USAGE OF SINGLE USE PLASTICS – THREATS AND

ALTERNATES

R. Ragavi
UG student, Department of Economics,
PSGR Krishnammal College for Women, Coimbatore.

ABSTRACT
Over the years, the rising population, growing industries and expansion in
consumption rate have raised the demand for Single-use plastics. The production of plastics is
roughly estimated to be around 300 million tons each year, most of which cannot be recycled.
Plenty of efforts have been put forth worldwide towards the environmental protection on
recent years. The explosion of single-use disposable plastics over the last 30 years is posing
so many problems that degrades our environment. Researchers claim that plastic bags are a
major cause of water pollution. These are also responsible for making our agricultural lands
infertile. In this background, an attempt is made to review the effects of using single-use
plastics. It’s obvious that we need to use less plastic and move towards sustainable products
and services and come up with technology that recycles plastic more efficiently. This study
enlightens the problems in using single-use plastics and its alternatives.

INTRODUCTION
Today, we use plastic- a material designed to last forever- for products
designed to last few minutes. Single-use plastics or disposable plastics, are used only once
before they are thrown away or recycled. According to the U.N Environment, the most
common single-use plastics are Cigarette butts, drinking bottles, food wrappers, grocery bags,
plastic lids, straws and stirrers, etc… Because of the immensely versatile nature of plastics to
be made into products of varying strength and flexibility that we find plastic products ranging
from car bodies, home and office furniture, computers, water bottles and as package materials
for almost everything that needs transportation and storage. Several thousand different
additives are used in the plastic production. Brominated flame retardants, phthalates and lead
compounds used as heat stabilizers are considered the most hazardous additive types.
U.N Environment reports just 9 per cent of the world’s plastic has been recycled. Most of our
plastics ends up in landfills, our oceans, waterways and the environment. Plastics do not
biodegrade, instead they slowly break down into smaller pieces of plastics called Micro
plastics.
TYPES OF PLASTICS:
In 1988, to assist recycling of disposable items, the Plastic Bottle Institute of the
U.S. Society of the Plastics Industry devised a now-familiar scheme to mark plastic bottles by
plastic type. The seven types of plastic include:
 Polyethylene Terephthalate (PETE or PET)
 High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE)
 Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)
 Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE)
 Polypropylene (PP)
 Polystyrene or Styrofoam (PS)
 Miscellaneous plastics (includes: polycarbonate, polylactide, acrylic, acrylonitrile
butadiene, styrene, fiberglass, and nylon)

CHEMICAL EFFECT
Although plastic will not biodegrade (decompose into natural substance like
soil), it will degrade (break down) into tiny particles after many years. In this process of
breaking down, it releases toxic chemicals (additives that were used to shape and harden the
plastic) which make their way into our food and water supply. These toxic chemicals are now
being found in our bloodstream. And the latest research has linked them to cancer, infertility,
birth defects, impaired immunity and many other ailments. The quality of drinking water on
our planet is deteriorating, as plastic releases some toxic chemicals such as Styrene Trimmer,
Bisphenol A, and a by-product of Polystyrene. These products are worsening the drinking
water situation with every passing day. Phthalates and Bisphenol A (BPA) are the most
harmful chemical that damages the reproductive system of animals and human placental
tissue. Therefore BPA has been linked with premature birth, intrauterine growth retardation,
preeclampsia and still birth.

