Effect of plastic pollution and idea of alternative use of plastic bottles.

1. 1. Introduction:
Plastics are used on a daily basis throughout the world. The word plastic is a common term
that is used for many materials of a synthetic or semi-synthetic nature. Plastic is one of the
few new chemical materials which pose environmental problem. Now nearly 300
million tons of plastic are producing every year, half of which is for single use. More than
8 million tons of plastic is dumped into our oceans every year. Bangladesh produces 800,000
tonnes of plastic waste of which 200,000 tonnes end up in rivers and oceans. Earth day
network ranks Bangladesh as the 10th
most plastic polluting country in the world.
2. Discussions:
2.1 Plastic: Plastic is the general common term for a wide range of synthetic or semi
synthetic organic solid materials suitable for the manufacture of industrial products. Plastics
are typically polymers of high molecular weight, and may contain other substances to
improve performance and reduce costs. Plastic is one of the few new chemical materials
which pose environmental problem Polyethylene, Polyvinyl chloride, Polystyrene is largely
used in the manufacture of plastics.
2.2 Types of plastics products
 Plastic bottle
 Plastic bag
 Plastic sheets
 Plastic coatings
 Furniture
 Stationary Items
 Toys
 Sanitary Items

2. 3. What is plastic pollution?
Plastic pollution is caused by the accumulation of plastic waste in the environment.
It can be categorized in primary plastics, such as cigarette butts and bottle caps, or
secondary plastics, resulting from the degradation of the primary ones. It can also be
defined by its size, from micro plastics - small particles (<5 mm) of plastic dispersed
in the environment - to macro plastics.
Fig 3.1: Scenery of plastic pollution
3.1 Plastic pollution can take different forms including:
 The accumulation of waste.
 The accumulation of marine litter, fragments or micro particles of plastics and
non-biodegradable fishing nets, which continue to trap wildlife and waste.
 Waste causing the death of animals by ingestion of plastic objects
 The arrival of micro plastics and micro beads of plastics from cosmetic and
body care products.

3. 4. Causes of Plastic pollution:
Since its commercial development in the 1950s, plastic has been a real success. Its
global production is growing exponentially. Its success comes from its remarkable
qualities: ease of shaping, low cost, mechanical resistance, etc. Being the ideal
material for packaging, plastic is basically everywhere.
Negligence is the main cause. In fact, it is estimated that 80% of marine litter comes
from land. This pollution comes mainly from household waste, which is poorly
recycled, dumped in landfills or abandoned in nature. This waste is carried by the
winds, pushed by the rains into sewers, streams, rivers, and finally in the oceans.
Natural disasters such as floods must be considered as other causes of plastic
pollution as well.
5. Effects of Plastic Pollution:
5.1 ON THE ENVIRONMENT
This plastic debris represents a chemical pollution in several ways. They contain
compounds that can be chemically transferred to organisms during ingestion. Some
of these molecules are potentially toxic and can accumulate in the body. Besides,
plastic bags also affect the growth of crops, by hindering the process of
photosynthesis in agricultural fields. Plastic don’t pollute just oceans plastics also pollute
the air that’s because of the fossil fuels burned to make plastic.
Micro plastics, abandoned fishing gear and other plastic pollution are among our biggest
environmental threats. It’s hurting sea animals and making them sick. Plastic waste is
littering our oceans and threatening the lives of millions of marine animals. Seals, whales,
dolphins, seabirds, fish, crabs and many other sea animals are dying and becoming sick
because of this deadly environmental concern. Micro plastics are a major part of the issue.
Micro plastics are tiny pieces of plastic which come from larger plastics that have degraded
over time.
Fig 5.1: Plastic pollution In Canals

