Sustainability in a Plastic World

Plastics are among the most widely manufactured materials on the planet. Perhaps this is because a huge percentage of the objects that people use to support their lifestyle are made out of plastic, from the plates they eat on to the clothes they wear. It’s as if the world will stop turning if plastic production stops.

Unfortunately, the increasing volume of plastic materials has become a pressing environmental concern. Besides clogging drainage systems and causing floods, most plastics today are oil-based and use ten percent of the world’s oil supply, which means their manufacture greatly contributes to global warming. Even if they are disposed of properly, it will take 1,000 years before they decompose.

People’s problem with plastic, however, has been minimized when plastic recycling was introduced during the environmental revolution of the late 1960s. By sorting out, cleaning, and melting used plastics found mostly in bins, plastics can be converted back to their original form and remanufactured into different plastic products. Plastic manufacturing is a sustainable solution to the world’s solid waste problems.

You can help by throwing your plastics in the designated bins where they can be collected and brought to recycling plants; you can do the same with recycled plastic products, such as reusable plastic bags. To help further, you can promote awareness about the importance of plastic recycling in connection with International Literacy Day, an event that takes place yearly on September 8.