Most things these days come in plastic packaging, and you probably use plastics on a daily basis, right?
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Do you know where these packaging materials end up after you use them every day and throw them away with other trash?
Let me explain a little about plastics and how they affect you before I tell you why you should recycle them instead of throwing them away.
What exactly is plastic?
Plastic is a non-biodegradable substance composed primarily of polymers. This indicates that it either does not disintegrate or takes a long time to decompose into the soil. Plastic takes several years to degrade, ranging from 10 to 300 years depending on the type of plastic.
Some families stack their plastics and burn them in an abandoned place, while others use incinerators or bury them. Although you may not have an issue with any of these approaches, they are usually ineffective.
You should start caring about what happens to your plastics because they have a harmful impact on your health and the environment.
The impact of plastics on you
Plastics that have not been recycled damage the environment. When plastics are abandoned, they release poisonous compounds that are damaging to the environment over time. It is unsafe to dispose of plastic in any available landfill.
Burning plastics is also not recommended because it wastes valuable resources and releases a harmful chemical into the environment. So, what should we do with plastics? Recycling!
As you may have guessed, plastic recycling is the process of transforming discarded plastic into newer products. When plastics are recycled, they save a lot of resources, lowering the demand on resources for new plastic production.
If you still believe that plastic recycling has no relevance to you, the importance of plastic recycling will persuade you otherwise. You’ll learn why it’s important to be mindful about the plastics you use.
Plastic Recycling’s Importance
- Resources Conservation
Without a doubt, many of the earth’s resources are used to produce various items, implying that we humans are putting a pressure on the planet’s resources.
Do you know how many chemicals are used in the plastic manufacturing process? Are you sure you haven’t done your homework yet?
If you have, you will understand how thoughtless it is to throw away a plastic bottle. Throwing out plastic may appear to be a small gesture, but it is a major issue to the earth whose gifts you take, and instead of saying “thank you,” you return dangerous chemicals to it.
When you recycle plastic, you save resources such as water, electricity, and petroleum that could have been used in other processes, lowering the enormous pressure placed on the planet.
Recycling prevents the wasting of valuable resources. Recycling conserves resources and allows them to be put to better use.
And, just so you know, recycling a large amount of plastics saves enough electricity to run a home for several months. “Recycle Your Plastic,” as the saying goes.
- Pollution Prevention
The fact that you throw away at least two plastics per day isn’t a good thing. You see something you like, you buy it, you eat it, and then the plastic is thrown away! Nobody gives a damn! You should, in fact.
Because plastic is difficult to breakdown, it breaks down into the earth, releasing poisonous chemicals that end up in the ocean, disrupting the natural balance of aquatic organisms.
Our climate suffers when the ocean is contaminated! The ocean not only produces the oxygen we breathe, but it also absorbs our waste product, carbon dioxide, which we exhale. Consider this: what happens if our primary source of oxygen is contaminated? We humans, as you may have surmised, bear the brunt of the repercussions.
Furthermore, we rely on aquatic bodies for the majority of our protein and other essential components. If you continue to discard your plastics in an irresponsible manner, you may want to consider new ways for people to benefit from everything that the ocean has to offer.
In the end, recycling helps to avert harmful incidents, which is why plastic recycling is so critical.
- New Product Development
Recycling plastics is also essential since it may be used to manufacture new plastic products. Why waste plastics when they may be good to you and the environment? The plastic containers you throw away every day can be used to make amazing stuff like sporting materials.
You hurry to the nearest counter to place an order whenever something fresh and distinctive is produced. You keep hope for something useful to be invented, but have you ever tried to help with its development?
It’s not too late, though. Recycling plastic can inspire individuals to come up with new methods to use it, and if it can be used to build another product, why bury or burn it in your backyard?