Plastic: a Boon or Bane?

The silver era of plastic had started 100 years ago. This is a revolutionary invention. A user-friendly, light-weighted, cost-effective, waterproof material came as a saviour for fast-growing developed and developing countries. Plastic became the golden key to success.

From small grocery stores in your area to big e-commerce companies, use plastic for packaging. We use plastic daily. Suppose we want to carry a banana or an apple outside to eat. We are going to wrap it with plastic to protect itself from spoiling. We carry a plastic water bottle with us all the time.

Products Packing

In this digital age, We are relying more on online stores rather than physical stores. We are continuously adding products to our e-carts. When the ordered products get delivered, we unwrap the layers of single-use plastic materials used for packaging. Even microplastics are used in the making of toothpaste, cosmetics products, etc.

We did not realize when we were turning the world into plastics. There are more plastic materials than fish in the waters. A giant trash mountain made of plastic debris is expanding each day. We are using plastic regularly, but we are not looking at the plastic waste created by us. We are continuously dumping the waste on the landfill.

We are at a stage where we have to revive our purest river Ganga. “Namami Gange” is a mission project to curb the pollution of the River Ganges. Plastic materials affect marine life and coral reefs. The coastal areas and beaches are the worst affected. Plastic products even enter our food chain, and they come as a threat to our lives. They lay the first stone of destruction in the water bodies. Zooplanktons consume microplastics as food, and the cycle ends with human beings via small and big fishes.

How do the manufacturing companies produce plastic?

The core materials are fossil fuels and crude oil. They extract the materials from underground reservoirs of Earth. The more the demand, the more crude oil and fossil fuels, coal, natural gas, etc. Naptha is produced after refining the crude oil, and Polythene is formed during the polymerization process.

When non-degradable plastic waste products stay in the atmosphere for a long time, they get depolymerized, and plastic breaks down into micro Polyethylene. Small plastic pellets start to gobble up the environment. Plastic pollution disrupts the ecological balance. It is the key source of greenhouse emissions.

Greenhouse gases are mainly heat-trapping gases. It helps to keep the atmosphere warm. But when the amount of greenhouse gas production increases, it turns into the evil eye. It leads to global warming. There are many side effects like glaciers melting, rising sea levels, coastal erosion, drought, changing weather patterns, etc.

Plastic Pollution

Plastic pollution is a massive problem with limited solutions. India is turning into a hotspot of plastic waste generation. Stop producing and selling plastic materials is not the permanent and clever solution. If we look for more recycling and proper waste management methods rather than putting a complete ban on plastic, it would be a more viable solution.

Poor recycling process and lack of implementation of environmental policies cause the rapid increase of plastic debris. The public and private sectors are trying to help as much as they can. But there are more measures to be taken care of. The matter is already got out of our hands. If we try harder, we can still maintain the balance of biodiversity and save mother nature.

Plastic Recycling

Ecoex has come up with a way of reducing plastic pollution. It is the first Plastic recycling process that provides a digital platform to renowned producers, manufacturers, recyclers all over the country. They can purchase and sell plastic waste through e-auction. Their electronic marketplace contributes to plastic waste management services PAN India. The company work as a team on the ground level. They work on EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility) Plastic waste management model. When an individual or a small or large scale company registers themselves in this platform and participates in online bidding, an EPR certificate will be issued after the completion of payment.

Ecoex offers digital solutions on how to use the debris for gainful purposes. The producers and manufacturing companies sell the MLP and Non-MLP plastic waste on this platform. These wastes are either get recycled or used in road making and cement mills. Ecoex delivers a hassle-free facility so that trading can be done from any corner of India.

If we all work hand in hand, we will surely prevent the plastic epidemic along with the COVID-19 pandemic. Let us take a pledge to keep the world safe from the toxicity of plastic waste and gift a healthy life to all living beings.

So, we all need to stop and take the steps needed. Using plastic waste as a trading and recycling material for a better purpose is the appropriate method.