2018 World Environment Day Essay Competition – Second Position

Beat Plastic Pollution   By Lobsang Dhondup

Introduction:  In the last few decades, plastic pollution in the world has increased very fast, especially in Asian countries like India and Nepal. It has badly affected human health and the life of creatures, particularly fish, seabirds, dolphins and whales. Large quantities of plastic have been found in the stomachs of many dead animals as they were ingesting plastics which filled up their digestive systems. Plastic pollution also has a lot of negative impacts on the environment and human beings. Plastic rubbish has fallen into rivers and canals. Water quality is spoiled due to the addition of these synthetic materials. The creatures that have been suffering from plastic pollution want to be free from plastic pollution problems, but they don’t have the ability to solve their problems. But human beings have ability to observe the causes of these problems and to find out the best way to beat it. Therefore, in my opinion, it is our responsibility to beat plastic pollution, to save the lives of the creatures that have been suffering from plastic pollution. Especially educated people have the responsibility to protect human health and the environment.

 

The seven main causes of plastic pollution are the following:

1. Over use of plastic bags for shopping;
2. Ignoranceabout the effects of plastic pollution;
3. Burning of plastic products;
4. Use of more toys made of plastic;
5. Usage of plastic cups, bottles, plates, bowls, spoons, etc;
6. Failure to recycle and reuse plastic products;
7. Unwanted plastic things thrown everywhere.

Furthermore, plastic is very easy to make. It is among the cheapest and most easily available items in the current world. Therefore, plastic is widely used in our daily life and plastic is present all around us in our houses, offices and the environment in different forms of products. As the population of the world grows, Plastic pollution increases very fast as the use of plastic items rises day by day. The accumulation of these products has led to increasing amounts of plastic pollution around the world.

 

Plastic pollution occurs when plastic has gathered in an area and has begun to negatively impact the natural environment and creates problems for plants and wildlife. Often this leads to the destruction of the life of plants and animals in all three ecospheres: land, water and air. It is also harmful to people. It has also a direct and deadly effect on marine life and thousands of seabirds and sea turtles, fish and other marine mammals. They are killed each year after ingesting plastic or getting entangled in it. There are even more effects of plastic pollution,  many stray animals end up eating plastic bags and bottles which can cause their death. Next, during the rainy season, plastic rubbish falls on the road and gets washed away into nearby water and canals. The water quality is spoiled due to the addition of these synthetic materials. Furthermore, blockage due to plastic accumulation may form breeding grounds for mosquitoes and other harmful insects, which might cause the spread of numerous diseases. The use of plastic has been linked to a number of health concerns affecting people around the world as plastic contains a number of toxic chemicals. In addition, plastic pollution costs millions of dollars each year to clean up affected areas after exposure and many regions have seen a decrease in tourism because of the amount of pollution in their environment, which can have a serious impact on local economies. Finally, on land, wind can carry plastic waste or litter throughout the environment. Plastic pollution can get stuck in trees, fences and traffic lights. When animals come into contact with this plastic waste, they risk consuming the toxins or becoming entangled in the plastic and suffocating. Almost 200 different species of animals are known to ingest plastic debris. One of the solutions for beating plastic pollution is to reduce the use of single-use plastic in your life. Wherever you live, the easiest and most direct way that you can get started is by reducing your own use of single-use plastics. Single-use plastics including bags, water bottles, straws, cups, utensils, and any other plastic items that are used only once and then discarded. The best way to do this is refusing any single-use plastic that you don’t need, like straws and plastic cups, and purchasing and carrying with youreusable products, including reusable bags, bottles, utensils, coffee cups and plates.

 

Another good idea for the solution of plastic pollution is that when you use single-use plastics that can be recycled, always be sure to recycle them. This helps keep them out of ocean and reduces the amount of “new” plastic in circulation. I think that it is a great idea to participate in a beach or river cleanup. Help remove plastic from the ocean and prevent it from getting there in the first place by participating in, or organizing, a cleanup of your local beach or waterway. This is one of the most direct and rewarding way to fight ocean plastic pollution. You can simply go to the beach or waterway and collect plastic waste on your own or with your friends and family, or you can join a local organization’s cleanup or an international Coastal Cleanup. Locally, some organizations work with people in cleanup drives. For example, Lha Charitable trust conducts a local cleanup of hillside areas in Mcloedganj, India once a month. I suggest as solution to just say “NO” to straws, as we can drink any kind of drinks without straws and glasses are a good substitute for straws. Another good suggestion is whenever you go to the market for shopping, don’t forget to carry a paper or cloth bag and also try to avoid bringing plastic bags home unnecessarily. Also, don’t buy juice in throw-away juice boxes or bottles. Instead of buying juice in plastic bottles, make your own fresh-squeezed juice or simply eat fresh fruit. Finally, we can request the owners of restaurants and shops to not use plastic straws, plastic carry bags and plastic cups.

 

One benefit of beating plastic pollution is that we can save the lives of many creatures like fish, seabirds and dolphins that have been suffering from plastic pollution. We can also keep our environment clean and green after beating plastic pollution. Financially, we do not need to spend more money for the cleaners to pick up trash. The government can also save money in environmental cleanup. If we reduce plastics, we do not need to burn itas trash and we will keep fresh air to breathe.

 

After researching the issue of plastic pollution, I have come to the following conclusions. As I mentioned previously, plastic pollution has so many negative impacts. Thousands of seabirds and many other marine mammals are killed after ingesting plastic and getting entangled in it every year. Making and using plastic or just being around plastics can be extremely harmful to human beings as plastic is made of many toxic chemicals. The most important thing that I want to write in the conclusion is that every human being needs to pay attention to what is happening in the world. We have ability to overcome many problems created by ourselves, like plastic pollution. But if we ignore this issue, it will be at a great and irreversible cost. Only we know how to use different methods to overcome suffering and be happy. If we don’t take the necessary steps, it may be too late and we will be left suffering the consequences. We should use our abilities to keep our environment clean and green as every sentient being relies on the environment for survival. We must also save the lives of sentient beings that have been suffering because of plastic pollution.

So my request for readers is simple. After reading this essay, please try to do something to reduce your use of plastic for the sake of the environment and all sentient beings.

 

SPECIAL THANKS TO:

I am immensely glad to get this opportunity to participate in the essay writing competition on the topic “Beat Plastic Pollution.” I really want to say “Special Thanks” to the respectable director, kind teachers and staff of Lha Charitable Trust for arranging this competition and providing education to the students year by year without any fees and for being concerned about our environment. It is really helpful to those students who do not have enough money for going to a college or university in his or her life and who hadn’t got the opportunity to go to school when they were young. Therefore, I always appreciate your kindness and satisfying services.