Dear Editor
According to a recent study, only 8% of plastic waste makes it to recycling facilities and is properly processed. Recycling is not the solution to plastic pollution. Everyone in the country needs to end plastic pollution by becoming more aware of where plastic waste goes, fighting wasteful, single-use plastic practices encouraged by industry and bad politics alike, and reducing plastic consumption in general.The popularity of single-use of plastics harms both human society and global ecosystems. Businesses have few restrictions on the amount of plastic waste they can produce and few financial incentives to change their practices.90% of companies production of single-use plastic in the country do not get recycled. The burden of limiting plastic pollution should not fall on the everyday consumer. It’s not the individual’s fault.While the reasoning behind plastic recycling is sound, it’s not the be-all and end-all of the environment; The vast majority of plastic that ends up in the country’s recycling facilities is not properly recycled.Only 5% of plastics produced in the country are properly recycled.That’s just 0.25 million tons out of 5 million tons of plastic waste. Plastic waste takes more than 450 years to fully degrade, releasing myriad microplastics into the environment that can carry chemical contaminants and cause severe cellular damage if ingested. Plastics production has exploded in recent years: 50% of all plastics produced were made in the last two decades. With so little being properly recycled, the amount going to landfill has also increased dramatically. If country’s plastic consumption continues as usual, plastic waste will triple by 2050, according to the study. Half of that goes straight to landfill, it’s a future we can’t afford to live in.
Vijaykumar H K
[email protected]
Raichur, Karnataka
Environmentalist
