Plastics have become an indispensable thing in our life, we can't imagine a world without it, from small paper clips to large pipes, that bring water, we use plastics extensively in our lives.But the fact is that they are toxic, not only to us, but to the environment.Since most of the plastics are non-degradable, i.e they do not decay like organic substance.
Hence plastics are much more dangerous to the environment.There are cases of animals suffocating to death, since they accidentally swallowed a plastic bag or any other plastic item for that matter.The plastics are not only created from a toxic chemical process, but some types of plastics are toxic to our health.Hence using them, must be done with caution.
Yet most of us, take things for granted that all plastics are safe, they are tested before they are let for commercial use.That is true actually, but the danger lies in the usage of plastic-which type of plastic for which application.You cannot use any plastic bag to stor food in your cooler.There are some kinds of plastics that will react with food substance.
The extensive use of plastic began in the mid 19th century.The first form of plastic, was not prepared in industries like we do now, but it was obtained from insects called Lac and the resin, they extracted was Shellac.This was used to make small items like clips, buttons, handles,etc., during the same period, another source of plastic was discovered- the gutta-percha tree.This tree secreted rubber like resin, this was used for insulating the electrical wires, in that time.
But getting plastic from natural sources, took long and it meant lot of work, since you can get only very little plastic resin for a day.And finished products were inconsistent from batch to batch, and most products darkened and cracked with age.
So the alternative was to formulate plastics ,using some kind of chemical process.Have you head of the Goodyear tyres? it was named after Charles Goodyear.He was the one who invented vulcanised rubber.It was in 1839he discovered it when he accidentally dropped a piece of rubber onto a hot stove, the rubber was treated with sulfur.He learned that burning rubber, after treating it with sulfur would change the properties of rubber and he also found that vulcanised rubber was much more stronger and could withstand friction and heat to some extents.So scientists set out to find the perfect formula for plastic resins.It was in 1909 Leo .H.Baekeland had found the right recipe for a strong, yet light plastic-the Bakelite.Since it was tough but weighed less, it found a variety of applications ranging from the telephone casings, to television frames, even toys.
By half way through the century, people had discovered various forms of plastics-epoxy resin,PVC(ployvinyl chloride), thermo setting plastics,etc.,Both America and Germany were the key players in the plastics market.It was after the second waorld war, that the famous PET was discovered.This form of plastic is famous for moulding bottles.PET was not an instant succes, since people were more concerned in getting better from the wars, they cared about the wonder product-PET very less.Then in the mid 1900s, there was research in developing plastics for space and defence technologies.More stronger, yet lighter plastic resins, that could aid in the development of aircraft parts, suits for astronauts, etc.,but today, we have mastered the plastic making so much that we can produce plastics for any desired specification that we want.But as mentioned earlier, the uses of this wonder material-plastics has blinded us for decade, before we realised the real problems of the plastics-the aftermath- after the plastics have been produced, they can't be thrown away, because they don't decay!.
What could be the only viable solution? reduce the source itself!.If we stopped producing new plastic items, instead, recycled old ones, we will be able to put an end to it.Source reduction is the practice of using less material to manufacture a product.Some regulations approve plastic items, only upto a thickness, hence wasting material, to produce new ones can be reduced also in some countries, there are laws against manufacturing an un-recyclable plastic.Yet some make use of fire, to put an end to the plastics.Wastes, such as paper, plastics, wood, and other flammable materials can be burned in incinerators. The resulting ash requires much less space for disposal than the original waste would.But burning it could release toxic fumes.manufacturing of plastics uses fossil fuel, and not like what an average car consumes but consumed like an airliner.Hence producing them wastes fossil fuel, moreover the production results in some toxic unwanted chemicals.
By the end of the 20th century, people began realizing the importance of recycling,many standards and norms were brought into effect to make recycling of plastics easier.Like the symbols used in plastic items.All plastics can be recycled. Thermoplastics can be remelted and made into new products.Thermosetting plastics can be crushed, mixed, and then used as filler( small pellets) in moldable thermoplastic materials. Highly filled and reinforced thermosetting plastics can be pulverized and used in new composite formulations.The experts concerning plastics Industry devised the scheme to mark plastic bottles by plastic type. A recyclable plastic container using this scheme is marked with a triangle with arrows (chasing each other)! and a number inside of it,giving the plastic type: PETE, HDPE, PVC, LDPE, PP, PS, and OTHER(we will see about these types later).
