Major increase in Plastic Pollution Post Covid 19. How can we prevent our environment from choking.
Source The SeaCleaners
There is a sharp surge of plastic waste in our environment post Covid 19. Most of the COVID 19 safety equipments are made from single use plastic as it's manufacturing is cheap but unfortunately there has not been any effective waste management system developed around it. Plastic is one of the most dangerous pollutants to our environment capable of paralyzing our entire ecosystem.
Source UN News new.un.org
According to the Hong Kong-based NGO OceansAsia, approximately 300 million tons of plastic is produced worldwide every year, with more than 8 million entering oceans annually- ultimately threatening the ecosystems of marine wildlife. The COVID-19 pandemic threatens to further worsen the of plastic pollution. The litter of the face masks, PPE kits, gloves, sanitizer bottles etc from over the last few months are dumped into our oceans already.
Source CCN.com
Do you know ? Plastic has an approximate lifespan of 450 years, it never disintegrates but only shrink into smaller pieces as dangerous micro plastic. As per the environment experts this new kind of plastic waste post COVID 19 is adding to the existing plastic pollution problem and will adversely affect the environment and will cause other severe complications.
Several major trends induced by COVID-19
Increased use of plastic bags in fear of hygiene .
Single use take away plastic bags thrown away into the open.
An increased demand for fruit and vegetables in plastic wrap packaging
An explosion of online delivery services and food delivery services that are heavy users of plastic packaging
A reduction in recycling rates, as plastic recycling markets face pressure and weaker demand because of a drop in oil prices that makes “virgin” plastic more competitive
Potential disruption to waste management services as waste workers are assigned to other priority tasks or go on strike because of the lack of proper gear and exposure to the virus.
Let us together pledge to stop the mindless disposal of plastic waste into our environment before it gets to late and the damage becomes irreversible for our future.
Suggested Measures at an Individual Level
Use reusable face masks.
Prefer washing hands over using gloves unless mandatory.
Use reusable bottles or eco packaged containers to store hand sanitizers.
Use personal reusable or washable carry bags,
Do not throw single use plastic bags, masks, gloves, containers into the open.
These necessary precautions can bring about a massive drop in the COVID 19 related plastic pollution data, assuming it is sincerely practiced by us.
Apart from the above measures we are all extremely well versed with how our world is already fighting against various sources of man made pollution and how can we individually contribute towards prevention. Only when we are aware of the deadly impact we are unknowingly causing to our mother nature will we stop exploiting her and be cautious with our actions and curb the increasing pollution threats, be it through Plastic or any other form.
Each one of us can take up the responsibility of inspiring their kin in this journey towards a healthy future with reduced plastic footprint. Living healthy and living sustainable has to be the way forward.
