Plastic Recycling

In "Plastic Waste Creating Ocean-Sized Crisis," (KTVU, n.d., para. 6), the author writes, "The Ocean’s in trouble, therefore we are in trouble. Whether we live in Illinois or the Bay Area here in California, we live and die by the ocean." With our economy developing fast, the plastic waste problem has become worse and worse. People have less and less responsibility for the environment. Some industries discharge plastic materials into the sea. It causes sea pollution, and the loss of many kinds of marine organisms, but today we have some solutions to dispose of the plastic. The best way is recycling plastic. We should regard this solution as an international issue, because it is our duty to protect our environment, and because using this solution can reduce the quantity of our resource waste; it won't generate toxic substance; and it is good for sustaining our ecosystem.

“Plastic recycling is the process of recovering scrap or waste plastics and reprocessing the material into useful products” (Wikipedia, n.d., para.1). “Plastics remained in widespread use anyway, and in many cases were much more effective and environmentally benign than alternative materials. However, this led to a problem as well, since the consumption of massive amounts of plastic goods led to a massive problem with litter and waste disposal” (packagingtoday, n.d., para. 4). “By the 1990s, plastic recycling programs were common in the United states and elsewhere” (packagingtoday, n.d., para. 6). Some people think that this solution is a waste of time, we should choose a faster way to dispose the plastic, and in the economic society people are so busy that they don’t have time to recycle plastics. They doubt if this solution is useful for disposing the plastics.

First, recycling plastic can reduce the waste of our resource. Maybe some people don’t know plastic is made of oil. “According to a recent nationwide online survey, 72 percent of the American public does not know that conventional plastic is made from petroleum products, primarily oil. Moreover, 40 percent of the respondents believe that plastic will biodegrade at some point. Nearly 10 percent of U.S. oil consumption - approximately 2 million barrels a day - is used to make plastic” (Thomas, 2007, para.1). Today people don’t care how products are made; they just know how many benefits they have. The more plastics we make, the less oil resources we have. However, oil is a nonrenewable resource; it is limited. We should protect our limited resources, not waste them. If we recycle the waste plastics, and plastic manufactories produce less plastics, it can reduce the amount of oil waste.

Second, it won’t produce toxic substance by recycling plastic. This solution can reduce the quantities of CO2 and other toxins. In the past, some people burned the waste plastics to dispose of them. This method led to generating more CO2 and other pollutants. It pollutes our air. And other people used landfills to dispose of the plastics; landfills will create some environmental problems. Lot of waste plastics can’t break down by natural processes. They are stills in the soil today. It pollutes underground water, and the plastic materials kill the microorganisms in the soil. It also generates some emissions to the atmosphere and water. Recycling plastics can reduce the quantities of CO2 and toxins we put into the air, and we can use this method to dispose of plastic waste inside of landfills and incinerators. It can protect our air and water environment.

Third, recycling plastic is good for earth’s ecosystem. If we use this solution to dispose of plastic wastes, it is good for the organisms including humans on the earth. As we know, plastic waste is a serious problem. In 2003, approximately, 57% of the wastes found on the beaches were plastic (wasteonline, 2006). The plastic chemicals get into the food chain and kill lots of fish and birds because the pellets of plastics look like fish eggs and it appears to be different kinds of food to them. They accumulate the toxins in their bodies. It threatens their lives. “Turtles are particularly badly affected by plastic pollution, turtles get entangled in fishing nets, and many sea turtles have been found dead with plastic bags in their stomachs. It is believed they mistake these floating semi-transparent bags for jellyfish and eat them. One dead turtle found off Hawaii in the Pacific was found to have more than 1000 pieces of plastic in its stomach including part of a comb, a toy truck wheel and nylon rope” (Collins, 2001, para. 6). If we don’t use some policies to stop this scenario, it will lead to a worse consequence. The best way to change this situation is recycling plastics. Using this method to dispose of plastic waste is a solution, which we can use to protect many kinds of species that live in the marine world.

Some people think that it will take a long time to get the effect, and it isn’t worthwhile to spend a lot of time on recycling plastics; they think we can use a faster way to solve the problem. Recycling plastic is the best way to dispose the plastic wastes so far. Human’s lives depend on nature. The environment and the natural resources are really important to us. It is our duty to protect the environment and the limited resources. We should think about the future of our offspring. If we still waste plastics and don’t use some solutions to dispose of them, it will be a big problem for our offspring in the future. Therefore, we should try our best to contribute to protecting our environment. Recycling plastic is the best way to reduce the pollution. We should regard this solution as an international issue and try our best to help this program to recycle, even though it will be a long time to get the effect, because it is a global thing, not an individual thing. The better the environment is, the better the future we will have.

In conclusion, nowadays our consumption levels have increased and our lives have become better. The plastic waste problem has become worse. We should use a solution to solve this problem. Recycling plastic is our best choice because it can reduce the waste of our resources such as nonrenewable resource oil; it won’t generate any toxic substances and it can reduce the amounts in landfills. In addition, it is good for the earth’s ecosystem; we can sustain the balance of nature. It is a really good solution to dispose of the plastic waste. Due to the fact that our life depends on the environment, we should regard this solution as an international issue; everyone has the responsibility to join this plastic recycling program.

