Are YOU willing, if Our next generation will living on top of plastic waste?

The use of plastic is very closely related to everyday life. In addition to packaging, plastic is often used as the basic material needs of the building, electronics, household items or clothing. Unfortunately, plastic also has its impact is not good, especially for the environment. Because the plastic material difficult to disentangle.

From research conducted by the University of Leicester, England, suggests that the use of plastics in a variety of human activities will make the Earth coated by plastic in the next 50 years. Imagine, in every three years, humans produce nearly 1 billion tons of plastic-made of polyethylene (petroleum derivatives).

Illustration pile of plastic waste. (Picture from: http://adf.ly/1Zqdey)

"With the trend of use, the plastic can be fossilized far into the future," said Jan Zalasiewicz, a professor of paleobiology at University of Leicester, as quoted by Kompas on Friday, January 29, 2016.

The study was published in the Anthropocene journal in 2013. It contained warned that the excessive use of plastic (the substance to be inert and difficult to decompose) geological serious impact.

Still according to the study, the Earth can be coated by the plastic, become the part that can't decompose in the soil, and often end up in the sea. When you have reached the ocean floor, the plastic would be more difficult to disentangle. In the underwater conditions which are dark, cold, lack of oxygen and made the plastic decomposition process be more difficult.

Bird with plastic waste in the body. (Picture from: http://adf.ly/1ZqeWt)

Globally, the latest report of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in 2014 noted that every year there are 20 million tons of plastic end up in the sea. The research studies that followed also by Jenna R Jambeck and his colleagues in 2015, which adds the data that Indonesia was in the second place the largest contributor to the plastic waste into the sea, under China.

With that fact, the sea can be a giant waste baskets that are harmful to the living creatures in it. Plankton, fish and sea birds, for example, will be prone to consume plastic waste it anyway. Facts will get worse if the presence of plastic waste already entered the food chain because of the condition.

In 2009, according to the research of Greeneration (non-governmental organizations following the waste issue in Indonesia), states that every single person in Indonesia produces an average of 700 plastic bags per year. When accumulated, there are more than 100 billion plastic bags (which consumes 12 million barrels of petroleum) used by the Indonesian people in one year. 

Yes, if everyone does not change their behavior, the plastic will actually be fossil in the future. United States had already been aware of it. That's why, since 2014, the US government imposed a ban on the use of plastic in the big stores.

Then, a similar move made by UK government in 2015. The country is enacting plastic pay in stores, with a tag of 5 pence per bag, the equivalent of less than USD 1,000. As a result, these policies reduce the use of plastic by 80 per cent in Wales.

Well, the paid plastic policy also began to be applied in Indonesia. Since February 21, 2016, the government imposed a policy of paid plastic bag. Tests performed for approximately three months to June 5, 2016, where the public obliged to pay Rp.200 per plastic bag while shopping in a retail store. Noted, there are 22 cities across Indonesia who participated in the trial by that date.

Of course, this obligation does not apply to people who bring their own shopping bags. Although nominally an additional price for plastic bags (even when accumulated over the year) is not great, bring their own bags every time want to going to shop, could have started by wearing the momentum of this paid plastic policy.

If the nominal amount does not become a nuisance for you to switch to the habit of bringing their own shopping bags, try to remember only the possible impact for the Earth and our children (the future inhabitants of the planet) as a result of the use of materials difficult to decompose.

Say 'No' to the plastics start from now!!

The above research can be used as the reference. Do not let future generations must take pains to sort plastic-free food of every kind of food that exist on Earth. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SORUCES | KOMPAS SAINS]

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