Plastics In Our Environs

The miraculous, significantly important and (now ostensibly) indispensable material-plastic-was invented by Alexander Parkes in 1862 (the material - which the public dubbed Parkesine - was an organic material derived from cellulose that once heated could be moulded in any desired shape and retained it after cooling). And then started the modified and more and more sophisticated and stylish versions one after the other (celluloid in 1869 invented by Hyatt, rayon in 1891 by Bernigaut, bakelite in 1907by Baekeland, cellophane in1913 by Brandenberger, PVC and polyethylene in 1933, nylon in 1939, teflon in, Silly Putty® in1949, Velcro® in1957 etc.)

The invention of this great material proved a blessing in many a ways and like any other scientific invention played its role in influencing and shaping human life and life styles. Although initially put to certain limited uses it progressively grew to be used for a wide range of purposes and in a vast array of utilities, and, with the availability of its novel versions and innovative modifications, it occupied such an essential and indispensable place in our day to day life that due to the comfort, coziness and contentment it has offered (and eventually our dependence on it) we can’t afford quitting it.

Plastic now ruling over the entire kingdom of commodities is a ubiquitous on the earth. Almost every commodity of daily use ranging from paper pin to planes exist today either in combination or exclusively plastic made. In fact extreme versatility and ability to be tailored to meet specific technical needs makes the plastic much popular and suitable for innumerable uses. Lighter weight than competing materials, reduced fuel consumption during transportation, relative low cost of production, extreme durability, flexibility and strength, resistance to chemicals, water and impact, excellent thermal and electrical insulation properties, user friendliness, washability, hygienic for food packaging, etc. are its some other attributes which establish it preferred over many other materials.

Known as ‘the material of a thousand uses’ plastic stands perfect for the modern world. Cheapness and ease of manufacture made plastic equipments much more popular. Be it households or offices, industries or labs, educational institutions or religious centers, gardens or playing fields everywhere we make use of innumerable plastic products with incomparable ease, comfort and simplicity.

It has effectively replaced wood, metal, glass, cloth, stone, clay, leather, paper, etc. and is wildly used as furniture, packing material, ornaments, writing material, dresses, etc.

Plastic furniture, fabrics, cases, kitchen appliances etc. are not only lighter to carry, easier to acquire and cheaper to afford but are equally or more attractive and striking than their metallic/other counterparts. Toys would be prohibitively expensive without plastic, we would not have a usable mobile phone, cars would be much heavier, food would be wrapped in paper or leather and imagine modern society without rubber tires (rubber is sometimes seen as a plastic). Electronic and automobile industries are no less grateful to the invention of plastic. It is extensively employed for plumbing and electric fittings inside the houses. A plastic radio could be made to look like highly polished wood – for a very low selling price compared with that for a radio with a real wooden cabinet. Computers would be different without plastic than they are.

Besides the products being made exclusively from plastic there are plastic substitutes available and preferred even for products typically made from other materials. Fast changing fashions make extensive utilization of plastics and heighten its popularity among masses. It accompanies us ubiquitously while sitting, walking, working, traveling, driving, studying, playing, etc. in the form of one product or another.

Packaging represents the largest single sector of plastic use in the world today. Plastic has replaced the traditional materials as packing and carry bags because of cost and convenience. Plastic bags can preserve food and can be used for growing vegetables in a controlled environment.

The invention of plastic has, perhaps, touched more lives than any other technological breakthrough. It has assumed the shape of a very special type of luxury affordable to and used by rich and poor alike. In addition to its other benefits it has helped a great deal in reducing/decelerating the ever increasing pressure on natural resources.

No doubt plastic, one among the greatest inventions of the last century, has helped us so much that modern society is exceedingly indebted to it. But we too have reciprocated in a befitting way by developing an obligatory and inseparable association with it. We have gone addicted to it. Be it beneficial or detrimental to our health we prefer a plastic pot over metallic one, wear plastic gloves and adorn our kitchen and bedrooms with plastic products. Needed or not we carry a plastic bottle to the nearby park and leave it lying over there along with some poly bags and disposables used. We are so mesmerized by the plastic that in the present scenario escaping the use of plastic appears to be too whimsical and unnecessary. It seems that plastic has enslaved us not only in our material needs but has also impacted our thoughts and intellect.

Apart from the huge benefits and substantial utility of plastic it has also impacting us negatively in a gigantic manner, and, a stage has arrived when in spite of of its great service to mankind (and our indebtedness to it) we are bound to rethink about our alliance and dependence on it.
The presence and prevalence of this miraculous material has turned into a curse posing serious environmental problems due to its improper disposal and non-biodegradability.

Plastics are extremely durable and degrade very slowly; the molecular bonds that make plastic so durable make it equally resistant to natural processes of degradation(biodegradation-whereby microorganisms convert any material to its building blocks) and may persist for hundreds or even thousands of years in the environment as such. Thus, in absence of any decomposition mechanism for plastic materials, throwing them away after use pollutes earth, water and air giving birth to serious health hazards.

