Plastic... Not So Fantastic

Introduction

Pollution is defined as the introduction of contaminants into the atmosphere, leading to adverse changes or effects.

Air pollution can be classified as the type of pollution that has been plaguing humanity since the discovery of fire. some other types of pollutions are:

Water pollution

Soil contamination

Radioactive contamination

Thermal Pollution

Visual pollution

Light Pollution

Plastic Pollution

Aim

To discuss how plastic is one of the most dangerous man-made pollutants and the effects of it’s indiscriminate usage and unethical disposal.

Theory

Pollution is the process of contaminating air, water or soil, making it unfit and hazardous for usage. Over time, human mindset has shifted from preservation to destruction oblivious to the long term impact it is likely to have. In this flow of things, man’s attempt to conquer nature has upset the relationship between man and his environment. Moreover, the indiscriminate exploitation of resources has created an imbalance between living and non-living components of the environment.

How amazing does it sound that the first piece of plastic ever manufactured still exists somewhere on our planet? Well, it’s not. . Plastic is another example of a man made invention that is now a ubiquitous part of our life. It is a synthetic polymer consisting of repeated units of organic compounds. some examples of these plastics are:

Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)

Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)

Polystyrene

Polymethyl methacrylate

Polyethylene AKA Polythene

The most commonly used plastic is polythene. Every plastic cover in the world is made out of this material. It was first synthesised by German chemist Hans von Pechmann, as an accident while investigating Diazomethane. On characterising this white waxy substance, he found out that it had long –CH2– chains and thus, named it “Polymethylene”. On 27th March, 1933, two organic chemists, working for Imperial Chemical Industries, set off a reaction between Ethylene and Benzaldehyde. The autoclave they were using had started to leak in the middle of the process. This accidental loss in pressure, gave rise to a waxy white substance that we now know as polyethylene.

Most plastics are derivatives of ethylene. When heated in the presence of a catalyst, monomers of propylene form strong C—C bonds with each other and form Polyethylene. This process is called polymerisation of ethylene and occurs after the dehydrogenation of ethane. However, this is not a natural process.

Microorganisms, over billions of years, have evolved to attack and breakdown certain types of bonds that are common in the environment. Thus, the effect of the transformation principle, results in the lack of metabolic pathways designed to break down the fancy C—C bonds of polyethylene. Thus, the building blocks that give plastic it’s versatility are the ones that also harm the environment and people.

Since they are non-biodegradable, plastics can serve for decades. However, the main use of these inexpensive, lightweight materials are single use, that end up in the garbage dump in less than a month and stay there for more than a century. Beverage bottles, are made out of Polyethylene Terephthalate. These phthalate molecules are not chemically bonded to the products, which allows them to evaporate easily. The new “plastic” smell that we get in new cars is the release of these phthalates and not a fragrance. Plastics release toxins into the soil which leach into the ground water reserves, polluting the water that we use.

Based on all this, we can say that plastic is a compound with varied uses. However, it’s notorious nature, makes it a force to reckon with. When used responsibly and with care, it can prove useful. But, if we continue to use it in the way we are using it now, there’s no saying as to the amount of harm it can cause to both living and non-living entities of Planet Earth.

Observation & Inference

Overall, plastic is a compound that is being produced in a large number. It has various uses and has to be used responsibly due to it’s many disadvantages. However, plastic also has quite a few advantages. It’s long shelf life has given it a profound use in the field of medicine. The high tensile strength, light weight and low cost helped plastics make their way into construction and the automobile industry. It is also used in the packaging industry due it’s flexibility, strength, lightness, impermeability and ease of sterilisation. It is also used in electronic devices due to it’s lightweight and it’s ability of isolating electric current. However, as mentioned before, if used in the wrong way plastics can have adverse effects.

The Menace of Plastic Waste

A case study on the plastic plague by Lalithmalhaar Gudi

If there is one type of municipal solid waste that has become ubiquitous in India and most developing countries, and largely seen along the shores and waterways of many developed countries, it is plastic waste. Much of it is not reused or recycled, and ends up in landfills or as litter on land, in waterways and the ocean. For the first time, researchers have estimated the amount of plastic that makes its way into the oceans. While the estimate of eight million tonnes of plastic being dumped into the oceans by 192 coastal countries in 2010 may appear staggeringly high, in reality the quantity would be many times more. Besides estimating the total quantity, a paper published recently in the journal ‘Science’ has identified the top 20 countries that have dumped the most plastic waste into the oceans. At twelfth position, India is one of the worst performers. It has dumped up to 0.24 million tonnes of plastic into the ocean every year; the amount of mismanaged plastic waste per year is 0.6 million tonnes. In the case of China, the No. 1 polluter, the coastal population sends up to 3.53 million tonnes of plastic waste into the oceans each year. Besides the 11 Asian and South East Asian