Should Plastic be Banned?

It is impossible to imagine today’s world without plastic. Due to its versatility, affordability and durability, plastic is found in an almost infinite number of applications. It is used in clothing, machinery, construction, electronics, transportation, agriculture and packaging. Industrial plastic use began when polyethylene, a common form of plastic, was accidentally created by two chemists working at the Imperial Chemical Industries plant in 1933. Globally, over 300 million tonnes of plastic are produced each year and the trend is increasing.
Plastic use has become common, and it has entered into household use due to its lightweight, cheap, and easy-to-make properties. Due to these qualities, plastic is being produced and used by everyone. If this plastic trend continues, global plastic production will increase rapidly in the upcoming 10 to 15 years. In the present situation, we are unable to cope with the amount of plastic waste generated. So, we can’t imagine the situation in the upcoming years.
We don’t realise how much plastic waste we generate in our day-to-day life and how it impacts our environment. It causes numerous problems for the environment. The plastic bag litters the air and blocks the waterways and drainage system. The sewage gets clogged due to which mosquitoes, insects and pests multiply and make the place unhygienic. Due to this the transmission of vector-borne diseases like malaria increases. The plastic waste generated when disposed of in water bodies such as lakes, ponds, rivers, and seas harms aquatic animals and plants. The plastic blocks the stomachs of hundreds of species and is ingested by animals such as cows, dogs, turtles and dolphins who mistake them for food. The toxic chemicals which are used during the manufacture of plastic get transferred to animal tissue when they consume and eventually enter the human food chain. These chemicals damage the lungs, nervous system and reproductive organs. Most of the time, we prefer to burn the plastic waste as the convenient option of disposing of it. But, plastic waste, when burned in the air, releases harmful gases which contribute to air pollution. Thus, it’s crucial that we rethink the way plastic is manufactured, used and managed.
Conclusion
We have all contributed to this problem, knowingly and unknowingly and must work to reduce and eliminate plastic pollution. In India, the Government has decided to take the plastic ban as a national-level campaign to address the environmental hazards that are caused by the use of plastic. So, there is a need to actively contribute to the effort of banning the use of plastics. Ultimately, tackling this problem will require everyone’s support. It will be possible only with the concerted efforts of the government, businesses, and individuals