Md Hasanur Rahman Tanzir – Plastic is a material made from a synthetic or semi-synthetic organic compound. It is melted and molded into a solid object for flexibility. Due to its low cost, easy manufacturing ability, versatility, insensitivity to water, etc., plastic is used in a variety of versatile products from paper clips to spacecraft. In 1855, Alexander Parkes invented Parksin and the following year, he patented Parksin, which is considered the first man-made plastic.
Due to the easy availability and excessive use of plastic, plastic has now become a threat to public life and the environment. The cycle of plastic waste and plastic pollution is causing adverse effects on the natural environment – wildlife, wildlife habitats and even humanity in the aftermath. Based on the size, plastic can be divided into three categories of plastic pollution – micro, meso, macro waste. The regular use of plastic products by humans is increasing the level of pollution in the environment. Most of the plastic used in polythene bags, cosmetic plastics, household plastics, and commercial plastics are not recycled. Conscious circles believe that the main and only cause of plastic pollution is the ignorance of people who take these in the form of waste from the environment. Plastic is a chemical substance that takes a lot of time to decompose in the environment or be recycled in factories. Therefore, it is called an ‘indigestible substance’. Plastic waste causes long-term harmful effects on the environment. Generally, flora, aquatic animals, and animals in island regions are facing serious damage due to plastic waste. Plastic waste is obstructing the habitats, food collection places and food collection of plants for those animals. Not only plants and aquatic animals, but people are being directly and indirectly affected.
According to information, excessive use of plastic materials is reducing human reproductive capacity and destroying immunity. This plastic is being blamed for causing breathing difficulties and cancer. Many plastic bottles contain bisphenol. If this compound enters the body of a pregnant woman, there is a risk of weight loss in the baby and hormonal balance in the body is disrupted and excessive secretion of thyroid hormones in adults. The child’s brain development is inhibited. In addition, plastic particles contain additional harmful elements. As a result, they damage the liver, kidneys, and stomach. Usually, large amounts of chemicals are mixed in plastics. These dyes also act as carcinogens and disrupt the endocrine system. A study published in March 2022 identified microplastic pollution in human blood for the first time. Scientists found these tiny particles in the blood of 80 percent of the participants in this study. The study report was published in the Environment International Journal.
The world is facing a serious threat due to plastic waste. In America alone, 13 million tons of plastic waste, including 5 million tons, fall into the soil and water every year. Scientists estimate that only 24 percent of this can be recycled. With about one million plastic bottles falling into the ocean every minute worldwide, the amount of plastic in the ocean will exceed fish by 2050. Others that remain in the soil or mix with the soil are not decomposed, disrupting the growth of plant food. As a result, we are not getting food grains, fruits, medicines and plant-related materials, and with the increase in population, there may be a shortage of oxygen, which is very necessary for survival.
Bangladesh is ranked 10th among the 20 countries with the highest plastic pollution in the world. A large number of polybags are being abandoned in the country every day, most of which fall into ponds, water bodies, rivers and the sea. Especially, they fall into drains, disrupting the sewage system of the beloved city. Let’s just take the case of the beloved city of Chittagong. While dredging the Karnaphuli River surrounding Chittagong, the Chittagong Port Authority itself had to face extreme pressure due to plastic waste. The riverbed was full of plastic waste than the soil. Especially in the Chaktai and Rajakhali areas, the amount of plastic is more than the soil at the riverbed. Most of the city’s waste flows into Karnaphuli through the Chaktai and Rajakhali canals. Those that do not go through are accumulating in drains and sewers, causing waterlogging during the rainy season. As a result, they are flooded in a short time with little rain, making them unusable.
The good news is that plastic recycling methods are being used in various countries to save the environment from plastic pollution. Through this, developed countries are able to protect the environment from environmental disasters, while on the other hand, it is becoming economically profitable. In Bangladesh too, various products are being made by recycling abandoned plastic and plastic products. These recycled products are being exported to different countries of the world. Many people are coming forward in this promising industry, new institutions are being created. Now is the time to reduce the use of plastic products. The price of alternative materials for plastic products used at the individual and family level must be reduced. Then people will be interested in using alternative materials. The harmful aspects of plastic use should be highlighted in the school and college curriculum by including essays, articles, and articles on this issue in the minds of children and adolescents. Its harmful aspects should be highlighted with the help of electronic and print media and social media. At the same time, activities should be taken to stop the use of ‘single-use’ plastic. Considering the overall situation, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
