RECYCLING OF PLASTICS SHOULD BE MADE MANDATORY.Abdullah IbrahimFinal Research PaperWritten and Oral Communication RECYCLING OF PLASTICS SHOULD BE MADE MANDATORY.Abdullah IbrahimFinal Research PaperWritten and Oral Communication
RECYCLING OF PLASTICS SHOULD BE MADE MANDATORY.
Abdullah Ibrahim
Final Research Paper
Written and Oral Communication
RECYCLING OF PLASTICS SHOULD BE MADE MANDATORY.
Abdullah Ibrahim
Final Research Paper
Written and Oral Communication
RECYCLING OF PLASTICS SHOULD BE MADE MANDATORY
According to the New Encyclopaedia Britannica, recycling is the recovery or re-use of materials from spent products (2007).That is, the re-use of old, abandoned or waste materials or their transformation into new product. It generally involves the concentration of used materials, their reprocessing and re-use as a substitute for new materials produced from raw materials. Recycling has become extremely important due to the increasing scarcity and cost of natural resources such as oil, gas, coal, mineral ores and trees, and the pollution of air, water and land by waste materials (The New Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2007).
The plastic industry is one of the sectors where recycling has become very important. Waste produced from the use of plastics is of growing concern (Science for the Environment, 2011) with increase in the daily usage of plastics. This is as a result of the wide range of applications of the use of plastics, its durability and light weight (Hopewell, Dvorak & Kosoir, 2009). It contributes to the high rate of fossil fuel consumption with around 4 per cent of the annually extracted petroleum converted directly into the production of plastics (Hopewell et al., 2009).
How then do we optimize the wide range of plastic usage without compromising the sustainability of the environment? In this paper, I will argue that, plastic recycling should be made mandatory as it would help minimize pollution, conserve natural resources and save energy.
The extraction of petroleum to produce plastics and its manufacturing require the burning of fossil fuel as a source of energy. This has increased the rate of emission of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. With the rate still increasing, it is believed to have reached a point such that it may exceed both the capacity of plant life to remove it from the atmosphere and the rate at which it goes into solution in the oceans (The New Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2007). This is a problem we should worry about and find solutions to, since the accumulation of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere prevent the transfer of heat into outer space resulting in Global warming. The burning of fossil fuel also produces sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide which combine with water vapour in the atmosphere to produce acid rain which is damaging to water, forest and soil resources. ''It is blamed for the disappearance of fishes from many lakes in the Adirondacks, for the widespread death of forest in European mountains and for damaging tree growth in the United States and Canada'' (The New Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2007, vol. 16, p. 682).
With the recycling of plastics, the burning of fossil fuel and emissions of harmful gasses associated with its production will be reduced. A recent life cycle analysis showed that, the use of 100 per cent recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) rather than virgin PET to produce plastic bottles could reduce carbon dioxide emission by 27 per cent. (Hopewell et al., 2009; Thompson, Moore, Voom Saal & Swan, 2009). Even recycling of some plastics such as polyethylene waste can be established easily with no adverse effects on the environment (Nwachukwu, Obidi, & Odocha, 2010). Reduction in the burning of fossil fuel through recycling of plastic therefore means fewer amount of pollutants in the atmosphere.
Also, recycling of plastics will help reduce the amount of waste requiring disposal. Plastics are valuable materials with a wide range of applications. ''Unfortunately, the properties that makes it so valuable also makes its disposal problematic'' (Science for the Environment, 2011, Introduction Section). This coupled with the design of some plastic product and the throw away attitude of people serve as a cause to the plastic waste menace the world is facing. The design reduces the product life span, which means, we are using durable products for a time shorter than its actual life span. ''Approximately, 50 percent of plastics are used for single use disposal applications, such as packaging, agricultural films and disposal consumer items'' (Hopewell et al., 2009, Introduction Section). Since most plastics are non-biodegradable, they persist in the environment for a very long time, probably decades or centuries. Even degradable plastics may persist for a considerable time because rate of degradation depend on physical factors such as levels of ultraviolet light exposure, oxygen and temperature (Hopewell et al., 2009). They therefore stay in the soil and water, polluting them. An example is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a layer of floating rubbish mainly plastics found in the Pacific Ocean between California and Hawaii. It is estimated to span about 3.43 square million kilometres (Science for the environment, 2011). Over 260 species including invertebrate, fishes, seabirds and mammals die through ingestion and entanglement of plastic waste (Thompson et al., 2009). Making recycling of plastic mandatory would help reduce the amount of plastics disposed and their effects on the environment.
