Envs project - Plastic Pollution

Project on Plastic pollution in which includes:
* Introduction to Plastic and its History
* Types, Uses and Disadvantages of Plastic
* Introduction to Pollution and Plastic Pollution
* Causes, Effects and Facts about Plastic Pollution
* And Some Case studies
* Some Ways to reduce Plastic Pollution

1. 1|slide
NAME –ANIKESH ANAND
TOPIC NAME –PLASTIC POLLUTION

2. TABLE OF
CONTENTS
01
INTRODUCTION TO PLASTIC AND
ITS HISTORY
TYPES, USES AND DISADVANTAGES
OF PLASTICS
INTRODUCTION TO POLLUTION
INTRODUCTION TO PLASTIC
POLLUTION
CAUSES, EFFECTS AND FACTS
ABOUT PLASTIC POLLUTION
CASE STUDIES
SOME WAYS TO REDUCE
PLASTIC POLLUTION
02
03
04
05
06
07
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3. TOPIC
P L A S T I C P O L L U T I O N
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4. WHAT IS PLASTIC?
PLASTIC
•Plastics are a wide range of
synthetic or semi-synthetic
materials that use polymers as a
main ingredient.
•Their plasticity makes it
possible for plastics to be
moulded, extruded or pressed
into solid objects of various
shapes and sizes. Plastics
typically are made through
human industrial systems.
Image source –unsplash.com
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5. HISTORY OF PLASTIC
•Itwasin1862thatAlexanderParkesintroduced
theworld’sfirsteverman-madeplastic,atthe London
InternationalExhibition.
•“PARKESINE ”,asitwascalled,wasmarketed as
analternativetoivoryandhornthatParks discovered
whiletryingtodevelopasynthetic substituteforshellac
forwaterproofing.
•Though theproductwasnotacommercialsuccess,
Parkesinerepresentedanimportantfirststepin the
development ofman-made plastic.
•The materialdidn’tstarttotrulyshowitspotential
valueanddiversityofapplicationsuntilJohn Wesley
HyattinAlbany,NewWorkdiscovereda wayto
manufactureanimprovedversionof Parkesine,most
commonlyknownasCelluloid.
Image Source –solenplastics.co.uk
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6. B
C
D
TYPES OF PLASTIC
A
There are two main types of plastic they are:-
•Thermoplastics–A thermoplastic is a material,
usually a plastic polymer, which becomes more soft
when heated and hard when cooled. E.g.-Acrylic,
polyester, nylon, polystyrene and Teflon.
•Thermosets–A thermosets polymer, often called a
thermoset, is a polymer that is obtained from
irreversibly hardening by curing from a soft solid or
viscous liquid prepolymer (resin). E.g.-Epoxy Resin,
Phenolic (Bakelite) , Polyester and Cyanate ester.
Image Source –Buzzle.com
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7. USES OF PLASTIC
•Theabilitytobemouldedmakesplastican ideal
packagingmaterial.Plasticsinpackaginghelptokeep
foods safeandfresh.
•Beingdurable andlightweight,plasticshave helpedin
the electronicfield.Fromcomputers andcellphonesto
television and microwave , almost all appliances
around us make some useofplastic.
•Plastics are used to make safety gear like helmets ,
goggles etc. Plastics are used in the construction
industry due to their lowmaintenanceandhigh
durability.
•Plasticisstrongandlightweight, that iswhyusefulin
makingtoys, electricalswitchesandotherhousehold
products.
Image source –unsplash.com
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8. DISADVANTAGES OF PLASTICS
•Naturaldecompositionofplasticcanlastfrom400-1000years
andfewtypesofplasticsarenon-degradableaswell.
•Plasticmaterialsdogwaterways,oceans,seas,lakesetc.1in3
speciesofmarinemammalshavebeenfoundentangledin
marinelitter.
•Manyanimalseatplasticmaterialsanddie.Over90%ofall
seabirdshaveplasticpiecesintheirstomach.
•Plasticiswidelyusedinpackaging.Eatingfoodoutofplastic
