"Plastic pollution does not have any hazardous influence whatsoever on society. In fact, the plastic in refuse dumps all over the world disintegrates into smaller parts and helps to protect the environment by providing food for maybe smaller organisms over a short period.
"You don't need to trash plastic properly, no one cares in the country. Everyone is guilty of littering the environment, even the government is not concerned, that's why there are no laws.
"Global warming? That's not a problem, the end of the world is nigh that's why such strange things including unfavorable climate changes are occurring."
What other laughable or perhaps false fact have you heard of plastic pollution other than the above, or are there more?
In the race to beat plastic pollution, this article is purposed to expose the following; how humans directly and indirectly influence plastic pollution, the devastating effects and dangers of plastic pollution, solutions to plastic pollution, the need for sustainability, PLOGGATHON and the big role it plays in solving plastic pollution.
The Problem of Plastic Pollution
Plastic pollution is an unending topic that has been discussed extensively for decades. Although it is well recognized as a menace, curbing plastic pollution is quite challenging because it constitutes more than 60% of our belongings. Plastics are everywhere; your phone casing, the white marker board used for classroom learning, the tables and chairs used in offices as well as the fancy plastic bottles and disposable plates that come as takeaways from the fancy restaurants we love to visit.
Plastics are synthesized or naturally occurring materials that are made up of repeating units called monomers which are attached to a carbon backbone network. These materials can be easily formed into different shapes when heated and used to make different materials. They are mostly preferred to other materials because of their lightweight and their availability. This accounts for why most of the items reusable/ disposable are made of plastic.
The human populace produces over 430 million tonnes of plastic annually from households, fashion industries, cosmetic packaging, food and drinks industries and the list goes on. Two-thirds of these plastic products become trash and non-biodegradable. Although a minor percentage is recycled, it's still not proven to be a permanent solution for such pollution.
You see, everything even from scratch is made up of plastic which makes it more difficult to control. And with an ever-increasing population, the demand for more production of plastic is on the rise.
Let's do a little math; Plastic takes over 400 years to decompose and over two 256.7 million tons are trashed. How long would it take for that much plastic to decompose?
Still not convinced that plastic pollution is an underlying menace? This revealing insight into the devastating effects of plastic might show how serious the issue of plastic pollution is.
Effects of Unsustainable Plastic Use and Pollution
Plastics are made with over a hundred types of chemicals and organic substances ranging from hydrocarbons to other compounds such as Nitrides and Chlorides. These plastics are gotten rid of by the locals through burning in the open air or via incinerators. The gases released from the combustion of these plastics are mostly toxic, causing respiratory problems in both humans and animals, causing plants to wither and die and destructively leading to the depletion of the ozone layer —which in turn causes global warming. This means there will be drought, severe storms, hotter temperatures, melting of ice glaciers, and flood occurrences.
Another devastating effect of plastic pollution is seen on our water bodies and its animals. The majority of plastic trash one way or the other gets into oceans and rivers competing with and trapping marine life. Don't forget that plastic does not disintegrate in water, instead, it floats on top of water thereby causing suffocation. Plastics can also break down into microplastics and can cause the death of marine organisms when ingested.
Plastics block drainages, and parkways further causing land pollution. Thereby encouraging the breeding of mosquitoes and other disease vectors in stagnant waters and dirty habitats. They can change the physical structure of the soil and when they pile up for a longer period they make the soil hazardous for plant growth.
We cannot ignore that plastics were borne out of man's curiosity, the demand for cheaper alternatives, certain characteristics, and portability, and as such, plastics may never be taken out of existence but certain measures should be put in place to curb excessive plastics littering and pollution.
Plastic Solution
Although there has been a considerable rate of public awareness, it is not enough for a population of over 10 billion people. This is why more essays, articles, quizzes, and debates would be held concerning the topic of plastic pollution. If the government, non-governmental organizations, stakeholders, and the general public do more to educate others on the dangers of plastic pollution, we would be miles into curbing plastic pollution with the involvement of everyone.
Considering the five basic frameworks of waste management; reduce, reuse, repurpose, recycle, and refuse. Handling waste in this order from inception would reduce the tons of plastics that are trashed annually and this would be the cheapest solution to plastic pollution.
Proper sanitation should be done in our households, schools, and public places like fields and markets through a collective effort. We should all endeavor to dump plastic trash in designated areas.
It's high time our environmental agencies placed stricter policies on plastic pollution. This could come as fines for offenders and ensuring stricter punishment for offenders. Nobody from the defaulter to the enforcer should be excluded.
Ploggathon for the Planet
In addition, sustainable events serve as global campaigns for a cleaner and healthier planet. That's why Plogging Nigeria has set aside one of her very own, PLOGGATHON
Ploggathon is a mix of Plogging and Marathon where people will race to #BeatPlasticPollution. The top individuals who pick the largest volume of waste and arrive at the finish line earliest go home with amazing prizes. PLOGATHON aims at outlining and enforcing some of the solutions discussed in this article.
We're kickstarting in Abuja and putting everything in place so you can have an awesome experience while #RacingForThePlanet on September 16, #WorldCleanupDay2023.
As we continue to battle the negative impacts plastic pollution has on the environment, we must all join forces to embrace and promote environmental sustainability, maintain an ecological balance, conserve natural resources, and protect our global ecosystems for the sake of future generations.
— Henrietta Awah
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