Plastic Pollution Facts: The Causes And It’s Solution

Plastics made it easy to produce things like ropes, body armor, helmets, and almost everything else. Now plastic pollution has become the primary cause of all the ecological damages.

The ease of making plastics and the convenience to use makes it the most preferred material on earth. When the plastics were first used during World War II, no one thought of the consequences. Moreover, plastic waste wasn’t a problem at the time, producing more ammunition for the war was.

Plastic pollution is the major concern in environmental issues, and its a fact. How did we reach the state wherein a single year we produce 300 million tons of plastic tons every year?

Overwhelming facts about plastic pollution that you cannot ignore:

Today we are not able to stop the use of plastic even though we know this reality. We can hardly ignore plastic pollution as we had been for the last couple of decades. No one realized the damage that it could do the environment. But the following facts are not at all negligible:

• Every year there are 300 million tons of plastic manufactured all over the world.
• According to National Geography, out of the 300 million tons, every year, 8 million tons of plastic waste gets dumped into the ocean.
• Single-use plastic causes 50% of the total plastic pollution in the world.
• The fact that 1 out of 3 marine animals has been found entangled in plastic waste is heartbreaking.
• Additionally, out of these wastes, we use 40 % of plastic in the packaging of the products.
• We use more than 1 million plastic bags every minute, which accounts for 500 million every year.
• As per Plastic Oceans International, 14% of all the plastic waste comes from beverage containers alone.

Causes of plastic pollution:

As already mentioned in the facts of plastic pollution above, the cause of plastic pollution is the reliability that we have kept in plastic materials. Furthermore, the amount of plastic that we use every day creates the demand for it to be produced.

The following are the major causes of plastic pollution:

• The reason why companies end up producing more plastic is the high level of demand we have created in the market as consumers.
• Mismanagement of plastic that causes land and water pollution.
• Another reason is the feasibility of using plastics in production, which is easy to manufacture compared to its substitutes.
• The cost of using plastic is less compared to its substitute; as a result, more and more companies are using plastic in their products.
• The materialistic nature of the consumer, which makes it possible for companies to sell their goods.
• The unavailability of a better substitute that is biodegradable or that decomposes quickly.
• Negligence by customers on the facts and impact of plastic pollution in the environment.

Solutions to this issue:

Although it might seem almost impossible to minimize the impacts of plastic pollutions, there are ways in which we can at least try. The world is not just ours for us to not think about the consequences. Likewise, the animals that survive within the earth’s ecology are dependent on their resources. And we depend on them for our food.

If we destroy the earth for human civilization to survive, it is more likely that other animals will be impacted similarly. The mess that we have made on earth can only mend through our efforts.

There are steps that human beings can take to try to reduce the damage that has already been done. For instance:

• Shifting the consumer demand of products to reusable and natural products that are easy on the environment.
• Reducing the demand for a one-time use of plastic made materials.
• Developing substitutes for plastic that can use instead of plastics and using them.
• More research on the field of manufacturing to reduce plastic usage.
• Banning plastic usage in public places.
• Developing more ways that can recycle waste materials.
• Proper management of the plastic wastes that get accumulated in the land and ocean.
• Generating more awareness among people about the facts related to plastic pollution and teaching them how to minimize the impact.
• Political role in the regulation of plastic production and usage across the world.

In conclusion, plastic pollution has cost us many plant and animal lives. Even human beings aren’t safe from the undeniable effects of plastic on their health.

Cancer is one of the major causes of death among people. The fact that plastic pollution causes an irreversible effect on health and the environment should be understood and implemented.