Plastic Pollution Essay in English – Causes, Effects, Solutions

500+ Words Essay on Plastic Pollution

Pollution is the most discussed topic nowadays. It is the enemy and a curse to nature and is rapidly increasing day by day. Pollution means mixing harmful or useless things into the environment that harms air, water, and land. Pollution is a major issue that is yet to be solved.

There are various types of pollution. Some of them include Air Pollution, Water Pollution, Soil Pollution, Noise Pollution, and Thermal Pollution: Pollution has an ill effect on human health. Drinking polluted water leads to diseases such as cholera. Air pollution causes asthma, respiratory problems. Soil pollution affects crops. Noise pollution leads to deafness and several other problems.

What is Plastic Pollution?

Apart from the types of pollution mentioned above, many other types of pollution are also harming our environment. One of which is plastic pollution. Plastic pollution is a collection of plastic waste like plastic bottles, bags, etc. that adversely affect the environment. Plastic pollution can occur on land, waterways, or even on oceans. 

Nowadays, plastic is everywhere, and the amount of plastic we generate daily by using it for our comfort is enhancing rapidly. No one realises how harmful it is. It is very important to understand how plastic harms nature, human beings, and other creatures on earth. We use plastic in various ways. It is used in building polythene bags, utensils, and many other things. Slowly it gets contaminated and leads to hazardous effects.

Causes of Plastic Pollution

There is not a single waste that cannot be decomposed. Only plastics cannot be decomposed because of its properties. It is cheap and has endless uses. As a result, it is contaminated in the environment. Some contributors to this problem today include: 

Plain Old Trash – Plastic is everywhere. Milk cartons, water bottles, food wrappers, and many products are made up of plastics. Every time these items are thrown away, and they create harmful effects on the environment.

Plastic can be overused – As plastic is not expensive, it is one of the most easily available and overused items. When disposed of, it does not get decompose easily and pollutes our environment. 

Plastic Upsets the Food Chain – When small organisms eat plastic, they become poisoned. This poisons large animals who eat these tiny animals for food. With each step further along the food chain, this problem increases. Plastic is also present in the fish that many people eat every day.

Fishing Nets – Many people eat fish, so fishing is an important activity in many parts of the worlds. Fishing is done by using finishing nets, and they spend a long time in the water, leaking toxins, sometimes they are left to remain wherever they fall. This kills and harms aquatic living beings. Plastic carried by water flows to the sea and oceans, thus creating water pollution.

Disposing of Plastic and Garbage – It is impossible to break down plastics. Burning plastic is toxic, which releases toxic gases and harms the atmosphere.

Single-use plastic – It is a fact that 40% of plastic is used only once. Several items, such as bags, bottles, and food packaging, are used only once and are left behind as litter. It is one of the biggest causes of plastic pollution. 

Why is Plastic Pollution Increasing?

Today, we produce a large amount of plastic, which is almost equal to the weight of the entire population. We have a mentality of “take, make, and waste.” Plastic waste is not managed correctly, thrown anywhere, ends up eaten by lots of animals. 

Plastic wrappers, bottles are generally thrown on beaches that affect marine life. It is one of the most used substances which are seen everywhere nowadays and is used to carry anything, either liquid or solid. Scientists have declared that if plastic consumption continues at the current rate, then by 2050, the amount of plastic will be more than fishes in the oceans.

Harmful Effects of Plastics

Plastic is harmful to plants, animals, and people. Improper disposal of plastics causes several problems. Some of them are:

• Throwing of plastics in open space creates unhealthy conditions, as it develops insects and mosquitoes that cause harmful diseases. 
• Plastics stays in the soil for years and affects soil fertility and its quality.
• Plastic leftovers enter the drainage system and block the drains, which cause waterlogging. 
• The plastic manufacturing industry throws waste directly into the water bodies, thus affecting water.
• Burning of plastic leads to the release of poisonous chemicals. Thus leading to air pollution. 
• Natural disasters such as floods are also one of the causes of plastic pollution.
• Plastic contains some chemicals that can affect the growth of crops by making it difficult for the process of photosynthesis to take place in agricultural fields.

Steps taken by the Indian Government to decrease Plastic Pollution

The Government has announced several rules to stop the use of single-use plastics to reduce plastic pollution. These rules are applied in all states. Several rules announced by the Government are-

• The Government has banned the use of carry bags made up of plastics and has suggested to use bags made up of clothes or recycled plastic.
• The Government has banned the use of plastics for packing or selling tobacco.
• The Government has banned all single-use plastics. All states were prohibited from manufacturing single-use plastic products.
• The plastic of minimal diameter that is not soluble in water is banned.
• The Government has banned the import of solid plastic waste.
• The Government has decided to use plastic waste for the construction of roads. It was stated that roads constructed using discarded waste plastics are durable against extreme weather conditions.
• In many states, garbage cafe is opened, where food to the poor is provided free in exchange for plastic waste. The ‘Meal for Plastic’ initiative has gained success and is rolled out in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme under the state government’s Aahar Scheme

Conclusion

Plastic pollution is taking the shape of a big issue for the environment. The Government will not be able to do anything alone if we will not cooperate with the Government. Plastic pollution can be decreased by cutting down the use of plastic. We should follow the rule of ‘RRR’ Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.

Many plastic items can be reused for different purposes, so it is essential to think about how they can be reused before throwing. We should start collecting plastic waste and recycling it into new products. We should educate others to increase awareness against the harmful effects of plastics.