Plastic Pollution

PLASTIC POLLUTION

Growing of human population increase the amount of garbage results from human daily activity. In 2013, it is estimated 299 million tons of plastics were produced which is a 4 percent higher than the year before. Accumulation of products such as water bottle and plastic food container had cause major problem and increase the amount of plastic pollution on land and in the ocean. Composed of major toxic pollutants, plastic can cause harm to human and wildlife.  Thus, plastic pollution is defined as amass of plastic in an area which starts to give negative impact to the natural environment and not only project bad scenery to the viewers but also dangerous to living organisms, even a threat to human community. Plastic is versatile, lightweight, flexible, moisture resistant, strong and relatively cheap. Those incredible qualities have attracted all people around the world to overuse it without thinking the side effects of it. Plastic materials are durable and have ultra-slow rate of degradation, which become a waste when it is not needed anymore.

Marine debris referred to man-made materials that has been thrown or lost into the ocean; litter. Plastic make up the majority of floating litter in the ocean which tend to accumulate at the center of gyres and on coastlines. Eighty percent of the world’s marine pollution sourced from plastic debris. Beaches, coasts, oceans, seafloors, inland waterways and lands are affected by this pollution and lead to economic decreases, affecting the inhabitants of coastal and waterside population.

According to report by the Algalita Marine Research Foundation which published in October 2008, 60 to 80 percent of marine litter composed of plastic; in some area up to 95 percent. Containers for beverage bottles, packing straps and tarps and synthetic nylon materials in fishing line will become debris with staying power and majority of these plastic waste materials can travel in currents for thousands of miles, not only cause harm to marine ecosystems and wildlife such as choking or entanglement problem because they have high buoyancy, but also have tendency to absorb waterborne pollutants, have ability to broken down into microscopic pieces and may release toxins such as Bisphenol A (BPA) into water system.   Marine plastic debris is a worldwide issue that needs to have a firm solution.

As the matter of fact, microorganisms such as plankton are also affected by plastic pollution due plastic ingestion and later will cause major problem to animals that consumed them for food. Indirectly, plastic pollution may have upset the food chain and without knowing, human may have consumed plastic which presented in aquatic organism that they eat. Moreover, groundwater pollution may become a concern when plastics and waste leaking happen in the world’s water conservation. The quality of drinking water is at stake when groundwater and reservoirs are badly affected by environmental toxins that are leaking.

Furthermore, deposited plastic can be carried from one place to another by wind and can end on poles, traffic lights, trees, fences and tower; which give unpleasant scenery to the surrounding.  Open air plastic burning cause poisonous chemicals to release. When the polluted air is inhaled, respiratory irritation and heath problem may rise dangerously. The process of making, storing, disposing of and just being around plastics can be hazardous to living organisms as use and exposure of plastic had cause many health concerns involving human population. In the other hand, it is expensive to treat this plastic pollution crisis. Apart from plants, animals and human loss, millions of dollars are spent to clean the affected area after exposure.