what should we do to save the environment from plastics?

Answer 1

Stop littering plastic and throwing it away. The use of plastic has actually been a great advantage to the environment as a whole.

Go to the grocery store with canvas bags, buy in bulk, recycle, and don't litter.

Answer 2

My friends, I myself is an environmental practitioner. I can tell you, that you are all emotional when comes to media reporting.

Plastics is an excellent material that has so many properties that mankind cannot just like that ignore. In fact, if total plastics is banned in the world, world economy will come to a grinding halt.

What we are worried is that when plastics is generated as waste, the disposal is an environmental hazard. Just like Nuclear waste. Why no scientist around the world are doing research to find correct solutions to the disposal rather than banning the substance. Has any one dared to stop uranium enrichment, just because nuclear energy poses such a huge hazards??.

My solution to the problem (which many scientist has to think over) is:

1. Do a life cycle analysis from granules to disposal
2. Find out cost-effective disposal methods
3. Create alternate plastic development which is cost-effective (for example - jute, coconut, palm fibres can be converted to plastic granules and subsequently as bags- presently those methods are costly compared to the conventional hydrocarbon plastics). So, there has to more government support and more research

Unless these are done, nothing will change.

Answer 3

Use canvas bags when you shop instead of allowing your supermarket cashier to pack everything in 'paper or plastic'.
If that's not an option, choose paper over plastic, which is petroleum-based and far less biodegradable.
Stop buying products that are packaged in plastic. Or, what you do buy, be sure to REuse, REduce, and REcycle all that plastic. Plastic milk jugs and 2-liter plastic soda pop bottles can be recycled into carpeting. Other plastics are recyclable, too - so save the planet by NOT tossing all that plastic into landfills. -RKO- 05/17/07

Answer 4

It helps to educate yourself about plastic in general. You can usually motivate someone who doesn't care about saving the planet when you fill them in about the toxins one is ingesting due to our love of plastics.

In creating "recycleable" plastic we've only removed about 200 years from the 1200 year degrading time of plastic.

However, we have increased the amount of toxins it releases into items it contains - manifold!

This doesn't just relate to the omnipresent bottled water. But everything. From your favorite peanut butter to the shampoo you use.

Plastic has been in use for many years, but it has not been publicly known that all plastics containers leach high levels of toxic contaminates into the water and other substances that they come into contact with.

PVC [poly vinyl chloride] is one of the most toxic. Many companies use cheap PVC plastic to store and transport food and beverages in.

Bisphenol A is one of the most commonly used plastic materials in food and beverage containers. It is an ubiquitous chemical for us now.

What is it? It's a super powered synthetic estrogen.

Bisphenol A has been shown to have developmental toxicity, (this means it builds over time) carcinogenic effects, and possible neurotoxicity.

Recent studies suggest it may also be linked to obesity by triggering fat-cell activity. Even when ingested at extremely low levels.

Boy. If that got out wouldn't everyone quit drinking bottled water? Spread the world. People trying to solve the trash issue buy purchasing refillable polycarbonate plastic bottles are still ingesting Bisphenol A.

Give it up. Go with glass or ceramic.

Answer 5

-the obvious one - recycle

- go back to using what we used before plastics were invinted

-find a different product to use for things besides plastics that are environmentaly safe

-rally together and protest against platics

- become a scientist or envirnmentalist and save the world from plastics

-find a time machine and travel back and assasinate the person who invented plastics - or tell them what it will do to the world (sorry i had to add a funny one to lighten the mood)

personally i like the recycle idea - we are going to continue to need plasitcs - computers, clothes, bags, kitchen things - we have plastic everywhere.... so recycling helps reuse without killing the environment.

now we just need some protestors or public speakers or people who can talk to children at schools to get recycling more popular....... :/

Answer 6

firstly close all the industries manufacturing plastics so that there would not be any more plastics in use. use paper bags as your carry bags. youll have few plastic bags too which you can keep using without damaging. never even think of throwing them here and there. youll cause harm to our environment. try to be eco friendly. the only thing that you can do now is to balance the number of plastics and not to let it increase any more.

Answer 7

We should try biodegradable plastic made from starch and other bidegradable materials we get from Corn, Maize and other plants.

This will not only solve our problem of carry bags but our farmers will get more money and their economical conditions will also improve and our environmental problems will also lessen.

As for plastic being used presently we should stop littring it and try to reuse plastic material if possible and also recycle if it can be done.

Answer 8

Recycle is the most direct way to keep plastic off the land fills. We will never stop using plastic but if we recycle and not throw it away then it will not go all over the land.

Answer 9

Total ban on plastic carrybags. Other plastics should be compiled after use and used for generating thermal power from waste energy!

Answer 10

Don't use them!!! I re-use my plastic bags; taking the excess back to the store for them to re-use. Have a 6 month old granddaughter who uses cloth diapers (her Mom agrees). I don't use plastic utensils or plates when camping; I do bring plenty of dish soap and an old washtub. I can't do anything about things like milk cartons so I try to reuse them, too; cutting them to make seedling pots, for example. Every little bit helps and just when you think it is too much of an inconvenience to take steps to recycle, just think....I would like MY granddaughter to be able to enjoy the same things we take for granted like sunshine, clean rain and flowers. Good luck and God bless