There is no safer way in which plastic waste can be disposed. Plastic is the main lethal pollutant of the time, it account for 90% of solid waste. It is composed of a non biodegradable substance and toxic chemicals and it causes water and air pollution. Many containers and disposal papers are made of plastic; however disposing them is very difficult as they do not decompose rather build up and cause harmful effects to the environment. Plastics are dated back more than 100 years. The plastic industry began in 1868 and since then many new plastics have been introduced to replace the existing ones.
One of the harmful effects of plastic waste is that it causes serious damage to the environment during its production and disposal process. Chemicals leach from the disposed plastics into the environment which poses serious risks to humans, animals, the environment and the general public. Plastic waste can cause serious health concerns and also development problems in children (Johnson, 2013). The only way to reduce the effects of plastic waste is to reduce its production because no suitable way has been found to dispose them. Plastics have defied all the attempts of disposal be it through burning, recycling or even land filling.
According to Knight (2012), plastic is a very versatile material that offers easy convenience that is easy to manufacture but, it is very hard to get rid of plastic. Moreover, Knight asserts that plastics take a very long time to break down naturally. It depends with the type of plastic and the environmental state they are exposed to when it comes to decomposition. Plastics takes a log period to break down and there is no exact estimate as scientists give different estimates but they can be broken down through photo degradation.
References
Knight, G. (2012). Plastic Pollution. London: Heinemann Library.
Johnson, B. (2013). Zero Waste Home: The Ultimate Guide to Simplifying Your Life by Reducing Your Waste. New York: Scribner.
