POLY BAGS AND ENVIRONMENT

The advent of Plastics (Polymers) several years ago, revolutionized the lives of man-kind. Many people call it as a ? MAGIC MATERIAL?. The scientific researches on plastics made helpful to the Industrial sector. Now a days, from a small Pen Refill to a spare part of a giant Air Craft, the plastic is the prime material. Plastic related sector is now one of the large scale industry entire the world.

PLASTIC AND ITS VARIETIES :

The first plastic material was made in the year 1856 and it was used as a Photographic film. The experiments on plastic, resulted the existence of Nylon, Polyester, Polythene, Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC). The quality plastic varieties are Poly Carbonate, Teflon and Silicosis.

At present, there are 28 types of plastics are being used for different products. Among these, Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC), Low Density Poly Ethylene (LDPE), High Density Poly Ethylene (HDPE), Poly Ethylene Terry Phthalate (PET), Poly Propels (PP), Pulpy Unitrin Form (PUF), Poly Styrene (PS), Poly Butadiene Rubber (PBR), Styrene Butadiene Rubber (SBR) are largely manufacturing plastic related products. These all are petro chemical based products.

USAGE OF PLASTIC PRODUCTS :

Plastic is such a material, it can be helpful for making any type of product with lesser cost. Plastic related products can be made either flexible or hard depending upon the requirement. Plastic can be made as an alternative to metals also. The world wide plastic usage per head is 20 Kilo Grams. Plastic is used for manufacturing pipes, cables, water tanks, consumer durables like T.V., Telephone, Refrigerator and other household products. Cheaper, lighter, durable and marvelously protean, this wonder material has captured almost every imaginable corner of modern life.

The following are the products which are made with different types of plastics:

TYPE OF PLASTIC FINAL PRODUCT

Low Density Poly Ethylene - Poly Bags

High Density Poly Ethylene - Plastic crates for soft drink

Poly Propels - Straws

Poly Ethylene Darcy Phthalate - Mineral water bottles

Poly Stern - Foam packing; packing material

for food products; disposable plates

Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC) - Pipes; slippers

Acryl Nitrate Butadiene Stern - Car spare parts

PROBLEMS OF EXCESS USAGE OF PLASTIC:

Plastic became problematic, only when it was used as a packaging material for over a million other products. In India 50 percent of packing is being done with plastic material. The cotton thread, jute thread were vanished. Plastic bags replaced the traditional paper, cotton and jute bags. Dumping of solid wastes

by not segregating plastic wastes for land fillings became risky. There are high chances of loosely bound carcinogenic chemicals, leaking into ground water. If you burnt every tonne of PVC 0.9 tonne of waste salts containing toxic metals are produced into environment. Throwing away the plastic bags at street corners and on roads became threat to stray animals. In India nearly 30 ? 50 lakh tonnes of plastic products are made every year.

People usually throw plastic bags during their travel, at picnic spots, play grounds, public meetings and functions without applying mind, which result to health problems. Plastic bags left over at Beaches became threat to marine creatures.

Solid waste management has become one of the major tasks of urban local bodies. Approximately 25.7 percent of India?s population lives in the urban areas. Out of the total urban population 25 percent live in slums. In India the usage of plastic per head is only 1.6 Kilo Grams. India is far better with the plastic related problems, when we compare the same with western countries.

The dyes that are used for colouring the plastic bags are very harmful to human beings. People are advised not to carry or store any edible items in these type of plastic bags. Such type of bags with harmful colours are contaminating the food stuffs and poisoning them. Apart from the health hazards these plastic bags are posing a great threat to the drainage system as they tend to block the flow.

The cave shrine of Amarnath which is situated in Jammu & Kashmir State of India, every year about 4,00,000

pilgrims visit this place. It is painful to see thousands of empty plastic bottles and bags and other forms of non-biodegradable waste littered all along the 18 Kilo metre uphill stretch from Baltal to the Amarnath Shrine. The garbage including plastic bags is a severe threat to local ecology as it could pollute streams and rivers that are the only source of drinking water for many nearby villages.

The mountain ranges of Mount Everest is also no exception for pollution. The mountain climbers leave their plastic related wastes such plastic bottles, bags, plastic food boxes resulting imbalance to environment.

Though the recycled plastic may reduce wastage but the environmentalists and Nutritionists were opposing because usage of recycled plastic surely harm the health condition of human beings. In developed countries the usage of recycled plastic is 30 percent and it is 5 percent in India.

Himachal Pradesh, a State of India imposed ban on usage of plastic bags. The violators will be fined and imprisonment is up to 7 years. Indian constitution framers included Fundamental Duties to its citizens. Article 51 (g) clearly says that, It shall be the duty of every citizen of India,

? to protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers and wild life, and to have compassion for living creatures?.

People very often use the plastic bags because of its lightness and flexibility. Nevertheless, one need not depend upon these plastic bags and alternatively to use ?Bio-degradable? packing materials.

Let us develop the habit of keeping environment clean. Say NO TO PLASTIC BAGS.