Essay on Plastic Ban: A toxic synthetic material that is essentially non-biodegradable is called plastic. Plastic disposed of in public places is consumed by cows and stray animals and can lead to health complications. Plastic pollution contaminates the land, causes soil erosion, and decreases soil fertility. Below we have provided Plastic Ban Essay in English, written in easy and simple words for class 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 school students.
Essay on Plastic Ban
Plastic is a synthetic material, which means that it does not occur naturally and is made by humans. Plastic has many uses in daily life and is highly convenient, which is why it can be found almost anywhere. Many substances found in nature are biodegradable, which means that they can be dumped on land, and they will naturally degrade over time without harming the environment.
Plastic is non-biodegradable, which means that it does the opposite. It degrades very slowly and is capable of causing significant damage to the surroundings and hence to the Earth as a whole. Around the world, many people are very careless with their disposal of plastic items. Sometimes people create massive landfills, thinking that if all the plastic is dumped far away from people’s homes, it won’t cause a problem.
This is false because it makes the surroundings toxic and can harm the surrounding animal and plant life. Moreover, some people burn plastic, which creates poisonous gas. Some people even go as far as to dump plastic in the sea; this is dangerous because a plastic bag looks like a jellyfish to an innocent turtle. They end up accidentally consuming the plastic, which chokes and kills them. Some fish also get stuck in plastic and die because of being trapped.
Therefore we must spread awareness about the dangerous effects of plastic pollution. To prevent contributing to this dangerous phenomenon, one can start finding ways to reduce the use of plastic, reuse plastic goods, and recycle them. Instead of using plastic bags, we can use cloth or natural fiber bags and even use only stainless steel containers to store food.
Plastic Ban in India
The plastic ban in India was probably the best thing that the Indian government did for the sake of our beautiful mother Earth. However, the plastic ban has not yet been implemented in all the states of India, and there are only a few states that are currently practicing it.
Sikkim was the first place in India to be completely plastic free, and Himachal Pradesh was the first place ever in India to ban plastic and polythene bags, a ban initiated in 2009. In the years following then, there have been 25 more states that have picked up the initiative too and followed in their lead. In some states, a complete ban is being followed, while other states follow only a partial ban. Karnataka, in the year 2016, had banned all single-use plastic items. In 2017, our capital city Delhi banned all disposable plastic items.
The latest states to have joined the bandwagon are Bihar, Maharashtra, Odisha, Gujarat, Uttarakhand, and Tamil Nadu, the last state being Tamil Nadu which implemented the ban on 1st January 2019. Each state has set up exemptions to the ban and a fixed penalty in case of going against the ban and using the plastic item. At present, almost 25 states have banned plastic in India. India has also announced that by 2022, all single use plastic items will be banned entirely in India.
Alternatives to Plastic
The alternatives to plastic are almost never ending. The best part about these alternatives is that they are reusable and biodegradable when the time comes for them to be disposed of. All polythene and plastic bags must be replaced entirely by either paper bags for the lighter materials or cloth bags for other heavy items.
Cloth bags are probably the best alternative because they can be reused as many times as you’d like and can even be washed and dried. Paper bags are also helpful and can be easily recycled. However, it is not as good an alternative because many trees are cut down to make one sheet of paper. Hence, I support cloth bags for maximum usage.
Conclusion
According to a study from Plymouth University, plastic pollution affects at least 700 marine species. At the same time, some estimates suggest that at least 100 million marine mammals are killed each year from this disastrous pollution. The amount of relief the plastic ban has brought to our environment is almost immeasurable. But just by banning something, the problem is not completely solved. We need to follow the law with all our efforts and dedication to seeing that our actions are not detrimental to our mother, Earth.
Strict fines must be imposed and followed up on and collected from anyone caught using plastic items and defying the ban. It is up to us to be responsible citizens of India and caring inhabitants of this world to respect our environment and reward. We must change our ways and treat our mother nature the way it deserves.