Plastic is bad for environment. What individuals and government can do about it?

In the modern age,

plastic

is used intensively in everything which includes watered

bottles

, juice and snacks packets, pacakging various other items, containers and

bags

.

Plastic

became popular as they could be produced at a very low cost.

Initially

, its uage was advertised as a recyclable product. But in the later times, with the increasing problems, environmentalists and reasearchers revealed there are seven types of plastics and only

plastic

of type five to seven can be recylced and reused to some extent. But these range of plastics are expensive to produce.

Therefore

, plastics ranging from one to four are frequently used and they contribute only to waste. There are various reasons why

usage

of the

plastic

is problematic to the environment.

Firstly

, if we try to throw

plastic

in the garbage

then

the land where it is dumped becomes heavy as

plastic

does not decompose.

Hence

, we need more and more land to bury

plastic

garbage.

Secondly

, as we were falling short of land, people starting throwing it in the

water

. It was observed that it harms aquatic flora and fauna adversely.

For example

: lake in the Delhi city has revealed that its marine life was reduced by 60% due to the

plastic

dumps.

Additionally

, it is ruining the quality of

water

and causing blocks in the

water

pipes. When these two solutions failed miserably,

lastly

, some of the Governments tried buring their

plastic

waste and

this

caused emitting of harmful gases. These gases are known to cause chronic lung diseases and severe cough problems to the people leaving around these burning centers. As mentioned above, we cannot get rid of

plastic

easily so it becomes vital to lessen the

use

of it. There are different ways to achieve

this

. One of the ways is to say no to

plastic

bags

.

Instead

use

recyclable

bags

made of cloth or jute. Another way is to stop using

plastic

cutleries like spoons, forks and straws. Governments can bring laws around their

usage

.

For example

, Bombay Munciplaity Cooperation has passsed a law to fine anyone using

plastic

bags

and cutlery. All the shop keepers and restaurant owners have been given stringent warnings. Law for them includes fine of Rs 5000 and risk of shutting down business if they are found guilty. For individuals, fine for Rs 1000 per bag if they are found carrying

plastic

bags

.

Moreover

,

use

of bottled waters and cups should be reduced.

This

can be achieved if as an individual we try to

use

reusable

bottles

like stainless steel

bottles

or copper

bottles

. Government can motivate individuals by reducing prices of these

bottles

and providing

water

refilling stations.

For example

: most of the railway stations in Mumbai have cheap

water

refilling centers. Another way to lessen the

usage

is by conducting various campaigns. If these campaigns are led by famous celebrities or influencers,

then

they can reach larger audience. Environmentalists and Government can

use

social media to spread

this

awareness.

For instance

: Virat Kohli who is captain for Indian cricket team did an advertisement for using reusable

bottles

which had a very wide impact. To conclude,

usage

of

plastic

is harmful for the environment so Government and individuals should work hand in hand to get rid of

plastic

or at least lessen

usage

of it.