The widespread use of plastic and related products, particularly the abuse of them in the contemporary global society, have caused environmental and health, making it a severe threat facingthe global community. It has been estimated by a group of researchers of the University of California in America that since the use of plastic and related products is increasingannually in today’s world, it would be possible that the volume of plastic waste disposed to the environment will goup to 12 trillion metric tons by the year 2050. It will be impossible to prevent the further disposal of this tremendously large volume of plastic items into the oceans, land and the ecosystems in the same manner. Without being decayed, they will continue to cause environmental disasters and social problems disturbing the smooth existence of the earth for many centuries to come. Because of this grim reality, the prevention of ‘the plastic environmental pollution’has become a timely and urgent requirement today.
The requirement to initiate a massive plan of action in collaboration with all the other countries in the world in order to prevent the possible environmental and health disaster caused by the abuse or the irrational, irregular and unsuitable human behaviour in the use of plastic and related products has become a timely necessity.Therefore, it has become a necessary requirement for all of us living in the world to change our day-to-day behavioural patterns in order to minimize and prevent the adverse impact caused to the valuable ecological systems, the oceans, the rivers, the canals and the waterways, the people, the animal life and all forms of living organisms as well as the health of mother earth.
Marine and land pollution caused by plastic waste
Out of the waste disposed into the oceans of the world, 80% is plastic waste. It is reported that there are large mountains of plastic waste ended up in the Atlantic, Arctic, Pacific and the Indian oceans (more seriously in the Indian and Pacific oceans). There are about 51 trillions of micro plastic particles added into the oceans causing a severe threat to marine life. In addition to that, around 10% of ocean waste is generated as a result of fishing gear. Those plastic and ocean waste together cause harm to about 800 marine species. Thus, 40% of marine mammal species and 44% marine bird species are threatened today. According to certain estimates, the amount of items such as disposable bottles, bags, various wrappings exceeds the total number of fishes living in the seas. By the year 2050, marine species will feed on plastic items more frequently perhaps leading it to the extinction of marine life altogether. Already a large number of ocean mammals have been destroyed as a result of feeding on plastic. Among them are around one million sea birds along with ocean mammals, turtles and various fish species which are faced with serious threat and harm.
Owing to human activities taking place around the beaches and on land, the flow of nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorous into the ocean changes ocean water composition and formation of different ecosystems. This happens both in the ocean water and the fresh water equally. The formation of such ecosystems amounts to an eutrophic condition which is harmful to the smooth existence of marine floral and faunal species. Due to the high nutrient conditions and plastic waste, several largest marine systems in the world are faced with serious threats already. They are the Bay of Bengal, East and South China sea, North Brazilian sea and the Bay of Mexico.
Plastic waste disposed into the sea (marine plastic) threatens beautiful coral reefs, a natural wonder. In the world the surface coral reefs amount only 0.1% providing habitats to around 25% of marine life. The natural formation of coral reefs helps coast conservation at the same time controlling the intensity of coastal erosion, cyclonic storms and the inflow of the sea into the land thereby protecting the life of coastal communities. Around 275 million people in the world make their living by using these natural coral reef systems. During the last 30 years, the coral reefs in the world have been destroyed by 50%.
Research has revealed that factors such as the increasing global temperature, climatic changes, excessive fishery industry and various activities are taking place on land and among them the disposal of plastic into the sea contributes to the destruction of coral reefs. According to estimates based on research reports, every year, around 13 million tons of plastic are dumped into the seas. It is further stated that every minute a truck load of plastic waste is dumped into the sea.
A research conducted based on 159 coral reefs in the Asia Pacific region has revealed that an amount of 11.1 billion plastic items are deposited on coral reefs. If this number is forecasted forthe next 7 years, it will be higher by another 40%. It has been found that, of the 124,000 individual coral reefs evaluated, 80% are subjected to various infections and disease conditions due to the deposit of plastic waste, and the amount of plastic-free corals is 11% of the evaluated amount. Scientists in the relevant field are of the opinion that further research should be conducted on the pollution of coral reefs and their conservation. In view of the above, enhancing public awareness of the beauty and the environmental value of coral reefs and the importance of their conservation and encouraging the public for a conservation action has become essential.