containsmaycausecancer.
•Bothcreationandrecyclingofplasticproducetoxicgasesand
residueswhichcausesairandwaterandlandpollution.
•Plasticcausemanyfirhazards.
•Disadvantagesofplasticbagsarewellknown,thisisthereason
whyuseofplasticbagshavebeenrestrictedinmostofthe
countriesintheworld.
Images source –unsplash.com
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9. POLLUTION
WHAT IS POLLUTION?
•Pollutionistheintroductionofcontaminantsintothe
naturalenvironmentthat causeadverse change.
Pollution cantaketheformofchemicalsubstancesor
energy,such asnoise,heat,orlight.
•Pollutants,thecomponentsof pollution,
canbeeither foreignsubstances/
energiesor naturallyoccurring
contaminants.
Image source –unsplash.com
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10. PLASTIC POLLUTION
WHAT IS PLASTIC POLLUTION?
•Plastic pollution is the accumulation of plastic
objects and particles in the Earth’s
environment that adversely affects wildlife,
wildlife habitat , and humans.
•Plastics that act as pollutants are
categorized into micro-, meso-, or
macro debris, based on size.
Image source –unsplash.com
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11. 1.RISINGHUMANPOPULATIONANDDEPENDENCEONPLASTIC.
2.THEFOODINDUSTRYWHICHPACKSEVERYTHINGON PLASTIC.
3.PLASTICBOTTLESANDCONTAINERCAPS.
4.PLASTICBAGSANDCARRIERS.
5.PLASTICSTRAWSANDSTIRRERS.
Globally, morethan8billionmetrictonsofplastichavebeen
producedsinceits firstlarge-scaleuseinthe1950s.Plasticstake
hundredsofyearstodegrade.OnJanuary1,2018, Chinastopped
acceptingusedplasticfor recyclingbecausemost oftherecyclables
werereceivedfromcountries likeUSAwhich werecontaminateddue
towhichitcausedmanyproblemsinthe recyclingfacilitiesofChina
andthreateneditsenvironment.Asa result, manygovernmentshave
simplyendedtheirrecycling programs.
CAUSES OF PLASTIC POLLUTION
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12. EFFECTS OF PLASTIC POLLUTION
•At least 8 million tons of plastic end up in oceans every year,
and make up 80% of all marine debris from surface water to
deep sea sediments.
•Marine species ingest or are entangled by plastic debris
which causes severe injuries and deaths.
•Plastic Pollution threatens food safety and quality, human
health, coastal tourism, and contributes to climate change.
•Plastic waste clogs drains and in many cities increasing flood
damage.
•Plankton, fish, and ultimately human race, through the food
chain, ingest these highly toxic carcinogens and chemicals.
Consuming the fish that contain these toxins can cause an
increase in cancer, immune disorders, and birth defects.
•Plastic also causes groundwater, air and land pollution.
•Not only animals sea birds are also affected by plastic
pollution. In 2004 it was estimated that gulls in the North Sea
had an average of thirty pieces of plastic in their stomachs.
Images source –unsplash.com
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13. FACTSABOUTPLASTICPOLLUTION
•Since the 1950s, around 8.3 billion tons of plastic have
produced worldwide.
•In some parts of the world, using plastic is already illegal.
•73% of beach litter worldwide is plastic.
•A million plastic bottles are bought around the world
every minute.
•Worldwide, about 2 million plastic bags are used every
minute.
•90% of plastic polluting our oceans is carried by just 10
rivers.
•Plastic is killing more than 1.1 million seabirds and
animals every year.
•The average person eats 70,000 microplastics each year.
•The average time that a plastic bag is used for is … 12
minutes.
•Over the past 50 years, would plastic production has
doubled.
13|slide
Image source –unsplash.com

