Assessment of Plastic Waste Generation and Eco-Friendly Management: A Review
Abstract
Since the invention and inception of plastics in our daily life, the continuous use of the product has increased causing harmful effects to the environment and human life. Now the time has come to awake and be aware of the use and management of plastics in our daily life. The current scenario reveals that plastic consumption has increased in our daily life activities, whether it be food as packaging items, cosmetics, plastic bottles, polythene, and pharmaceutical sector, and other manufacturing and production sectors for efficient and safe delivery of the items. The synthetic plastic production process and degradation of used products, if not managed properly, show adverse impacts on the environment. The reuse and recycling of plastic products seem to be the best strategy, however, depends on the product, technique applied and rate of decomposition. In the present circumstances, the use of bio-plastics is abetter alternative, as they are safe, eco-friendly, biodegradable, without harming the living components of any ecosystem. Moreover, the potentiality of microorganisms to degrade the bio-plastic wastes has opened a new forum on reuse, recycling, and processing of plastic waste management. This comprehensive review aims at the generation of plastic waste, their impact on human life and the environment, reducing and recycling techniques, the significance of biodegradable plastics, and their decomposition using microorganisms. Moreover, the problems and challenges that occur during the production and degradation of plastic waste are more important to minimize the impact for sustainable development.
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Introduction
Plastic wastes (PW) have emerged as a major problem causing adverse impacts on the environment and human health. Plastic production starting from 1950, about 6.3 BT of plastics produced worldwide up to 2018, however only 9% is recycled and 12% is incinerated (Alabi et al.,2019). Plastic pollution most visible in developing countries, with improper waste collection systems compared to developed nations, remains a troubling process, especially in the collection of discarded plastics (Parker, 2019). Plastics as an integral part of our life appear in various products of daily use, responsible for carbon emission affecting the ecosystem cycle and becoming a great threat to human health (Filiciotto, & Rothenberg, 2021). Plastic waste is responsible for causing an impact on climate change which otherwise affects genes, species and the whole biome (Pandey et al, 2016 a). It was observed that landfill disposal of plastic and incineration process accounts for emissions of CO2 253 and −673 g kg−1 to 4605 g kg−1, respectively (Eriksson and Finnveden 2009). The most damaging impact of PW is on aquatic ecosystems affecting entanglement, ingestion, and blockage of the intestine, and microplastic is even worse causing intrinsic toxicity due to leaching, absorbing contaminants, and pathogens, disturbing chemical interaction in aquatic animals (Amobonye et al, 2021). The plastics with a big carbon footprint metrics should be monitored timely for reducing their impacts on the environment (Pandey et al, 2016 b) Therefore a need for better research on plastic wastes, large-scale clean-up drives, public awareness, and information sharing among decision-makers for fulfilling knowledge gaps should be preferred (Syberg et al 2020).
Conclusion
In conclusion, plastics have become an integral part of our lives. The use of plastic products that are biodegradable should be preferred over synthetic plastics. The use of landfills, bio-plastic, and degradation of plastics using microorganisms are some better alternatives without any harmful impacts on the environment and human health. The recycling and reuse of bio-plastic are safer from a human health point of view. Moreover, they do not show any harmful impact on air, water, and the land ecosystem.