References:

Collins J. (2001, February 01). Prevent plastic pollution. Botany. Retrieved June 20, 2007, from http://www.botany.uwc.ac.za/Envfacts/plastic/index.htm

Plastic waste creating ocean-sized crisis. (n.d.). KTVU.com. Retrieved June 20, 2007, from http://www.ktvu.com/news/10312783/detail.html

Plastic recycling and environment. (n.d.). Packagingtoday.com. Retrieved June 20, 2007, from http://www.packagingtoday.com/introenvironment.htm

Thomas J. (2007, April 28). 70% of Americans don't know plastic is made with oil. Treehugger.com. Retrieved June 20, 2007, from http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/04/70_of_americans.php

Plastic recycling information sheet. (2006, February). Wasteonline.org.uk. Retrieved June 20, 2007, from http://www.wasteonline.org.uk/resources/InformationSheets/Plastics.htm

Plastic recycling. (n.d.). Wikipedia. Retrieved June 20, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastic_recycling

Plastic bags

In BBC News’s article "Couple turn waste bags into fashion", the author states that a couple from India has found a solution for the plastic bags littering the streets. That is turning plastic bags into fashionable handbags. According to the article, the author states the people from slum areas are employed to collect the plastic bags by this couple. Also, he says that they used their life savings to set up the non-governmental organization, and this idea came from a friend by accident. Moreover, he states that some employees from this organization feel safe to work there even though it is a slum. And some unemployed people are glad that they can get jobs.

It is apparent that this solution to the problem of the plastic bags littering the streets has an obvious effect. It is useful for protecting our environment. And this organization can help the environmental officials reduce the plastic waste. Furthermore, it also can help the economic development of India. As the author says, some unemployed people can get jobs; at least, they can use their own hands to earn money for their families; even if the money is not substantial. Therefore, the fewer plastic bags there are on the road, the more beautiful a city we have. It is good for the municipality as well, because their employees are taking the garbage off the road; they don't need to clean it.

First of all, turning the waste plastic bags into fashionable handbags can reduce the amount of plastic waste. Every year there is a huge amount of plastic wastes, and it is a big problem throughout the whole country. The air becomes dusty, and it has nuisance effects such as unpleasant smells and sights. This view will affect the mood of the people who live in this area.

Second, this solution helps the unemployed people get jobs; as we know, there is a lot of poverty in the slum area. However, the people from this area can get jobs; it is good news. And they feel happy that they can do some useful things that can reduce plastic pollution because the plastic bags clog our drain; cows eat them and get choked. Furthermore it is useful to help the economic development of this country. They can export the fashionable handbags to other countries. There will be big quantities of income.

Finally, it is also a good idea to protect our environment and afforest our city. Nobody wants to see our hometown become full of dirty smog, mixed in the air and abounding in the city, with flies everywhere, and bad smells. Of course we don’t like to stay in this environment. This solution has a certain function of protecting our environment.

In conclusion, turning plastic bags into fashionable handbags is a perfect idea for a solution that can clean the plastic bags on the streets. It can reduce the plastic pollution and help the economic development of our country. Moreover, it also can afforest our city.

Reference:

Couple turn waste bags into fashion. (2006, February 23). BBC News.
Retrieved June 11, 2007, from
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4670612.stm

Plastic wastes in the ocean

In Maggie Ayre's article entitled "Plastic poisoning world's seas," she states that the plastic wastes could be poisoning the ocean, along with small pieces of plastic called "mermaid's tears"; she gave some results from the scientists who do the research in this area. First of all the author states that what industry and domestic waste have spread is a big problem that causes the sea pollution. Next, she claims that the scientists have find out how small these particles can get and it is very dangerous in the food chain. It is possible for them to be transferred from plastics to the organisms from the sea by chemicals. Third, she points out that the concentration of the chemical has become magnified; perhaps those chemicals might be released in the guts of organisms. In conclusion the author states that we should protect our environment and do anything that we can do because our life is related to the environment.

It is clear that the author's points are correct. Today, using the carrier bags is becoming a part of our daily lives. However most of these carrier bags are made of plastic. Plastic waste in the ocean has become serious. There was a huge quantity of plastic rubbish that we dumped into the ocean every year, such as soda bottles, plastic tubes, plastic bags, etc. Much of the plastic waste material has ended up in the ocean, out of sight, out of mind, but never gone.

First, with our society becoming industrial, the quantities of the factories have increased rapidly. We use the plastic material every day. Some modern plastic products look shiny and colorful. It is dangerous to sea life. A plastic bag looks like jellyfish; and small pieces resemble plankton; and pellets appear to be different types of food to fish and birds. Then the fish and animals that live in the ocean eat the plastic material, the chemical material persist in their bodies, and this is a reason causes a lot of fish to die. We should address this problem.

Second, the plastic materials stay in the ocean forever; they can't be broken down. The author says, "Sturdy and durable plastic does not bio-degrade, it only breaks down physically, and so persists in the environment for possibly hundreds of years." It seems that the chemical material is dissolved in the water, and it will make many kinds of animals perish. This is a serious problem. However, it took a long time to catch the public's attention.

Finally, our domestic waste also includes plastic materials, and some people dump the plastic waste anywhere. We found the drinks bottles on the beaches. This behavior is really bad. We live and die by the oceans; if you do that, it equals you’re killing yourselves. Many people probably view this problem as so vast and they want do something that contributes to protecting our environment, even though it is pretty little things. However, the basic things always have important functions. We should not throw the bottles on the beaches or dump something overboard.

In conclusion, with plastic waste poisoning the ocean, we should reduce the quantity of the plastic materials we use. And we should handle these materials carefully even though it is a hard problem that we faced. If we don’t use some policies to control the plastic waste in the ocean, it will threaten our lives. We should pay more attention to this pollution.

Reference:

Ayre, M. (2006, December 7). Plastics 'poisoning world's seas'. BBC
News. Retrieved June 4, 2007 from
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6218698.stm