We always read: “our oceans receive 8 million of plastic waste every year”. But, what about the plastic which is in the air we breathe? Did you know that there are microplastic particles all around us? You may be wondering how plastic causes air pollution. Here’s a part of the answer to your question.
The Issue of the Extraction of Oil
Most plastics are made from fossil fuels like oil and natural gas. The thing is every time they get extracted from our earth, they release toxic chemicals which pollute and impact the quality of air. Not to mention that the process to transform the oil into plastic requires several steps that produce toxic chemicals and add to the global warming situation.
The Impact of the Recycling Industry
Recycling plastic is probably one of the big questions today. But, the solution may be to first produce and consume less plastic. Indeed, recycling is not the solution especially when we know that only 9% of plastic waste is recycled, according to National Geographic.
Not to mention that over half of our plastics supposed to be “recycled” are sent to foreign countries. But hiding plastic doesn’t mean that it has vanished nor that the problem is fixed. For instance, it is said that Lian Jiao, a Chinese town, had become “a toxic waste dump for the West’s plastic recycling”.
But since 2017, China has refused to be their “garbage dump”. So, other countries had to find a solution to deal with plastic waste.
Incinerate Plastic Waste: the False Good Idea?
According to a study, over 40% of the world’s garbage is burned. But, when you set fire to plastic, it releases toxic chemicals into the air. Even worse, they have been linked to the increase of diseases such as asthma, endocrine disruption, and cancer.
Just to give you an idea, in low-income countries about 90% of waste ends up in open dumps or is burned in the open air. So just imagine the air quality in those countries and its impact on the local people. In the world, 9 out of 10 people breathe polluted air. Even worse, air pollution causes 7 million premature deaths each year. And, if nothing is done this number could increase by more than 50% by 2050.
You’re probably wondering what can we do? Until we find a proper solution to replace plastic with new material, we can reduce our use of it and protect our landfills, our oceans, and our air. As consumers, we have to power to say “no” and change things. If we created this plastic world, we are the ones that are able to fix this and leave our children a beterre legacy.