Furthermore, recycling of plastics would help conserve natural resources. Conservation of natural resources is the optimization of the human use of the biosphere without compromising its potential to meet the needs and aspirations of future generations (The New Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2007). Basically, life depends on the proper functioning of the biosphere, consisting of relatively limited amount of resources. We must therefore be careful in our exploitation of these resources because their absence could mean an extinction to human life.
However, the consumption of natural resources has increased over the years with growth in civilisation. Considering fossil fuel, they are efficiently exhausted by use and their formation rate is extremely slow making it the least renewable resource (The New Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2007). This makes its future availability uncertain. Nonetheless, high levels of plastic recycling can allow for a given level of products service with lower resource input than would otherwise be required. (Hopewell et al., 2009). It also decrease energy and material usage per unit output and so yield eco-efficiency (Hopewell et al., 2009). Recycling of plastics will therefore reduce the rate of consumption of fossil fuel. Hence, helping in its conservation.
Additionally, recycling of plastics produce other minerals which can be used as a substitute for raw materials in producing goods. This reduces the extraction of natural resources. For example, recycling of scrape rubber products produces valuable chemicals, including a liquid that can be used in manufacturing other chemicals, a combustible gas valuable as fuel and a carbonaceous residue useful as filter char or binder in concrete or asphalt roadways (The New Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2007). Besides, plastics recycled can be used for different applications (Beshah, Mitiku, Chernet, Assefa & Addisu, 2014) serving as a substitute for other materials produced by extracting new minerals. As an example, plastic lumber, a wood like product made from recycling High Density Polyethylene can be used as a substitute for concrete, wood and metals (Beshah et al., 2014).
Moreover, recycling of plastics will help save energy. The extraction of natural resources require mostly the burning of fossil fuel which generate about 41 per cent of the world's energy. Less amount of energy is consumed in recycling plastic compared to producing new plastic from raw materials. For instance, in the process of recycling High Density Polyethylene (HDPE), there is a 66 per cent reduction in energy than is required in virgin plastic production (Beshah et al., 2014). Also, ''Greatest energy efficiency is achieved where recycling diverts the need for use of fossil fuels as raw materials'' (Thompson et al., 2009, p. 2160). Plastic recycling therefore will reduce the consumption of fossil fuel, making more of it available to generate electricity.
In conclusion, the recycling of plastics serves as one of the most promising methods of liberating the world from the problems such as limited energy for daily life activities, high cost of mineral resources due to scarcity and the pollution of the environment. Even though recycling is a waste management strategy, it could also serve as a stepping stone for implementing the concept of industrial ecology, where there is no waste but plastics (Hopewell et al., 2009). Also, ''Plastic recycling appears to be the most promising method to either meet the future demands for polymeric products or reduce environmental pollution'' (Beshah et al., 2014, p. 141).
Indeed there are challenges such as high start-up cost faced in the process of recycling and may cause pollution if not done properly. Yet, mandatory recycling of plastics across the globe could go a long way to create an environment that is void of the effects of plastic waste while enjoying its wide range of usage.
References
Beshah, B., Mitiku, A., Chernet, M., Assefa, M., & Addisu, (2014). Mechanical property of
plastic lumber produced from recycled High Density Polyethylene (HDPE). Science, Technology and Arts Research Journal, 3(1), 141-144. doi: http/:dx.doi.org/10.4314/star.v3i1.23
Conservation of Natural Resources. (2007). In The New Encyclopaedia Britannica (15th ed., Vol. 16, pp. 663-683). Chicago: Encyclopaedia Britannica.
Hopewell, J., Dvorak, R., & Kosior, E. (2009). Plastic recycling: Challenges and opportunities. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 364(1526), 2115-2126. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2008.0311.
Material Processing. (2007). In The New Encyclopaedia Britannica (15th ed., Vol. 7, pp. 931-
932). Chicago: Encyclopaedia Britannica.
Nwachuku, S., Obidi, O. & Odocha, C. (2010). Occurrence and recalcitrant of polyethylene
bag waste in Nigerian soils. African Journal of biotechnology, 9(37), 6096-6104. Retrieved from http:// www.academicjournal.org.AJB.
