Plastic in the oceans

An estimated 8 million tonnes of plastic garbage enters the waters each year. The oceans are anticipated to have more plastic than fish by 2050. Because plastics are non-biodegradable and poisonous, they are damaging to the environment. It can take up to 500 years for a single plastic bag to decompose, while a plastic bottle can take up to 300 years! Unfortunately, plastics account for 65 percent of total waste in Pakistan; 55 billion plastic bags are used annually, with a 15 percent rise anticipated next year.

According to Dr. Zaigham Abbas, the ministry's deputy director, Pakistan has the largest percentage of mishandled plastic in South Asia. Pakistan generated roughly 3.9 million tonnes of plastic garbage in 2020, which is predicted to rise to 6.12 million tonnes per year by 2050 as the use of plastic products increases about 70% of the massive plastic garbage ends up in landfills, uncontrolled dumps, or strewn across land and water bodies, choking sewers and destroying productive regions.

Only 33% of the garbage generated in Pakistan is now recycled due to a lack of capacity and infrastructure. To begin, it's important to remember that plastic is a term that refers to a group of synthetic polymers rather than a single material. Since the middle of the past century, the number of goods produced of plastic has increased tremendously. Unfortunately, many of these products are designed for one-time use only; nearly half of all plastic is used once and then discarded.

Over 3.3 million tonnes ends up in landfills, unmanaged dumps, or dispersed throughout the country's land and water bodies. The graphic below illustrates that if we dump this rubbish all at once, it can reach a height of 16500 metres, which is equivalent to the height of two of the world's second highest mountains (K2 mountain).

 According to a study, roughly 8 million tonnes of plastic are poured into the oceans on purpose around the world. It's astonishing to learn that the most basic plastic used in grocery store bags takes over 100 years to degrade, while more complicated plastics take between 100 and 600 years or even longer. Food wrappers and containers are estimated to be responsible for 31.15 percent of all pollution in the environment. Caps on bottles and containers pollute the environment by 15.5 percent. Plastic bags pollute the environment by 11.18 percent, straws and stirrers pollute the environment by 8.13 percent, and beverage bottles pollute the environment by 7.27 percent. Pakistan's government commemorated two independence days on August 14, 2019, one recognizing the country's 72-year independence and the other single-use plastic bags will be phased out. Pakistan has joined a coalition of 128 countries in the fight against plastic pollution, which began with a pilot project in Islamabad that banned the use of plastic bags.

5 trillion single-use plastic bags are used every day around the world. Half of all plastic is created with the intention of being used only once. Only 9% of all plastic ever made was recycled, 12% was burnt, and the remaining 79 percent ended up in landfills, dumps, or the environment. If current trends continue, oceans are expected to hold more plastic.

Plastic pollution has become a major issue not only in Pakistan, but around the world. Increased plastic use has exacerbated serious environmental issues, wreaking havoc on marine and terrestrial life. It is an ideal material for carrier bags, flexible packaging, and a variety of other uses due to its high strength and impermeable nature. Pakistan's total annual consumption is at 5.5 kilograms per capita. Its extensive range of applications and features account for its supremacy across all industries. Each year, plastic pollution kills over 100,000 marine mammals and 1,000,000 seabirds. The loss is irreversible, and it has an impact on the planet's biodiversity, since more than 700 species are at risk of extinction owing to plastic pollution. In 2017, Pakistan embraced Oxo-biodegradable technology as a solution to combat plastic pollution. After their useful life, oxybiodegradable polymers entirely biodegrade in the environment, leaving no adverse effects on the environment. After thorough examination of all of the alternatives, the regulation was drafted. In 2019, the Islamabad Capital Territory adopted a new model, prohibiting the use of polyethylene bags and encouraging the use of biodegradable bags. The Ministry of Climate Change took the initiative in response to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's Clean and Green Pakistan agenda. The MoCC is striving to ensure that the prohibition is fully implemented by enforcing tough penalties and substantial fines on those who break it.

Aqsa Muhammadi

MS- Environmental Sciences