NON DEGRADABLE RESOURCES AND THEIR MINIMISATION

-Ekta Bhavsar (106)-Priyanka Lata Iyer (116)-Ayush Malpani (126)-Riya Tawde (146)

INTRODUCTION

As we become more technologically advanced, we produce materials that make life easy for us.

These advanced products do not break down naturally.

For example – synthetic plastics are a problem because of their sheer volume.

MEANING

A product which over time nature is unable to break down into natural components by itself i.e., it cannot be decomposed.

Too strong to be broken down by the organisms and natural weathering present on earth.

Examples : metal cans, bottles, toxic chemicals, plastic products etc.

Almost all resources all degradable – JUST NOT WITHIN A RESAONABLE TIMESPAN.

CAUSES

plastics (polyethylene, nylon, rayon, polyester, lexan, PVC (polyvinyl chloride), dacron).

metals (iron, platinum, steel, tin, aluminum, lead, silver, gold, arsenic, bismuth, zinc, chromium)

ceramics (carbon fiber, fiberglass, kevlar)

foams (cups, coolers)

INDIAN SCENE

India alone generates about 800 to 3,200 tons of plastic waste per day. Solid waste related problems prevail more in megalopolis and the dangers reach great heights in coastal cities. Solid wastes of domestic and industrial units are considered major pollutants of coastal regions of India. Nearly 44000 m3 of domestic sewage and 440 m3 of industrial waste are discharged every year into the seas of India.

EFFECTS OF NON-BIODGRADABLE PRODUCTS

According to a chart from the Coral Reef Alliance, a banana peel degrades in two months, while notebook paper will break down in three months. Harder substances take longer. Soda cans can take up to 350 years, while the plastic rings that hold together a six-pack of those cans can take up to 450 years. Glass bottles and styrofoam products might never biodegrade. The danger is that products that do not biodegrade will continue to pile up over time, requiring more and more land devoted to holding waste.

CONTAMINATED GROUND WATER

Long-term exposure to air, light and water can cause synthetic materials like plastic to emit toxic pollutants. Plastics, which are petroleum-based, contain toxins that can leach into water supplies. A 2007 study released by the Environmental Working Group showed that low doses of Biphenyl A--a chemical used in water bottles, food containers and hard plastics--leach into foods and water over time and are carcinogenic, cause insulin resistance

OUTGASSING

Plastic pollutes the air in much the same way it taints water supplies. Constant exposure to heat melts plastic, emitting gases into the atmosphere in a process known as outgassing. According to the conservation website Mindfully, incinerating plastic causes toxic fumes to be released into the atmosphere. The same problem happens with plastics exposed to constant sunlight.

GARBAGE IN WATER

The most wide-reaching effect of non-biodegradable trash is the Pacific Garbage Patch--an area of the Pacific ocean which is heavily polluted with plastics and other waste. The Pacific Garbage Patch is twice the size of the continental United States, stretching almost from California to Japan.

Plastic debris in the ocean is responsible for the deaths of over 100,000 marine animals each year. It is estimated that the Pacific Garbage Patch will double in size over the next 10 years if consumers don't do something to reduce their use of non-biodegradable waste.

METHODS TO MINIMISE

Plastic can be converted as a fuel since they are usually hydrocarbon-based and can be broken down into liquid hydrocarbon. One kilogram of waste plastic produces a liter of hydrocarbon

Some of the most difficult products that need disposing are often put through a much harsher process known as incineration. The incinerators are normally found in large factories that deal with waste products or disposal of waste products. 

RECYCLING

Plastic recycling is the process of recovering scrap or waste plastics and reprocessing the material into useful products, sometimes completely different in form from their original state.

Another solution is to replace non-biodegradable materials with ones specifically designed to biodegrade

To assist recycling of disposable items, the Plastic Bottle Institute of the Society of the Plastics Industry devised a now-familiar scheme to mark plastic bottles by plastic type. A plastic container using this scheme is marked with a triangle of three "chasing arrows", which falls into one of the following plastic categories :

PET (PETE), polyethylene terephthalate HDPE, high-density polyethylene PVC, polyvinyl chloride LDPE, low-density polyethylene PP, polypropylene PS, polystyrene

WAYS TO REDUCE USE OF PLASTICS

Bring your own cloth bags to the grocery store (or any store!).

Don't buy beverages bottles in plastic

Go to the farmer's market and purchase fresh fruits and veggies (not packaged in plastic).

Store all your food in glass containers. 

Don't use zip-loc. If you need to keep things like half an onion use aluminum or waxy paper.

Use matches instead of plastic encased lighters.

Make a compost heap to reduce your food waste and put it back into the earth.

Last but not Least! Spread the word! Tell people about

the harmful chemicals in plastic, the pacific garbage patch and help reduce plastic use by example!