• Home
  • Green Environment
  • 8.3 Avoid Using Plastic Materials

8.3 Avoid Using Plastic Materials

Content

Rahul has begun studying his next lesson – Avoid Plastic.

Rahul: “Plastic products are harmful to nature and pollutes the environment. It can cause many deadly diseases for human being such as cancer.  Children’s sports vehicles, toys, auto parts and every other product is made in plastic in the modern world. People use it for reasons such as low cost, weightless and easy of use.

Plastic is made from synthetic molecules, a substance that can destroy our environment. If a plastic material is broken or damage, we inadvertently throw it away in trash which results in various consequences such as:

  • Wastewater blockage thus proliferating flies
  • Soil vulnerability
  • Food products packed in plastic materials causes sever health issues
  • Plastic drinking bottles and cooler bottles get clogged in places like sewers and pollute the environment
  • Spread of deadly diseases – Do not throw away plastic bags. This can cause you to get sick, stagnant fresh water in them and cause dengue mosquitoes to multiply and create water source problems.
  • Do not throw away wasted food and vegetable waste in plastic bags! These can cause intestinal obstruction and death in animals when they eat such foods packed in plastic.
  • The plastic material on the surface of the ground prevents rainwater from reaching the ground and impacts the environment.

Ways to avoid using plastic materials in our daily lives:

  • Using cloth bags instead of plastic bags
  • Separation and management of garbage into compost versus non compost plastic items
  • Avoid plastic to tie bundles or packs
  • Avoid using substandard plastics in food packages
  • Avoid eating foods that are packed in plastic
  • Do not throw plastic objects on the ground and water

Plastic Recycling:

It is very easy and faster to manufacture plastic products but time it takes to decompose takes several hundred years. About 90% of the waste materials that are floating in the ocean is plastic. Only 7% of the plastic products now produced are recycled and the remaining 93% of the plastics stays in the environment and causes harm. Therefore, all manufacturers and the general public should avoid plastic usage for themselves and start using alternative materials instead of plastic products.

Benefits of avoiding plastic:

  • Avoiding plastic will benefit agricultural land, sand, water bodies, and animals in several ways:
  • Climate change
  • Soil conservation
  • Rainwater savings
  • Maintaining the cleanliness and greenery of the country
  • Preventing diseases and maintaining good health
  • Preventing animals from eating plastic

Therefore, as a citizen of the country, we must start avoiding the use of plastic for the benefit of the country, people, our future generations and the environment. Let’s create a plastic-free country.”

Summary

Plastic is one of the most widely used materials in the home today. The use of plastic is high in various day to day products such as pharmacy, clothing store, grocery store, electronics, auto parts, food packages, etc. Although plastic is available cheaply, its disadvantages are very serious, so let’s build a plastic-free nation by using the methods mentioned in this lesson and avoid using of plastic!

Exercise

Answer the following questions.

01) What are the two factors that make people welcome plastic products?

  1. …………………………………………………………………….
  2. …………………………………………………………………….

02) Mention two plastic items found in the house.

  1. …………………………………………………………………….
  2. …………………………………………………………………….

03) What is the time taken to fold plastic products?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

04) Write down three disadvantages of using plastic.

  1. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
  2. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
  3. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

05) Mention two ways to avoid the use of plastic.

  1. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
  1. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..