How can you use plastic without harming the environment?

Plastics are tough and durable and have versatile applications. We have to admit that we cannot completely avoid the usage of plastic, even though we know that they are harming the ecosystem and cannot be decomposed easily. Some plastics may take decades and some may take centuries to decompose.

So the scientists have started their search to make plastic which does not harm the environment. We need a better alternative to these traditional plastics to serve our purposes. The solution to this problem is eco-friendly plastics, which can be easily broken down and mix with the soil. The new plastics which are innovated to replace the traditional plastics are bioplastics, biodegradable plastics, and recycled plastics.  

Bioplastics: The bioplastics come from the natural, renewable sources like vegetable oil, cornstarch, pea starch and orange rinds. While the technology and application of bioplastics are still at an early stage, what drives people to take notice is how traditional plastics get replaced with natural alternatives without significant reduction in quality.

Biodegradable Plastics: Have you ever noticed the biodegradable mark on the plastics at the store?? They also come under traditional plastics made of petroleum but can be degraded easily. They are also called as “photodegradable” or “oxo-degradable”, meaning they require exposure to UV radiation or oxidation to make the decomposition faster.  But, biodegradable plastics also may leave some toxic residues which can still harm the environment.

Recycled Plastics: Recycling the plastic will help to somewhat reduce the tension of plastic disposal. The old items can be recycled to make new if they are made with some particular specifications and standards.   

Plastic buried deep in landfills for years are now releasing harmful chemicals that spread in river and sea. Slowly, it is affecting everyone's life globally and we are only gifting suffocation and terrible diseases to our next generation. Let's think again about how we can say a "BigNoToPlastic", "BeatPlasticPollution" on this "WorldEnvironmentDay".

Some small efforts we all can make are:

• Carry small cloth shopping bags.
• Use steel or copper bottled water.
• Big "No" to plastic bags.
• Big "No" to plastic bottled beverages.
• Use paper bags to carry small shopping.
• Use, reusable containers for meat and prepared foods.
• Use, reusable glass bottles for milk and juice.