The amount of chemical emissions depend on various factors. Firstly, the content of these
chemicals in the plastic determines how much and what can be leached. The properties of the
polymer, such as permeability of the polymer structure, have also a key role. The size of the
gaps in the polymer depends largely on the physical state, which can be either glassy, rubbery
or crystalline.
Chemical recycling or depolymerisation is a process which converts plastic back into
building blocks (monomers) of new plastic raw materials. After chemical recycling, we are
left with new, pure chemical blocks which can be used to manufacture new plastics. But this
does not decimate the problems of plastics.
GLOBAL TRAGEDY TO SEA LIFE:
Plastic is cheap and versatile, making it idea for many applications, but many
of its useful qualities have led to it becoming an environmental pollutant. In 2016, PLOS
ONE (a peer-reviewed open access scientific journal published by the Public Library of
Science) found 269,000 tonnes of plastic waste to be floating in our oceans. It was mostly
polyethylene and polyesters from shopping bags, clothing and water bottles. These plastics
pose a vicious effect on the Earth as well as on humans. It can take up to thousands of years
for plastic bags and Styrofoam containers to decompose. In the meantime, it contaminates our
soil and water. The toxic chemicals used to manufacture plastic gets transferred to animal
tissue, eventually entering the human food chain. Styrofoam products are toxic if ingested
and can damage nervous systems, lungs and reproductive organs.
Small pieces of plastic are eaten by fish, turtles and seabirds, often resulting in their death.
While a report of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation estimated that, by 2050, the volume of
accumulated plastics in the oceans will be greater than that of fish. This is because a single
plastic bag can kill over 100 fishes and dolphins. During the rainy season, the plastic rubbish
that has fallen on the road gets washed away into the nearby water reservoirs, canals, and
drains, leading to their choking up and overflowing. Also, the water quality gets spoiled due
to the addition of these synthetic materials.
Surveys have found ocean micro plastic to outnumber plankton (the microscopic organisms’
floating in the sea or water bodies) by 6 to 1, and this number is growing exponentially as our
plastic addiction shows no sign of abating. Given that 70 percent of our oxygen comes from
marine plants, this is an extremely serious threat to our survival. The centre for Biological
Diversity is tackling with this problem on multiple fronts. It has also petitioned the
Environmental Protection Agency to begin regulating plastics as a pollutant and is working to
stop plastic pollution.

BAN OF SUNGLE-USE PLASTICS IN INDIA

India recently hosted World Environment Day, which this year focused on the
epidemic of plastic wastes. Twenty-five Indian states/Union Territories now have some form
of ban on plastics, but implementation is often lax. However, India’s use of plastic is less
than half of the global average: about 11kg a year per capita compared with 109kg in India
will eliminate all single-use plastic in the country by 2022, the Prime Minister, Narendra
Modi, has announced. The pledge is the most ambitious yet of the global actions to combat
plastic pollution that are taking place in 60 nations around the world. This move aims to
drastically stem the flow of plastic from the 1.3 billion people living in the fastest growing
economy in the world the US. India, which has 7,500km of coastline, also announced a
national marine litter action campaign and a programme to measure how much plastic enters
India’s coastal waters. The nation will also pledge to make 100 national monuments litter-
free, including the Taj Mahal.
 NEW DELHI
This massive city in India, home to over 20 million people, took a major step
towards helping the planet, when it banned all forms of single-use plastics in 2017. The city,
Our Capital, which was found to have the worst air quality out of 1,600 cities that were
analysed, took an initiative after complaints were made of illegal burning of plastic at
garbage dumps.

MUMBAI
Mumbai has become the largest Indian city to ban single-use plastics, with
residents caught using plastic bags, cups or bottles to face penalties of upto 25,000 rupees and
three months in Jail.

KANYAKUMARI
Kanyakumari, is now, declared as a plastic-free district. Solid waste
management committees were set up in six tourist places to create awareness among the
people to prevent use of plastics and segregation of non-recyclable plastics in their areas, said
the Collector, Rajendra Ratnoo. A massive rally was conducted at five places in Nagarkovil
on November 9th.

CHENNAI
The chief minister of Tamilnadu made an announcement in the state assembly
regarding the ban of single-use plastics from 1st January, 2019. “PlasticGottaGo” is a
campaign run by Chennai Times, in collaboration with Citizen Consumer and civic action
group. It seeks to spread awareness on the ban that comes into effect from 1st January, 2019
in Tamilnadu. A series of articles on the perils of plastic, alternatives to plastic, plastic free
economy are published so that people would be educated about the ill-effect of plastics and
joins hands to fight this enemy. The following are the items banned as per the Government
order:
 Plastic sheets on plates
 Plastic plates and cutlery
 Plastic buntings and flags
 Plastic straws
 Water pouches
 Plastic carry bags
 Disposable plastic cups and glasses.
ALTERNATES FOR SINGLE-USE PLASTICS:
As plastic is so prolifically used, especially in packaging, brands are going to
need to act quickly to find plastic alternatives. In fact, percentage of consumers are extremely
concerned about plastic packaging, 42 percentage think manufacturers should prioritise
making packaging recyclable and 21 percentage think the industry should work toward
entirely plastic-free packaging. Following are the few alternatives which is 100 percent
decomposable:
1. Plant-based plastics:
Bio plastics are made from a variety of sources such as corn, which is broken down into PLA,
or polylactic acid. This is incredibly sustainable to produce and is also easy to grow. PLA can
be used to make drinks bottles, various food grade containers, as well as films.

