If we do nothing to ban plastic right now and keep on cramming the landfills with more and more of it, you can imagine how very big the Great Pacific Garbage Patch would be after 50 years. Already the world’s largest landfill, Texas-sized and 1500-mile-wide, it is so full of plastic waste that thinking of any further inclusion is sure to create some serious ripples in the marine life. Plastic being the real culprit, it’s harming the environment, arable land and the food chain. It chokes the storm drains when buried and emits toxic gases when burned. As its disposal involves harmful emissions, it would sensible to ban it permanently.
Plastic consumption trend:
On an average, Americans throw away 2.5 million plastic bottles annually and these never biodegrade. Contrarily, they keep on photodegrading and contaminating water and soil supplies and ultimately, make inroads to the food chain. Moreover, if we check the annual American usage of 1.5 million barrels of oil to produce plastic bottles, 250,000 homes or 100,000 cars could be fueled for a year. And that’s not all, production of a 16-oz PET bottle emits 100 times more hazardous emissions than making a glass bottle. Americans are nowhere behind in polluting environs via plastic bags also; dumping 1 million plastic bags per minute is definitely creditable!
Some bitter recycling facts:
Considering that just 36 recycled bottles can make 1 square yard of carpet, it’s sensible to reprocess the plastic waste but people are never serious toward recycling. In the US, the share of recycling has never gone beyond 10 percent. It’s really shameful to see 90% of it decking along the dumping sites. Though the federal government has launched various community recycling programs, the initiatives were never responded to well and the saga continues.
Check users’ behavior or ban it:
We should embrace multiple use items and buy post consumer waste products to avoid the packaging waste. Before disposing it off into the dustbin, we should try to extend its life in whatever way we can do it. It’s always better to reuse than dumping it, but banning it forever is the best alternative.
North Carolina has already taken the initiative to disallow plastic fully. Washington DC also has followed suit in prohibiting its usage. Seattle tried but failed!