Plastic waste, which accumulates in large quantities contributesgreatly to land pollution in addition to other causes such as improper land use practices, use of agro chemicals, disposal of electronic waste and continuous disposal of solid waste containing various metal and carbon components. As a result of such activities,water catchment areas, reservoirs, rivers and tanks, farm lands as well as various land eco systems have become polluted.
Plastic waste and health hazards
It has been found that the mixing of plastic waste with water has the potential to enter the human body with dioxide, metal and toxic chemicals that are harmful to hormone activity due to the human use. Thus, plastic has become a cancer causing numerous damages to human life and environment. Only a negligible amount of disposed plastic is subjected to recycling and even the burning of such items is not done following required standards. In many parts of the world, such items are used for land filling, and since they take several years to decay they cause various harmful effects to human life and other forms of biological existence. The questions such as What are those harmful conditions? To what the extent? have not been identified specifically and common agreement has been reached, and research is underway. In line with the research by Germany, it has been warned that plastic waste can pose a long-term risk to soil, water, living beings and the ecological systems.
It has been revealed fromresearch that the pollution of earth by micro particles of plastic items is 23 times higher than marine pollution caused by such particles. However, at the end of the day, one third of plastic waste ends up in soil or water and besides that, the addition of small particles of nanoplastic, i.e. particles of plastic smaller than 0.1 micro meter, in the natural food chain too is a serious harmful situation. The decayed waste can be cited as a main component in the diffusion of small particles of plastic and they contain 85% - 90% of small particles of plastic. Very often, the liquid of decayed waste is added in soil as fertilizer causing a harmful situation. In this way, the addition of thousands of tons of plastic particles accumulate in the soil each year, andthereby adding to water. Since the chemicals emitted by chlorinated plastic are toxic matter, they too are harmful to the environment and cause various diseases in human beings.
When washing clothes, particles such as acrylic fiber, nylon, spandex etc. are disposed into the open environment. Even the laundry services where clothes are washed using machines do not properly treat and discharge waste water. Waste water is discharged directly into drains or water ways contribute to soil and water pollution. Those services often disregard the instructions issued by regulating authorities. According to a study conducted by ‘Water World’, it is revealed that a washing machine releases more than 700,000 microfiber of microscopic plastic fiber into the environment in a single wash. According to a study conducted by the University of California in a Patagonia garment factory in 2016 found that that 1.7 grams of microfiber is discharged into the environmentwhen washing one jacket made of synthetic fabric. Accordingly, when thousands of jackets are washed a large amount of micro particles of plastic is discharged into the environment, making it a harmful situation.
The toxic gases emitted in the burning of polythene cause air pollution as well as cancer and respiratory problems. Filling plastic containers discarded with water can spread of diseases such as dengue, filaria, and also floods during rainy seasons due to the blockage of drainages. These are environmental, health and social impacts
Controlof plastic and the public responsibility
For controlling the generation of plastic related products, about 130 countries in the world including Sri Lanka have resorted to various measures such as the banning of plastics as well as various tax systems. Along with such measures, various print and electronic media educational programmesas well as other educational programmes using formal and non-formal methods are being conducted aimed at enlisting public support for the control of the use of plastic. According to the National Environment Act, by now, the import, production, sale and the use of a number of single-use polythene products has been banned. Accordingly, the use of shopping bags, grocery bags, lunch sheets, food containers (lunch boxes), plates and cups etc. made using banned plastic has been prohibited. In addition to that, the use of polyethylene, terrapthelate (PET) or that of polyvinyl, chloride (PVC), sachet wrappings equal to 20 mm or 20grams net weight as well as a number of air-filled toys and the use of cotton buds with plastic stems has been banned. However, permission has been granted for their use for other essential uses to a certain extent.
Steps have also been taken to conduct raids to prevent the sale and use of banned products and to take legal action against the culprits. Awareness is being raised among the general public including school children and it is the responsibility of the general public to understand the ill-effects of the use and haphazard disposal of plastic and to take action for the rational use and disposal of plastic. It is important for the general public to avoid plastic as far as possible, to minimize their uses, to reuse such items when they are in use and to hand them overto local authorities or to designated institutes for recycling after use. Similarly, it is the primary responsibility of a civilized society to adapt environment-friendly lifestyle, refraining from the disposal of plastic products into the surrounding environment, the wetland eco systems including rivers, water ways, lakes and canals, the forest systems, beaches and marine eco systems.
Deepal de Silva
Deputy Director (Environment Promotion)
Central Environmental Authority