PLASTIC POLLUTION

CHENA MATSUBARA

My Research Question: Do some countries allow more plastic pollution in the ocean than others?

Hi, I am Chena now I will talk about plastic pollution.

First, what is plastic pollution? Plastic Pollution, As synthetic plastic products accumulate in the environment and cause problems for wildlife, their habitats, and even human habitats, whether mistakenly consumed by animals for food, clogging drains and flooding low-lying areas, or simply spoiling aesthetics, plastic is increasingly being looked at as a pollutant on a large scale. Does Plastic pollution involve human activity? The answer is yes because plastics are from people and people throw plastics, so this problem is happening. If people stop to make plastic, this problem will stop.

THE BASIS ON 7 COMMON TYPES OF PLASTIC

1) Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET or PETE)

2) High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE)

3) Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC or Vinyl)

4) Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE)

5) Polypropylene (PP)

6) Polystyrene (PS or Styrofoam)

7) Other

I have a question what country has the largest number of polluting plastics?

This graph is about The Countries Polluting The Oceans The Most.

In 2010, it is estimated that 8.8 million tons of improper plastic waste were discharged from China, of which 3.53 million tons went into the ocean. An estimated 3.2 million tons of improper plastic waste was discharged from Indonesia, 1.29 million tons of which ended up in plastic marine debris. An estimated 1.11 million tons of waterborne plastic debris is brought in annually from the United States. (Niall McCarthy, 2020)

THREATS TO ORGANISM AND HUMAN HEALTH

Plastic makes toxins. These toxins have direct and documented impacts on the skin, eyes, and other sensory organs, the respiratory, nervous, and gastrointestinal systems, liver, and brain. Transforming fossil fuel into plastic resins and additives releases carcinogenic and other highly toxic substances into the air.

Plastic contamination can cause physical damage, chemical damage, and biological threats to organisms. Entanglement and ingestion of plastic debris are typical ways to cause physical damage to organisms. Entanglement can cause fatal damage in mammals, including strangulation, septicemia, and starvation due to entanglement of the neck. Ingestion of plastic debris can lead to chronic effects with the potential for accumulation along the food chain as well as causing death in large animals due to intestinal obstruction and gastric ulcers.

The primary route by which plastics enter the human body may be through daily dietary intake (beverages, salts, bivalves, fish, etc.) (Oribia Lai. 2022)

This graph shows the increase in global plastic production from 1950 to 2015, in tons per year.

In 1950, global annual production was only 2 million tons. Since then, annual production has increased nearly 200-fold, reaching 381 million tons in 2015. Incidentally, this is almost equivalent to the mass of two-thirds of the world's population3.

The short-term decline in annual production in 2009 and 2010 was primarily the result of the global financial crisis of 2008. Similar declines can be seen in several indicators of resource production and consumption, including energy. (Ritchie, 2018)

This graph shows per capita plastic waste generation in kilograms per day.

Plastic waste per capita in top countries such as Kuwait, Guyana, Germany, the Netherlands, Ireland, and the United States is more than 10 times higher than in many countries such as India, Tanzania, Mozambique, and Bangladesh.

These figures represent the total amount of plastic waste generated and do not take into account differences in waste management, recycling, and incineration. Therefore, they do not represent the amount of plastic that could be released into the ocean or other waterways. (Ritchie, 2018)

This chart shows how global plastics emitted into the oceans break down by region. (Ritchie, 2018)

SOLVING THE PROBLEM

Given the global scale of plastic pollution, the cost of removing plastic from the environment would be prohibitive. Therefore, most solutions to the plastic pollution problem focus on preventing improper disposal or restricting the use of certain plastic products in the first place. Fines for littering are difficult to impose, but fees or outright bans on foam food containers and plastic bags are now common, and people can receive a deposit when they bring their beverage bottles to recycling centers. Awareness of the serious consequences of plastic pollution is growing, and new solutions, such as the expanded use of biodegradable plastics and the "zero waste" philosophy, are being embraced by governments and the general public.

To solve the growing problem of plastic pollution, researchers began looking for ways to break down plastic. The result was the discovery of plastic-eating mushrooms. In 2011, several bacteria of the genus Pestalotiopsis were found to have the ability to degrade PUR in solid and liquid suspension and convert it to organic matter. Furthermore, two bacteria of this genus were found to be able to survive in anaerobic (absence of oxygen) and aerobic (presence of oxygen) environments, degrading only PUR. The discovery of the plastic-degrading ability of Pestalothiopsis led to further research on plastic degradation by fungi. As a result, it was discovered that many species of fungi, including the edible flatulence fungus, can be bioremediated plastics. Flatulence fungi are able to produce edible mushrooms while degrading plastics. This indicates the possibility of using them as a system to recycle plastics at home. (Kayla Vasarhelyi, 2021)

RESOURCES

Ritchie, H., & Roser, M. (2018, September 1). Plastic pollution. Our World in Data. Retrieved September 7, 2022, from https://ourworldindata.org/plastic-pollution

McCarthy, N., & Richter, F. (2020, February 12). Infographic: The countries polluting the oceans the most. Statista Infographics. Retrieved September 9, 2022, from https://www.statista.com/chart/12211/the-countries-polluting-the-oceans-the-most/

Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. (n.d.). Plastic pollution in oceans and on land. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved September 13, 2022, from https://www.britannica.com/science/plastic-pollution/Plastic-pollution-in-oceans-and-on-land

team, D. B. E. (2022, March 3). What is plastic pollution? Decoding Biosphere. Retrieved September 13, 2022, from https://decodingbiosphere.com/2022/02/26/what-is-plastic-pollution/

Plastic and human health: A lifecycle approach to plastic pollution. Center for International Environmental Law. (2022, April 9). Retrieved September 13, 2022, from https://www.ciel.org/project-update/plastic-and-human-health-a-lifecycle-approach-to-plastic-pollution/#:~:text=These%20toxins%20have%20direct%20and,systems%2C%20liver%2C%20and%20brain.&text=Transforming%20fossil%20fuel%20into%20plastic,toxic%20substances%20into%20the%20air.

Lai, O. (2022, June 21). The detrimental impacts of plastic pollution on animals. Earth.Org. Retrieved September 13, 2022, from https://earth.org/plastic-pollution-animals/

Plastic eating mushrooms. Environmental Center. (2021, November 4). Retrieved September 13, 2022, from https://www.colorado.edu/ecenter/2021/11/04/plastic-eating-mushrooms

Hardin, T. (2021, October 30). Plastic: It's not all the same. Plastic Oceans International. Retrieved September 13, 2022, from https://plasticoceans.org/7-types-of-plastic/

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