Plastic Pollution

PRESENTATION
ON
PLASTIC POLLUTION
BY
MAHESHBABU M G
VI SEM 3 YEAR LLB
ENVIRONMENT
• Derived from French Word: Environ meaning “ENCIRCLE” or “TO SURROUND”

• Einstein defines it as “Everything that isn’t me”
• The Environment (Protection) Act: "environment" includes water, air and land
and the inter- relationship which exists among and between water, air and land,
and human beings, other living creatures, plants, micro-organism and property;
POLLUTION
• Latin word- Pollutus meaning “DEFILED” or “TO MAKE DIRTY”
• The presence of wrong matter in wrong quantity at the wrong place
• Section 2 (c ) of EP Act : The presence in the environment of any environmental
pollutant”
• Section 2(b): environmental pollutant means any solid, liquid or gaseous
substance present in such concentration as may be, or tend to be, injurious to
environment;
• TWO KINDS or FACTORS:

• Natural: Cyclones, Floods, Earthquakes, ozone depletion, acid rains
• Artificial:: Air, Water, Land, Noise,Radioactive , Plastic
PLASTIC POLLUTION
• Greek word: Plastikos meaning “TO MOLD” or “FORM”

• It means capacity to be formed.
• It comes from petroleum by refining oil through heating. This produces
ethylene and propylene. (Chemical bulding blocks of Plastic)
• These are again combined with other chemicals to form “POLYMER” (C H O Si)
PLASTIC USAGE
• After WWII accelerated.

• Life without plastic unimaginable, unrecognizable today.
• Revolutionalized medicine with life saving devices
• Space travel possible
• Lightened the cars and jets
WHY WE USE PLASTICS
EXAMPLES
was the first completely synthetic plastic. It was made from coal tar. It is
Bakelite no longer made today, but in its time, it was used for jewellery,
telephones, clocks, and radios.
Polyvinyl chloride is a great insulator Today, about 75 per cent of PVC materials are used for
(PVC) piping, tubing, flooring, roofing, and electrical cable insulation.
Cling film used for wrapping food to keep it fresh.
Polyethylene used in milk cartons, drink bottles, plastic bags, and food storage
(PET) containers. It is currently the most widely used plastic.
Teflon used in kitchen pots and pans because it is non-stick and therefore easy
to clean.
Nylon used for stockings, toothbrush bristles
is most widely used in clothes, but also in bottles, film, and tape, and as
Polyester a high-quality finish for guitars and pianos.
is an extremely hard material - used in astronauts 'helmets,
Lexan windscreens, dashboards, computer laptop cases, CDs, DVDs, and
mobile phones.
Polystyrene is used as a packing and building material.
Kevlar is used to make bulletproof vest material for soldiers and police officers.
Fleece is a warm and soft fabric-like material - used for blankets, jumpers,
jackets, and other clothes.
https://cdn.britannica.com/18/204718-050-F6177E8B/
pollution-kinds-air-land-water-environment-society.jpg
WHY PLASTIC IS CONSIDERED AS
POLLUTANT
• Charles Moore: Only we humans make waste that can’t digest.

• Non biodegradable- No decomposition under natural conditions
• Remains in the environment for thousands or millions of years
• Disposal challenging.
• 300-400 million tonnes every year
• It contains toxic chemicals – Pthalates, Poly carbonated chemicals, BPA
POLLUTION CAUSED BY PLASTICS
• Water Pollution- Bottles, Bags, covers, packaging, sanitary napkins dumped in

to the rivers, drainage system
• The washing of synthetic materials like clothes, cooking utensils reaches the
drainage system ultimately lakes and rivers.
LAND
• Plastic waste is not managed well.

• Plastic contains chemicals like chlorine. Seep into the soil affecting physical
structure and chemical composition of the soil.
• The chemicals percolate or leach down the soil and reach ground water.
• Plastic waste is dumped openly on land or land filled.
• No proper disposal. Blocking, clogging of drainage system
AIR POLLUTION
• The plastics contain chemicals such as phthalates, fluorinated chemicals, BPA
which escape to the air.
• Not only this, harmful gases are released during production and transportation
of raw materials and finished plastic items.
• These cause air pollution. Allergens, Skin diseases, Disease spreading.
• It is estimated that plastic contributes green house gases to the extent of 850
million tonnes of CO2 to the atmosphere.
• Annual emission grow up to 1.34 billion tonnes by 2030 .
• By 2050 emission by plastics alone will be 56 billion tonnes of green house gas
emissions. This is 14% of the earth’s remaining carbon budget.
MICOPLASTICS
• Small pieces of plastic < 5 mm in length.

