and besides, plastic water bottles release toxic chemicals when they get decomposed......read more
https://www.focusglobalreporter.org/tackling-plastic-pollution/