Plastic bags, plastic bottles and plastic packaging are bad for the environment. What damage does plastic do to the environment? What can be done by governments and individuals to solve this problem?

Plastic

products

are affordable, versatile and durable, but they are a threat to our

environment

. They pollute soil and

water

, endanger animals and act as a breeding ground for deadly insects. The authority and general people can take numerous measures to curb the problem and its magnitude. Plastics can severely harm our

environment

. The littering of plastics creates a rather unhygienic condition here and there. These unsanitary conditions

then

become the breeding ground for harmful insects and mosquitoes, causing diseases like malaria and dengue. According to United Nations Environmental Programme, we produce nearly 400 million tons of

plastic

waste each year.

Such

a large volume of

plastic

waste can harm our

environment

to a large extent, especially, when these

plastic

products

take from decades to centuries to decompose. They seriously degrade soil fertility or quality, meaning plants or trees can not grow well on those soils.

Moreover

,

plastic

items can seriously pollute

water

bodies too, by changing their original chemical property, since they easily can find their way into the rivers and oceans. And when that happens, it poses a grave threat to fish and other marine lives. There have been instances where some large endangered species of tortoises were found to be suffocating because of mistakenly swallowing

plastic

bags that were attached to seaweed. To limit these environmental damages, governments and individuals, around the world, can take some effective initiatives. People can recycle some of the

plastic

products

they use, and reduce their reliance on plastics.

For instance

, many people use glass-made bottles to carry

water

rather than using one-time-use

plastic

water

bottles. But it definitely should be the governments that need to do the heavy lifting, in

this

case, to protect our

environment

from

plastic

waste by enacting different kinds of rules and regulations wherever deem appropriate and

also

continually running awareness programmes.

For example

, South Africa has restricted the manufacture and usage of

plastic

bags by enacting parliamentary legislation.

Besides

, governments can

also

offer tax incentives for those individuals or companies who do not use

plastic

products

. In conclusion,

plastic

is an imminent threat to our world, and if we - both the government and individuals - work hand in hand,

then

the chances are one day, we would be able to see a world where

plastic

is not a problem anymore.