But recycling of plastic is no easy task.You don't just throw all the plastic into one big container and recycle it.The plastics have to be sorted out.consider a beverage bottle.The cap, will be a different plastic resin, from the type of plastic the body of bottle is made of.Also there is a problem of different colored plastics getting mixed up.Most modern automated plastic sorting systems are not capable of differentiating between many different types of plastics. However, some advances are being made in these sorting systems to separate plastics by color, density, and chemical composition. For example, x-ray sensors can distinguish PET from PVC.The problem is, if these plastics are not sorted out, the recycled plastic cannot achieve high remolding strength, which results in decreased market value of the recycled plastic.For health reasons, recycled plastics are rarely used to make food containers. Instead they are used to make trash cans, plastic items, vehicle oil bottle,etc.,.Also the plastics made use of in electronic gadgets like mobile phone, calculators, etc., are so small, that they are sometimes impossible to recycle, until the whole object is of the same type of plastic.One more problem in recycling plastics is that they are valued less.Due to all these obstructing factors, recycling of plastic is not prominent.
Hence the alternative to recycling of plastics is the creation of bio-degradable plastic.This is the idea many researchers and environmental activists believe to be the solution to plastics.Now researchers are working to develop biodegradable plastics that will degrade or be brokendown due to bacterial action or exposure to sunlight.When these plastics are discarded, bacteria eat away the starch molecules, breaking the molucular structure of the plastic and letting it decompose. The other idea of degradable plastic is to create a plastic resin, that when exposed to sunlight, long enough will start to decompose.There are numerous standards to measure the degradablility of a plastic, one idea that is approved vastly is that 90 per cent to 60 per cent of the plastic product must occur within 60 to 180 days of being placed in a standard environment, suitable for decomposing.
But bio-degradable plastics do cost higher than the plastic that is not degradable.It's because, we pay for the collection and recycling, however for the non- degradable one, we pay only for the material and making costs.Hence they are lesser.But to save environment, some drastic steps has to be taken.Moreover, when the sales of bio-degradable plastics is prominent, the pricing is more likely to go down.
But recycling of plastics mustn't be taken lightly.To know the power of recycling, one must know the plans of the recent Olympic event to recycle.It seems that more than 660 tonnes of waste was generated each day (combined in all the venues).From this huge waste,76 per cent was collected and recycled.Part of this success was due to the use of biodegradable plastics used in the packaging of fast food, the use of degradable plastics ensured that the money and energy required to collect and recycle them were saved!.
Most of the article we've seen about the steps taken by different governments of the world.But what about our country? Neglect of the importance of recycling, bio-degradable plastic, avoiding plastic usage, etc., still prevails in India.That's a very bad news.But the good news is our Govt. is taking steps time and again, to establish an awareness among people about the hazzards of plastic and the awareness about usage and recycling of plastics.A governing body called ICPE(Indian center for Plastic in Environment) has initiated these steps, some of them are:
In cities like Mumbai and Delhi, school children have been given lessons on avoiding littering and the habit of using bins.And the importance of the plastic usage, the recycling etc., have also been taught.ICPE has co- sponsored with other organisations to bring about the awareness in other parts of the country.One of the main aim of ICPE's involvement would be to create awareness among the school teachers and the school children about segregation of wastes, especially plastics.For the same cause of creating awareness, this ICPE has conducted All India Art Contest among the school children.
Now we come to a much more important part- use of plastics, that come into contact with food.The useage of plastics for either cooking purposes(tupper wares in microwave) or for food storage(packaging, storing in fridge,etc.,) can cause some health problems.As we saw earlier,a variety of petroleum-based chemicals go into the manufacture of plastics.Hence some of these chemicals can seep into our food.This leaching can increase when plastic comes in contact with oily or fatty foods, during heating and from old or scratched plastic. Sometimes, event the use of some detergents , to clean the plastic container or bottle,etc., can degrade plastic.Mostly, the types of plastics that aid in this type of leaching toxic chemicals are polycarbonate, PVC and styrene. (remember , due to this the other plastics are not entirely safe for usage with food).
The last part, will give you an idea of the standard marking, that are used to indicate the type of plastic, used in manufacturing bottles.(many or some of you would have recieved a mail regarding the symbols at the bottom of plastic bottles).As discussed before, the recycling symbol is a triangle , made with arrows, each facing the tail of the one before it( chasing each other!)
