Waiting to be discovered: the Plastic waste recycling industry

Waiting to be discovered: the Plastic waste recycling industry

Plastic pollution occurs due to the accumulation of plastic in the environment. Plastic is a versatile compound made up of repeatedly long chains of molecules interlinked together. It can take various forms and shapes. Plastic is used in almost every sector including in building and construction, packaging, and also in electronic and industrial machinery. Accumulation of plastic is a problem because it does not decompose. Its reversible nature makes him a dangerous compound. Normally plastic items usually take 1000 years to decompose.

One of the most important and concerning problems in developing nations is plastic pollution, which has a significant negative influence on both the environment and human health. Unfortunately, in Pakistan, there hasn't been much work done on this subject. The average amount of plastic garbage produced annually per person ranges from 69 kg in Japan and Korea to 221 kg in the United States and 114 kg in OECD countries in Europe. In Pakistan, a person produces 1.4kg of plastic waste annually. Pakistan does not produce a large amount of plastic as compared to the other developed nations. Our main problem is that Pakistan does not have a proper plastic waste recycling industry to remove plastic waste.

Plastic is accumulating in the world because of its persistent and reversible nature. Plastic pollution has increased from 1.5 million tons in the 1950s to 335 million tons in 2016 globally (Li et al., 2021). According to the World wide fund of nature (WWF), Pakistan wastes more than 3.3 million tons of plastic annually, the majority of which ends up in landfills and uncontrolled dumps. Bags made of plastic, pet bottles, and food waste make up the majority of Pakistan's 250 million tons of garbage.

Plastic pollution is affecting our aquatic life in oceans. The land is covered with piles and piles of plastic waste. Humans are also consuming plastic through the leaching of microplastic in various plastic housewares’ cutlery. Burning of plastic produces a large amount of carbon dioxide which excessive amount is dangerous for animals living on earth.

To eliminate plastic waste, Pakistan needs a well-organized recycling sector. To raise awareness about the detrimental consequences of plastic trash on the environment, human health, and animal health, we need a countrywide comparison. By putting more money into the recycling sector, we can solve this issue. The Pakistani government initiated the switch to paper bags from plastic ones. But maintaining plastic contamination is a goal we are very far from achieving. To address this issue, we require more realistic solutions.

Comments

Unknown said…

Superb ❤️

9 November 2022 at 14:04

Unknown said…

Superb

9 November 2022 at 17:35

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