Hello there!
Welcome to the page of Plastic Menace. Through this blog, I intend to raise awareness of global plastic pollution. Plastic usage and disposal left unchecked would undoubtedly become a menace to society, hence the blog’s name. This blog aims to cover a wide-ranging aspect of plastic pollution from its source to its consequences as well as the potential remedies we can undertake to protect our environment.
Before we go on further, perhaps I will share a little more about myself.
My name is Matthew, and I am a year 3 Geography student. My interest in plastic pollution stems from being a big fan of McDonald’s. From the adoption of straw-less lids to the replacement of plastic cups with recyclable paper cups, McDonald’s has gradually transit itself into a more environmentally friendly, plastic lite restaurant (Ong, 2019). Their efforts have prompted me to be more aware and curious about how plastic is posing a threat to our environment, hence the blog’s topic.
What is plastic pollution?
The properties that make plastic useful – their durability and resistance to degradation – make it almost impossible for nature to break them down completely. The accumulation of plastic in the environment then serves as a hindrance for wildlife and their habitats. Furthermore, plastic when exposed to sunlight emits methane and other gases (Royer et al., 2018). Plastic found in oceans would also interfere with plankton’s capacity to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, posing a threat to the global warming cycle (Shen et al., 2020).
Sound a little too technical? In sum, plastic bears a huge consequence on the environment and it is up to us to act now before its too late.
How does it affect me?
Did you know that we consume an estimated 39,000 to 52,000 microplastic particles per year from food and beverages (Cox et al., 2019)? Additives and chemicals carried from the manufacturing process, and pathogens or parasites that may be on the plastic are injected into the food chain, posing a health hazard.
Microplastic Ingestion: Not a hoax!
As such, it is paramount that we recognise the severity of plastic pollution and hopefully, through this blog, YOU will make a more informed choice with regards to plastic use.
References
Cox, K. D., Covernton, G. A., Davies, H. L., Dower, J. F., Juanes, F., & Dudas, S. E. (2019). Human consumption of microplastics. Environmental Science & Technology, 53(12), 7068–7074. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.9b01517
Ong, J. (2019, September 4). McDonald’s removing straws and replacing some single-use plastics at 10 outlets. TODAY. https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/mcdonalds-removing-straws-and-replacing-single-use-plastics-10-outlets-september
Royer, S.-J., Ferrón, S., Wilson, S. T., & Karl, D. M. (2018). Production of methane and ethylene from plastic in the environment. PLOS ONE, 13(8), e0200574. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0200574
Shen, M., Ye, S., Zeng, G., Zhang, Y., Xing, L., Tang, W., Wen, X., & Liu, S. (2020). Can microplastics pose a threat to ocean carbon sequestration? Marine Pollution Bulletin, 150, 110712. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.110712
Image References
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