The number inside is the indicator of the type or plastic, it goes like this:(this information is vital, hence I'm presenting it with minor changes from the source.)
PETE: Polyethylene terephthalate ethylene, used for soft drink, juice, water, detergent, cleaner and other moist food containers.
HDPE: High density polyethylene, used in opaque plastic milk and water jugs, bleach, detergent and shampoo bottles, and some plastic bags.
PVC or V: Polyvinyl chloride, used for cling wrap, plastic squeeze bottles, cooking oil and funnels and pipes, and detergent containers and window cleaner bottles.
LDPE: Low density polyethylene, used in grocery storage bags, mostly in plastic wraps, Ziplock bags and some bottles.
PP: Polypropylene, used in most Rubbermaid, syrup containers and yogurt containers, straws and other clouded plastic containers, including baby bottles.
PS: Polystyrene, used in styrofoam food trays, egg cartons(egg holders), disposable cups and bowls, some containers and opaque plastic items like spoons.
Other: It includes polycarbonate,bio-based plastics, co-polyester, acrylic, polyamide and plastic mixtures like styrene-acrylonitrile resin (SAN). Number 7 plastics are used for a variety of products like baby bottles and cups, baby food jars, bigger water containers, sporty water bottles, plastic dinner sets, etc.,( try www.healthylegacy.com)
The most important part is how we use these plastics, now that we have some knowledge of them!.
Try to avoid the usage of plastics, by choosing an alternative, encourage paper packaging at local grocery store, opt to carry your own baggage to buy groceries, rather than getting a new plastic bag from the shop.Make use of environmental friendly paper cups, bio-degradable plastics, whenever possible.
Food coverings are to be taken seriously.For plastic wrapped foods, remove a small layer of the food that might have come in contact with the plastic and re-wrap in non-PVC plastic wrap or better, place it in a plastic container.
Remember we saw the numbering systems for bottles?,well avoid number 7 (what a lucky number!), labeled polycarbonate plastic,since it can leach harmful bisphenol. Other number 7 plastics like copolyester,polyamide, acrylic and polylactic acid (PLA) are safer choices because they don’t contain it.But we cannot differentiate from these kind of chemicals until we are some kind of chemical engineer or scientist, hence avoid number seven if possible.
Reusing water bottle is a good idea, as it reduces plastic usage,saves energy money.But if you use a refillable water bottle, avoid polycarbonate (labeled number 7 PC) and instead choose bottles made of stainless steel, glass or safer plastics like co-polyester or polyethylene.If the obvious choice is going to be a number 7 bottle, then avoid using it for hot water.Water bottles numbered 1 or 2 plastics are recommended for single use only. For all types of plastic, you can reduce bacterial contamination by thoroughly washing daily. But be careful, using some detergent or washing materials, can damage the molecular structure of the plastic, releasing toxic content.And consider using a home water purifier, instead of storing water in plastic containers.
PVC must be avoided substantially.Toys, materials, and other consumer products that might make use of PVC should be avoided, why? Because one of the most toxic is PVC (Polyvinyl chloride) is harmful to both the environment and human health.and the irony is that PVC is the least recyclable plastic.Workers at PVC manufacturing plants are prone to get cancer, why? the production of PVC, releases toxic gases and some unwanted chemicals, that harm the environment.Also,PVC needs additives and stabilizers to make it usable.Hence lead is often added for strength, and some types of plastisizers are used for increasing flexibility.These are not just additives, they are toxic additives.The most drastic effects of PVC is due to a substance called Dioxin. Low-level exposures to this causes decreased birth weight, learning and behavioral problems in children, suppressed immune function and hormone disruption!.
Avoid using plastic containers in the microwave. Chemicals are released from plastic when heated. Instead, use glass or ceramic containers(that doesn't contain any paint!). All microwave safe tupper ware are safe, to be used in microwaves because they don't melt but they are not safe in cooking food items in them. Avoid using fatty food in microwave, in combination with plastic vessels also avoid oily food since these substance under heat can react with the plastic.
Remember that its not only the part of government to help recycle and spread awareness of plastics, but it's also in the hands of responsible citizens.Also,with intelligent use, we have the potential to reduce plastic litter, decrease the quantities of plastic waste going into landfills and increase the recycling of other organic components that would normally end up in landfills.