Plastic? What's Wrong with That?
Advantages and Disadvantages
Advantages :
- Simple to be used.
- Easy to carry foods or things
- Keep foods clean
- Unbreakable
- Cheap
- Practical
Disadvantages :
a. Can contaminate foods with dangerous chemical compounds
b. Cannot be decomposed in the soil, so it make land pollution
c. Hard to be destroyed
d. Make pollution in the air if it's burnt
e. It causes flood if it's thrown to the river.
What is Plastic?
Plastics, materials made up of large, organic (carbon-containing) molecules that can be formed into a variety of products. The molecules that compose plastics are long carbon chains that give plastics many of their useful properties. In general, materials that are made up of long, chainlike molecules are called polymers. The word plastic is derived from the words plasticus (Latin for “capable of molding”) and plastikos (Greek “to mold,” or “fit for molding”). Plastics can be made hard as stone, strong as steel, transparent as glass, light as wood, and elastic as rubber. Plastics are also lightweight, waterproof, chemical resistant, and produced in almost any color. More than 50 families of plastics have been produced, and new types are currently under development.
Taken from: Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2006. © 1993-2005 Microsoft Corporation.
Colourful Plastics
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| Assorted, colorful plastic items line a market stall in the Indian city of Mumbai (Bombay). Plastics, synthetic resins made of large organic chains, or polymers, are extremely durable and lightweight. |
The Impacts to Our Health
Air Pollution
Plastics, even we realize it or no, it can cause global warming.
Because it's unable to be decomposed, so, the only way to destroy it is burn it.
The burning process will produce many CO2.
Water Pollution
People often throw plastic waste not in the rubbish bin. Most of people in developing country prefer to just throw it to the land or wherever they want. And the never think that it can cause many trouble to our live. One of it is flood.
These days, thanks to the unpredictable weather, heavy rain often happens everywhere.
And, my city is one of the cities that often got flood.
Why? I'll give you a short example.
First, people drinks and eat with using plastic based cups or plates. After they finish eating, they'll throw the plastic wherever they want. And, unfortunately, the cleaning service were not cleaning that area right now. Then, little kids came along and their start kicking the plastics (maybe they think it's a ball, heh?!) after the plastic went to place that they can't catch up, they'll leave the plastic (usually, the place is sewer). Or, wind come and flies the plastics away, and the plastic falls on other sewers or water holes. It continues, so, the plastic that cover the sewer became more, more, and more. Until, the hole is blocked.
And, here comes the rain!
Rain fall from the sky, it hits the buildings, streets, and they'll gather in low-places (sewers, etc). Everything supposed to be fine but, thanks to the plastic waste that covers the sewer's gate/hole. The way is blocked, so there is no way out for the water. The rain keep on falling, but the water can't move. So, the water will keep growing and then, it'll spill out the sewer, and flooding the street, or maybe even your house!
The Impact to Our Health - Part 2
Land Pollution
Plastic known to be a material that easy to bend, and cannot absorb water, also harder to recycle than paper or cloth. Plastic can be land pollution if thrown anywhere. You know, that bacteria in the soil need 500-1000 years to decompose plastic naturally. Which means, while the plastic still remain under the ground, it condition stays, and remain unchanged for years. Plastic can block the water from rain, also minerals and nutrition from rotten leaves on upper soil level to the lower soil level. The soil becomes infertile and lesser plants and trees can grow there, since plants and trees easy to absorb water and minerals from lower soil level. Plastic on soil can also make landslide. Don’t believe it? Well, we all know that plastic on soil can block the water, and the water which not absorbed by soil carry the upper soil level. Little by little, the water carries away the soil, but those little waves of soil create a big landslide. So if people said that cause of landslide is less plant grows, maybe it’s all because one silly thing but causing a big impact, plastic. Of course, you know what the disadvantage of landslide, right? People, who live in the hills, can get the impact. Farmers, their paddy field can be buried from landslide, and can you imagine, their only job for years, ruined by minutes of landslide. That’s why; we can’t throw garbage anywhere, especially plastic. Next time, if you, or your friends, see anyone who throws plastic garbage anywhere, don’t forget to warn them, okay? Think about our earth, lesser growing trees, supporting global warming. You don’t want that to happen, right? :)