The world produces tons of disposable plastic tableware every year. The increasing production of plastic is due to it’s high demand and rising human population. These plastic materials and associated dinnerware are a threat to our environment.
The disposable plastic dinnerware contains harmful chemical constituents. It creates unpleasant effects on our environment and living beings. So, despite the increased manufacturing of disposable utensils, they can not be dominant. Their harms overwhelm the positive impacts they might have.
This article explores how plastic is unable to dominate despite it’s mass production.
Will disposable plastic dinnerware ever rule the world
No, there are many pieces of research about disposable plastic dinnerware materials. They state that these are very harmful to the human body. Several fields use these disposable materials. For example, food packaging, liquid bottles, medical items. They contain many toxic chemicals and heavy metals that are harmful to human health. Many toxic chemicals are found in them like phthalates, heavy metals, bisphenol A. brominated flame retardants, nonylphenol, polychlorinated biphenyl ethers, dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene, phenanthrene, etc.
Every year, we dispose 8 million tons of disposable plastic in the oceans. This harmful activity is degrading marine life to a great extent.
The long-term use of these materials is a threat to human life. The toxic chemicals get mixed with foods and liquids if we serve them hot or cold.
Yearly Decomposition
The materials are non-biodegradable, so if we burn them to dispose of them, it creates a lot of air pollution. The toxic chemicals start to release into the air. It can cause several respiratory problems in human beings. It is crucial to curtail the use of single-time tableware to make the world a safer and non-polluted place.
Some people try to dispose of them using burial techniques. But long-term burial under the soil creates toxic gases during decomposition. These gases and toxic chemicals affect the fertility of the soil.
Thus, “Disposable Plastic” is not so disposable. It creates pollution when we litter around.
Threat to Wildlife
Animals are a part of our ecosystem, and their presence is vital for balancing it. We are disturbing the natural species with the unnecessary use of disposable tableware. Disposable does not mean throwing them away.
Single-time usable plastic items kill many animals every year. The stomachs of marine animals displayed having fishing gear or plastic bags. Furthermore, plastic has harmed more or less 700 species, including endangered species. Animals perish as a result of malnutrition or entanglement. Over 100 aquatic species contain microplastics. The plastic has the potential to penetrate organs or obstruct the digestive tract. It often results in death.
We throw the disposable bottles, plates, and cups in the litter points. Waste collector collects and throws it into larger dumping points. Many animals graze in the open fields where many plastic items float around. Animals eat them, which blocks their respiratory system and causes digestive issues.
Research shows that the intake of plastic by animals retards their reproductive system. It causes many types of infections and increase the rate of mortality. Likewise, tortoises on the beaches swallow the leftover plastic plates. It chokes them to death.
Threat to Marine Animals
The omnipresence of disposable plastics in every country is a threat to marine life as well. When we have no way to dispose of the used plates and cups, we dump them in the oceans. This is causing an ongoing marine pollution epidemic.
Oceans are getting toxic, which is creating many problems. For Instance, it reduces the life of aquatic animals, which also impacts fishing. The non-degradative disposable plastic utensils appear floating around the shorelines for many years.
Currently, marine trash composes of 60 to 80 percent plastic. It indicates that many sea species are ingesting hazardous chemicals from plastic degradation.
Issue of Microplastics
The most severe issue of disposable plastic is the “microplastics.” When exposed to sea or direct sunlight, the small pieces of plastic break down. They are very tiny and invisible to the naked eye; these pieces can travel from one place to another via sea or air.
Disposable plastic tableware also releases small microfibers of plastic. These are usually swallowed by us and result in serious health problems. These microplastics enter our water supply system and affect our lungs. They are invisible to us, and we do not know their destination.
Recommendations
As we have mentioned, disposable plastics result in many problems. Their production on a large scale is a threat to the safety of our environment. What can we do to safeguard our natural surroundings and the regular habitat?
We should use environment friendly and bio-degradable plastics like PLA. They use natural ingredients and have little to no harm to our lives. Yet they serve the purpose of best plastic dinnerware as well.
Conclusion
This discussion clarifies that disposable plastic items used in daily life are harmful. Their production is increasing daily in every country despite knowing their destructive effects. It is an alarming situation. The disposal of plastics cannot rule the world based on their quantity. Despite the large numbers, they are causing harm to all life and agricultural setup. It also causes land pollution and air contamination. The solution is to adopt environment friendly and natural plastics. These good plastics like PLA are safe for daily use and pose no threat to the environment.