Science for the Environment Policy. (2011, November). Plastic waste: Ecological and
Human Health impacts. Retrieved from ec.europa.eu/environment/integration/research/newsalert/indepth_report.hlm
Thompson, C. R., Moore, J.C., Saal, S.F. & Swan, H. S. (2009). Plastics, the environment and human health: Current consensus and future trends. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 364, 2153-2166. doi:10.1098rstb.2009.0053.
Annotated Bibliography
Beshah, B., Mitiku, A., Chernet, M., Assefa, M., & Addisu, (2014). Mechanical property of
plastic lumber produced from recycled High Density Polyethylene (HDPE). Science, Technology and Arts Research Journal, 3(1):141-144.
doi: http/:dx.doi.org/10.4314/star.v3i1.23.
The authors at the School of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Addis Ababa Institute of Technology, Addis Ababa University conducted an experiment on the mechanical properties of plastic lumber produced from recycled high density polyethylene (HPDE). The specimen were prepared based on international standard. The results showed that, even though plastic lumber produced from recycled HPDE has lower tensile, bending and impacts strength compared to pure plastic lumber, it could be used for wide range of applications. However, the authors did not consider product made from recycling other types of plastics apart from HPDE which makes their conclusion narrow.
Conservation of Natural Resources. (2007). In The New Encyclopaedia Britannica (15th ed., Vol. 16, pp. 663-683). Chicago: Encyclopaedia Britannica.
The article discussed the conservation of natural resources and challenges involved, renewable and non-renewable resources and the factors to the high rate of consumption and damages of natural resources. Statistical data and several scholarly resources were used. Recycling was regarded as to reduce the consumption of natural resources and their pollution. The article failed to consider the fact that processes involved in recycling can be a cause to the pollution of the environment.
Hopewell, J., Dvorak, R., & Kosior, E. (2009). Plastics recycling: challenges and
opportunities. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 364(1526), 2115–2126. doi:10.1098/rstb.2008.0311.
The authors discussed the current state and effects of plastic waste, the advantages and disadvantages of various ways of managing plastic waste including recycling, the challenges and opportunities involved in the recycling process and the impact of recycling on the environment. With their experience in the plastic industry, the authors knew the importance and challenges involved in the recycling of plastics, referenced scholarly sources and statistically showed the trend of plastic waste over the past decades. The authors considered recycling of plastics as a way of reducing the disposal of waste into landfill and improve the environmental performance of the plastic industry but did not did not consider the effects recycling could have on the environment if not done properly.
Material Salvage. (2007). In The New Encyclopaedia Britannica (15th ed., Vol. 7, pp. 931-
932). Chicago: Encyclopaedia Britannica.
The article discussed recycling of various material, and its relevance to help reduce the rate of depletion of natural resources. The article regarded recycling as an effective way to reduce the rate of depletion of natural resources but failed to consider the negative effective recycling may have on the environment and the challenges faced in the process
Science for the Environment Policy. (2011, November). Plastic waste: Ecological and
Human Health impacts. Retrieved from ec.europa.eu/environment/integration/research/newsalert/indepth_report.hlm.
Science for the environment article provide an in-depth report on the global menace of plastic waste, and it impacts on human health and the environments amassing current research made this area. The authors used visual illustration such as pie chart to express their findings and referenced scholarly resources. Driver- Pressures-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) framework was used to highlights major issues and concerns, as well as outlining questions around existing responses and possible strategies for the future. The report considered plastic waste prevention as the preferable method of managing plastic waste through design for re-use, recycling and reduce packaged materials.
Thompson, C. R., Moore, J.C., Saal, S.F. & Swan, H. S. (2009). Plastics, the environment and human health: current consensus and future trends. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 364, 2153-2166.doi:10.1098rstb.2009.0053.
The authors discussed the benefits and concerns surrounding the use of plastics. The discussion was considered from seven perspectives: effects of plastics on the environment and wildlife; effects on humans; production, usage, disposal and waste management solutions; biopolymers, degradable and biodegradable polymer solutions; and policy measures looking into challenges, priorities and opportunities for the future of the use of plastics. Combined effort from individuals, industry and government and policy makers through recycling, green chemistry, and design for re-use and setting appropriate standard and policies were regarded as a solution to the plastic waste menace the world is faced with.
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