14. CASE STUDIES ON PLASTIC POLLUTION
•Galapagos Green Turtle–
➢Galapagos Green Turtles are found in subtropicalwatersinthePacificOceanand
aretheonlyspecies of green sea turtle to nest on the beaches of the Galapagos
Islands.
➢Theydifferfromothermarineturtlesastheyhave serrated lower jaw and scales
which cover their eyes, like eyelids.
➢They can grow to 84cm long and weigh up to 136kg. Galapagos Green Turtles are
extremely fast swimmers, their powerful flippers allow them to travel at speeds up to
35mph.
➢They mainly feed on molluscs, crustaceans and seaweed, but also eat jellyfish and
fish eggs.
➢Females return to the same beaches where they hatched to laytheireggs,laying
between50and200eggsinnestsdugout ofthesand.Afterapproximatelytwo
monthsthehatchlings emerge and immediately head for the sea.
➢Those who make it can takeuptotwentyyearstomatureandreturntolaytheirown
eggs. Males can spend their whole lives at sea. They are an endangered species.
➢Many turtles ingest plastic bags mistaking them for jellyfish, causing fatal blockages
in their guts or starving them because they feel full.
➢Turtles also face the risk of becoming entangled in plastic debris such as plastic
twine and nylon fishing lines, causing fatal injuries or drowning as they cannot
surface to breath.
Image source –unsplash.com
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15. •Zooplankton –
➢Zooplankton are organisms drifting in oceans, seas and bodies of fresh water.
➢The word zooplankton comes from the Greek zoon, meaning animal and
planktos, meaning wandererordrifter.Zooplanktonareusuallymicroscopic
–copepods, a type of zooplankton could fit on the head of a pin.
➢However,somesuch asjellyfisharelargerand visibletothe naked eye. They
have hard shells and antennae to sense predators. Some copepods can
move very quickly through the wateratspeeds uptoonehundredtimes
fasterthanUsain Bolt, relative to their size.
➢Zooplankton are found in surface waters where food is abundant, they feed
on bacterioplankton, phytoplankton (tiny plants) and other zooplankton as
well as ‘marine snow’ (tiny pieces of organic matter including dead
animals). They are found in abundance across the ocean, their numbers are
affected by water salinity and temperature.
➢They playavitalroleinaquatic foodwebsastheyareeatenby many
higher consumers such as fish. Recent research into copepodshasbeen
investigating whetheringestionof microplastics affects the health of these
tiny creatures, which maythen affectthecarboncycleand whetherthereare
wider implicationsforanimalsfurtherup thefoodchainwho eatthem.
Image source –unsplash.com
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16. •Weanyourselfoffdisposableplastics.
•Stopbuyingwater.
•Boycottmicro beads.
•Cookmoresothatyoudon’thavetobuyplastic
containercontainingcookedfood.
•Purchaseitemssecondhand.
•Recycle.
•Supportabagtaxorban.
•Buyinbulk.
•Bringyourowngarmentbagtothedrycleaner.
•Avoidsyntheticclothingorbuyafilterforyourwashing
machine.
•Donotlaunchballoonsatapartyastheyarevery
harmful.
•Cleanupplasticwasteifyoufindit.
•BecarefulwithPaint.
•Drivelessbycarandchoosealightweightcar.
•Avoidplasticpackaging.
SOME WAYS TO REDUCE PLASTIC POLLUTION
Image source –shutterstock.com
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17. 17|slide
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Data collected from:-
•https://www.britannica.com/science/plastic-pollution[9:23
•https://api.nationalgeographic.com/distribution/public/amp/environ
ment/article/plastic-pollution
•https://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaign/toolkit-plastic-
free-future/learn-about-plastic-pollution/
•https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/ocean_plastics/
•https://www.plasticsoupfoundation.org/en/plastic-problem/plastic-
soup/cause-plastic-pollution/

18. THANK YOU
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