4. 5.2 ON ANIMALS
The most direct effect of plastic pollution is the imprisonment of animals in nets or
large debris. It is a cause of significant mortality of marine mammals, turtles and
birds. A second direct effect is ingestion, that concerns the entire food chain of the
marine ecosystem. In Dhaka city 14 million pieces of polybags are thrown into water
bodies endangering marine life. Globally plastics kill 100,000 marine animals each year. By
2050 there will be more plastic than fish in the world’s oceans.
Sea animals often eat micro plastics because of their small size. And plastic contains toxic
chemicals, which can increase the chance of disease and affect reproduction. After ingesting
micro plastics, seals, and other animals, may suffer for months or years before they die. In
2014, an estimated 15 to 51 trillion micro plastic particles were floating in the world’s
oceans, weighing between 93,000 and 236,000 tonnes.
Fig 5.2: Effects in animals
5.3 ON HUMANS
Because of the chemical additives used during plastic production, plastics have
potentially harmful effects on human health. Indeed, exposure to toxic chemicals
coming out of plastic can cause cancers, birth defects, impaired immunity and other
health problems. Producing 1 kg of plastic emits 2-3 kg of Carbon Dioxide, so plastic
contribute significantly to global warming. During the 1998 and 2008 floods polythene and
plastic materials mainly blocked city drains.

5. Fig 5.1: Effects on human
6. 7 Sad Facts about Plastic Pollution (That Are Unfortunately True)
1. Almost every single piece of plastic that has ever been created still exists today (even if
it has taken on a different shape or form). However, there is a small amount that has been
burned.
2. Roughly 91 percent of all the plastic that has ever been created (which is 8.3 billion metric
tons) has not been recycled.
3. About 500 million plastic straws are used each and every day — and that’s just in the
United States! Plastic straws are not commonly accepted by most recycling programs either,
which makes them even more of a threat to our planet. Say NO to using straws!
4. Over 100 billion plastic bags are used each year by Americans. To help curb this number,
opt for reusable tote bags. They can be used hundreds of times and can actually hold more
groceries than the average single-use plastic bag.
5. Eight million tons of plastic end up in our oceans each year. If that doesn’t shock you
then this will —the amount of micro plastic in the ocean surpasses the number of stars in
the Milky Way galaxy.
6. For every minute that passes, one million plastic bottles are purchased around the world.
Roughly half of these bottles will NOT be recycled.
7. One of the biggest reasons for the lack of recycling is due to the lack of education on
recycling. Many people do not know exactly what can and cannot be recycled, which leads
to many people recycling less — and some aren’t recycling at all!
Making just one pound of polyethylene plastic produces three pounds of carbon pollution.
And the world produced over 400 billion pounds of disposable plastic in 2015.

6. 7. Solution of Plastic Pollution:
7.1 Reduce
To efficiently reduce plastic pollution, there is an evident need of reducing our
usage of plastic. It means changing our everyday behaviors an not using plastic
when there is a better alternative to it and only using plastic when strictly
necessary.
7.2 Reuse
Plastic may cause pollution when poorly managed but it has lots of advantages too,
such as being resistant. Many plastic items can therefore be reused or used for
different purposes. Before throwing plastic items, it is important to consider how
they can be reused.
7.3 Recycle
Plastic recycling consists of collecting plastic waste and reprocessing it into new
products, to reduce the amount of plastic in the waste stream.
7.4 Alternative use of plastic bottle:
 Can we make bottle by same paper like tea/coffee cup ??
 In university different programme
 Like as one time water bottle.
 At a time a huge amount of plastic bottle will not be used, save from plastic
pollution.
Fig 7.1 Disposable Paper Cup

7. 7.4.1 Sample of disposable paper made bottle
Fig 7.2 Sample of disposable paper made bottle (1)
Fig 7.3 Sample of disposable paper made bottle (2)

8. References:
1. https://solarimpulse.com/plastic-pollution-
solutions?gclid=Cj0KCQiAnNXiBRCoARIsAJe_1cqSdlobVm-
FDamB3UMal8FNvAY0T1u-5ih6ocmiaYMgryDsJoN8WVMaAr7REALw_wcB
2. https://www.slideshare.net/adarshleo/plastics-5693480
3. https://www.worldanimalprotection.org/news/how-plastic-pollution-affecting-
seals-and-other-marine-
life?gclid=CjwKCAiAwJTjBRBhEiwA56V7q3buKnZQslFJFW7JESyK8-
yWUI4Cc0yc3h66j5ovHEn973HvTQQffBoC2k0QAvD_BwE