• Present in personal care products, cosmetics, synthetic clothing, plastic bags,
bottles.
• They consist of C and H atoms bound together on polymer chains. Other
chemicals like Pthalates, PBDEs, TBBPA are present. These chemicals leach out
of the plastics and reach environment.
• Found in aquatic animals in the digestive tracts and tissues of sea animals. They
feed on these mistaking them as food.
• They are found in drinking water, food products including sea food and table
salt. They are also found in human tissues and organs.
BOTTLED WATER
• Each bottle manufacturing requires water 5 times its capacity. This process also
releases nickel, ethylene and benzene,
• More than 30 billion empty bottles are discarded every year. Only 14% are
recycled and 80% reach land fills or road side.
EFFORTS TO REDUCE PLASTIC POLLUTION
1. management of Plastic waste: 3 Rs

• Reduce, Reuse and recycle. Nowdays plastic waste is used for making roads.
2. Use of bioplastics: e.g Sugar based bioplastics which can be degraded
biologically.
3. Public awareness:
4. Say no to plastic. Paper Bags, Stainless steel, wood etc.
5. Legislations
INTERNATIONAL FRAME WORKS
1. 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development

Goals (SDGs) : Goal 6 Clean water and sanitation and Goal 14 (Ocean
conservation)
2. The Convention on the Preservation of Marine Pollution by dumping wates and
other Matter (London Convention of 1992.
3. London protocol 1996 prohibits all dumping into the oceans (45 parties).
4. The International Convention for the prevention of pollution from ships
(MARPOL, 1973), Main convention.Bans the disposal of garbage at sea.
5. The UNCLOS, 1982: 167 parties. Does not specifically mentions plastics.
6. BASEL Convention: Hazardous wastes and their disposal.
7. Customary Law: Prohibition of transboundary harm from one state to another.
PTD : Governmtnts are the trustees of Commons and Natural Resources.
REGIONAL CONVENTION
• BOMAKO Convention: The African Union’s 1994 Convention Ban of Import of

Hazardous Wastes.
• OSPAR Convention: Convention for the protection of Marine Environment of
North East Atlantic,
• CARTOGENA Convention: Protection of Marine Environment in Carribean
region 1996.
• TEHRAN Convention: In the Caspian Sea
• EU Waste Frame Work Directives
LAWS IN INDIA
The EP Act, 1986: Section 8: restricts persons handling hazardous substances to
comply with procedural safeguards.
• No person shall use carry bags made of recycled plastics or compostable plastics
for storing, carrying, dispensing or packaging food stuffs;
• No person shall manufacture, stock, distribute or sell any carry bag made of virgin
or recycled or compostable plastic, which is less than 40 microns in thickness;
• Nachets using plastic material shall not be used for storing, packing or selling
gutkha, tobacco and pan masala;
• The municipal authority shall be responsible for setting-up, operationalisation and
co-ordination of the waste management system and for performing the associated
functions, namely:-(to ensure safe collection, storage, segregation, transportation,
processing and disposal of plastic waste; to ensure setting-up of collection centres
for plastic waste involving manufacturers; to ensure that open burning of plastic
waste is not permitted;
CONCLUSION
Accumulation of plastic objects in the environment
Many uses of plastics
Inexpensive, durable and convenient to use
BUT
Non degradable, cause land water air pollution affecting human beings, animals,
Plants, aquatic animals
Many legislations are there to control the menace internationally, regionally and
national level.
The recent one being ban on single use plastics. 21 items are banned.

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PRESENTATION

• Derived from French Word: Environ meaning “ENCIRCLE” or “TO SURROUND”

• TWO KINDS or FACTORS:

• Greek word: Plastikos meaning “TO MOLD” or “FORM”

• After WWII accelerated.

• Charles Moore: Only we humans make waste that can’t digest.

• Water Pollution- Bottles, Bags, covers, packaging, sanitary napkins dumped in

• Plastic waste is not managed well.

• Small pieces of plastic < 5 mm in length.

1. management of Plastic waste: 3 Rs

1. 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development

• BOMAKO Convention: The African Union’s 1994 Convention Ban of Import of

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