People going on picnics, visiting historic places, hill stations etc., to enjoy their holidays carry with them eatables in containers, plastic bags, mineral water bottles (plastic), plastic plates and plastic cups and habitually leave them in the open air after consuming the contents. Road-side vendors also use plastic cups to serve coffee or tea. The customers after emptying throw these cups on foot paths or near drains. These plastic products scattered all over present very unaesthetic and ugly look. People are in the habit of throwing things no more needed wherever they like irrespective of final result and let their own surroundings littered with all sorts of nasty materials. These plastic materials are so light that they are carried away by the speed of the moving vehicle, wind, water etc. and clog the drains badly hitting the urban sewage systems. Choked drains provide excellent breeding grounds for disease-causing mosquitoes besides causing flooding during the monsoons. Such materials dumped in or carried away with water and air to cultivated fields and farms, homesteads, gardens, orchards and backyards remain there for long considerably reducing the productivity besides causing other soil and environmental problems. Sometimes domestic/stray animals in quest of food swallow up plastic materials dumped in streets and fields along with garbage and bio-degradable wastes. On reaching the lotic and lentic water bodies this plastic contaminates water, soil and very air we breathe in and proves unsafe and injurious to the life forms present therein thus consequently disrupting the ecological balance.

Burning of plastic materials alone or along with other solid wastes releases a host of poisonous chemicals into the air, including dioxin, the most toxic substance known. Toxic fumes and thick smoke released upon burning causes respiratory diseases and even lung cancer when inhaled. Decomposition attempt through landfills is also dangerous and it simply amounts to preserving the poison as it doesn’t undergo any bacterial breakdown. Apart form toxic seepage from the landfill, resulting in the contamination of precious water sources, the waste mass impedes the flow of ground water as well and obstructs the movement of plant roots, thereby badly affecting the soil’s biological balance and organic processes.

If truth be told Plastic starts playing the villain right from the stage of its production. The major chemicals involved in the making of plastic are highly toxic and pose serious threat to living beings especially those associated with the processes of production. Some of the constituents of plastic such as benzene and vinyl chloride are recognized by World Health Organisation(WHO) to cause cancer, while many others are gases and liquid hydrocarbons that vitiate earth and air. The noxious substances emitted during the production of plastic are synthetic chemicals like ethylene oxide, benzene and xylenes. Besides hitting hard the eco-system, which is already fragile, these chemicals can cause an array of maladies ranging from birth defects to cancer, damage the nervous system and the immune system and also adversely affect the blood and the kidneys. And, many of these toxic substances are emitted during recycling of plastic, too. Due to their insolubility in water and relative chemical inertness, pure plastics generally have low toxicity in their finished state, however, plastics often contain a variety of toxic additives. For example plastisizers like adiphates and phalates are often added to brittle plastics like Polyvinyle chloride (PVC) to make them pliable enough for use in food packaging, children's toys, tubing, shower curtains and other items. Traces of these chemicals can leach out of the plastic when it comes into contact with food. Some compounds leaching from polystyrene food containers have been found to interfere with hormone functions and are suspected human carcinogens. Moreover, while the finished plastic may be non-toxic, the monomers used in its manufacture may be toxic; and small amounts of those chemical may remain trapped in the product.

Since the 1950s, one billion tons of plastic has been discarded and may persist for hundreds or even thousands of years.

Use of plastic as material may or may not be bad but the way in which we put it to indiscriminate use is undeniably hazardous and harmful. It puts detrimental impacts on our health and ecosystem. Owing to our throw-away-culture today one finds himself in a world filled with discarded plastics everywhere around. The condition has resulted not only due to its unnecessary, superfluous and preventable/avoidable uses but also due to its indecent and offensive dumping (reflecting our anti environment and unhygienic approaches and attitudes). Imperative in this regard is the recognition of the menace at public/ societal level. We make unrestricted use of poly bags and dispose them of carelessly, haphazardly and unscientifically. Plastic bottles find their way after being emptied of the contents into streets, roads, fields, grounds or elsewhere in the open surroundings. Every time we use and throw a plastic product we contribute our share to a deadly pollution whose far-reaching and irreversible ill-effects will be borne by the generations to come. We require rethinking and reorienting our approach towards plastic. Its indiscriminate uses need to be discouraged and avoided strictly. Also our throw away culture requires an urgent and immediate reform.

Superfluous and excessive consumptions, wasteful and ostentatious uses and lavish handling of things being also immoral and irreligious require an abrupt curb at societal level. Legislative measures require to be escorted by formulation of feasible strategies by the implementing agencies. Masses’ awareness and involvement is vital to get rid of plastic peril. Recent drive against polythene is really heartening and needs to be expanded and extended effectively. People need to be educated about the hazards of plastic made products and the advantages and disadvantages of their reusability. They also need to be informed of and insisted upon for proper handling and disposing-of of the plastics. Judicious, sensible and cautious use of plastic will significantly contribute towards the abatement of the problem. Every aware and educated person has to play his part in the noble cause.

To sum up, plastic, although still in full prevalence, has lost its repute of being safe and secure. It causes serious damage to environment right from its production to disposal. Once plastic is produced, the harm is done once and for all. Plastic defies any kind of attempt at disposal be it through recycling, burning, or landfilling. Even recycling of plastic is merely an illusion as far environmental safety is concerned. Recycling of a toxic waste merely puts the hazardous material back into the marketplace and, eventually, into the environment thereby doing nothing but recreating a hazard. Besides, recycling of plastic is associated with skin and respiratory problems, resulting from exposure to and inhalation of toxic fumes, especially hydrocarbons and residues released during the processes of production. Indeed saying goodbye to plastic (at once and for good) is too far from achievability, at least, under present state of affairs. The only way out of the lethal and lasting danger of plastic is to cut down the use of plastic, if not avoid it altogether and thereby forcing a reduction in its production as well.