2. Mushroom root:
With Mycelium (mushroom roots), packaging is literally grown. Ecovatic Design gather
agricultural waste, mix it with the mycelium in moulds and then the packaging quite literally
grows.

3. Bagasse:
Bagasse is a by-product of sugarcane processing. Due to its malleability and stickiness, it can
be easily moulded into packaging suitable for food delivery and food service – similar to
polystyrene. Unlike polystyrene, it’s certified biodegradable and compostable, and being a
by-product, much more sustainable to produce.

4. Seaweed water bubbles:

UK start-up Ooho have created an edible (and by default, biodegradable) water bubble made
of seaweed. Their aim is “to provide the convenience of plastic bottles while limiting the
environmental impact”. They have developed manufacturing processes that make this both
more efficient and cheaper than producing plastic bottles.

5. Shower-friendly paper:
Beauty behemoth L’Oreal have just launched an eco-beauty range, Seed Phytonutrients. The
products thems1elves sound lovely (made from 93-100% natural ingredients) but the
packaging is where the real innovation is. Made by Ecologic, the outer card is recycled,
recyclable, compostable, glue-free and water-resistant. The inner liner is made with
recyclable plastic, and uses 60% less material than regular plastic bottles.

6. Palm leaves:
Holy Lama (a cosmetic brand) use palm leaves from the areca palm to create the oyster-like
cases for their handmade soaps. The leaves fall naturally from the areca palm, then they are
collected and moulded into the desired shape. Brilliantly environmentally friendly as they use
a natural waste product of the areca palm and the final packaging product is biodegradable.

7. Silber board – metallised paper:

Developed as a sustainable alternative to traditional composite metallised papers and
boards, Silber board is both recyclable and compostable. The paper weight can be used for
food on-the-go and labelling, the card weight can be used for all kinds of boxes – for food,
household goods, pharmaceuticals, etc…
8. Milk plastic:
Casein – the protein found in milk – has been used to make plastic for over a century, but it
went out of fashion in favour of the more hardwearing, long-lasting petrochemical
variety. Lactips have developed tech that combines the protein with clay and a reactive
molecule (glyceraldehyde) which make the plastic much stronger, but still biodegradable.
Lactips already produce milk plastic for the detergent industry and now are looking to move
into the food and beverage industry, as well as pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals.

CONCLUSION
Bearing in mind all the menacing consequences of over use of single-use
plastics, it’s obvious that we need to use less plastic and move towards sustainable products
and services and come up with technology that recycles plastic more efficiently. As a short
term action, we can encourage to use re-use plastics bags as, all of a sudden, usage of plastic
bags cannot be stopped. However, Recycling only delays the plastic disposal. Taking small
steps can greatly contribute to the reduction of plastic pollution. The simple step that each
individual can take towards reducing the use of single-use plastic is to avoid them. When the
world is plastic free, our oceans would be cleaner and the eco system would become
healthier. There would be more number of marine animals. Perhaps the price of petrol would
be lower, as apparently, the amount of petroleum used to create 14 plastic bags is enough to
drive a car one mile!
To enjoy all these, we must remove the concept of “single-use plastics” from our lives.

REFERENCE
 Times of India – 4 December, 2018 - #PlasticGottaGo: A campaign to beat plastic
pollution
 National Geography – 29 0ctober, 2018 – A running list of action on Plastic pollution
 BBC news – 24 October, 2018 - https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-45965605
 Times of India - 27 September, 2018 - Central station takes a step forward in waste
management.
 http://www.climateaction.org – Leading companies that has banned Plastic.