Say No to Plastic: 101 Easy Ways to Use Less Plastic

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Some shopkeepers have already started providing cloth or paper bags to their customers, but that’s not enough to eliminate plastic usage. It is a smart idea for every shop to offer cloth bags and paper bags. Available in a wide range of sizes, these are quite affordable and easy to transport. In many states of our country, plastic bags are banned. In spite of this, the implementation of this rule has been poor.

This plastic is being dumped in our oceans faster than it can ever be broken down. Each year about 8 million tons of new plastic waste enter our planet’s waters. Many researchers estimate that by the year 2050, there will be one entire plastic bottle per living fish in our oceans. Many people think recycling is a better alternative to wasting plastic bags. It eventually leads to producers producing more, and it happens again with the number slightly changing. In addition to causing land, air, and water pollution, plastic bags are a leading cause of pollution as humans try to decompose them. As of 2019, 368 million tonnes of plastic is produced each year; 51% in Asia, where China is the world's largest producer. [13] From the 1950s up to 2018, an estimated 6.3 billion tonnes of plastic has been produced worldwide, of which an estimated 9% has been recycled and another 12% has been incinerated. [14] This large amount of plastic waste enters the environment and causes problems throughout the ecosystem; for example, studies suggest that the bodies of 90% of seabirds contain plastic debris. [15] [16] In some areas there have been significant efforts to reduce the prominence of free range plastic pollution, through reducing plastic consumption, litter cleanup, and promoting plastic recycling. [17] [18] The harmful effects of plastics are destroying nature. There is a growing problem of land and water pollution caused by plastics. It takes almost 500 years for plastic waste to decompose in landfills.

Alternative solutions: There are many alternative materials and products available that are more environmentally friendly, making it unnecessary to rely on plastic. In the year 2022 India has begun to implement a country wide ban on different sorts of plastic. This is necessary also for achieving the climate targets of the country as in plastic production are used more than 8,000 additives, part of them are thousands times more powerful greenhouse gases than CO 2. [248] Indonesia After two schoolgirls Ella and Caitlin launched a petition about it, Burger King and McDonald's in the United Kingdom and Ireland pledged to stop sending plastic toys with their meals. McDonald's pledged to do it from the year 2021. McDonald's also pledged to use a paper wrap for it meals and books that will be sent with the meals. The transmission will begin already in March 2020. [260]

In case you don’t want to drink from your tap, you could buy glass water bottles. They’re easier to reuse and dispose of. 2. Avoid plastic bags BPA can disrupt normal, physiological levels of sex hormones. It does this by binding to globulins that normally bind to sex hormones such as androgens and estrogens, leading to the disruption of the balance between the two. BPA can also affect the metabolism or the catabolism of sex hormones. It often acts as an antiandrogen or as an estrogen, which can cause disruptions in gonadal development and sperm production. [16] Disease In January 2019 a "Global Alliance to End Plastic Waste" was created by companies in the plastics industry. The alliance aims to clean the environment from existing waste and increase recycling, but it does not mention reduction in plastic production as one of its targets. [139] Moreover, subsequent reporting has suggested the group is a greenwashing initiative. [140] [141] [142]Due to the pervasiveness of plastic products, most of the human population is constantly exposed to the chemical components of plastics. In the United States, 95% of adults have had detectable levels of BPA in their urine. Exposure to chemicals such as BPA have been correlated with disruptions in fertility, reproduction, sexual maturation, and other health effects. [132] Specific phthalates have also resulted in similar biological effects.

The birds identified as having the disease have scarred digestive tracts from ingesting plastic waste. [133] "When birds ingest small pieces of plastic, they found, it inflames the digestive tract. Over time, the persistent inflammation causes tissues to become scarred and disfigured, affecting digestion, growth and survival." [134] Reduction efforts Household items made of various types of plastic. Waste generation, measured in kilograms per person per day In Bali, one of the many islands of Indonesia, two sisters, Melati and Isabel Wijsen, made efforts to ban plastic bags in 2019. [249] [250] As of January 2022 [update] their organization Bye Bye Plastic Bags had spread to over 50 locations around the world. [251] Israel However, the times have changed now. All over the world, scientists are working on plastic alternatives. Meanwhile, simple plastic-free solutions are already available to people worldwide. Baekeland invented Bakelite in 1907 – the world’s first plastic. The use of plastics in various industries has grown rapidly since then. Further, plastic was considered a viable alternative to many other compounds at the time. Due to its low cost, robust nature, and resistance to corrosion or other forms of degradation, it was a very popular product. A long period of decomposition Most plastic objects end up in waterways, and eventually, the ocean. So if nothing changes, relatively soon, it will be the dominating ‘inhabitant’ of the sea.The time has come for every one of us to recognize the severity of the issue and put an end to the use of plastic bags.