In the modern world today, there are obviously so many plastics that
they keep on increasing every year. However, there are still two sides of the
story. Plastics may be for the good of the economy and the development of the
society, and may be for the bad effect of the environment as well as for the
people living from day to day.
According to “epa.gov”, plastics play an important role in almost every aspect of
our lives. Plastics are used to manufacture everyday products such as beverage
containers, toys, and furniture. The widespread use of plastics demands proper
end of life management. Plastics make up more than 12 percent of the municipal
solid waste stream, a dramatic increase from 1960, when plastics were less than
one percent of the waste stream.
They (epa.gov) also included facts that the
largest category of plastics are found in containers and packaging (e.g., soft
drink bottles, lids, shampoo bottles), but they also are found in durable
(e.g., appliances, furniture) and nondurable goods (e.g., diapers, trash bags,
cups and utensils, medical devices). The recycling rate for different types of
plastic varies greatly, resulting in an overall plastics recycling rate of only
8 percent, or 2.4 million tons in 2010. However, the recycling rate for some
plastics is much higher, for example in 2010, 28 percent of HDPE (High-density Polyethylene) bottles and
29 percent of PET (Polyethylene
Terephthalate) bottles and jars were recycled.
I searched the internet
and found 20 amazing facts for all of us to widen our knowledge about plastics.
Please visit this link...
to learn more about the
good and bad things that plastics do to our environment. May this link serve as
an eye-opening opportunity for me to promote a greener, healthier environment
for the next generation.
In line with all of these
facts and other things about plastics, I would like to let every reader of this
blog know that promoting a plastic-free environment is very hard, especially if
the people themselves don’t want to be involved to make a greener environment
that a number of people are promoting. Despite this reality, one brave city
took the challenge and made themselves start the change from within them.
This city is no other than
a small city in Negros Oriental, Philippines—Dumaguete City. This is the city
where I’m taking my college now and that am hoping to graduate by the end of
the next school year. I am very proud to be here for I’ve seen a lot of good
changes in this city. If I compare it to the urban city where I came from, this
place is indeed better to live in.
However, when there’s a
start, there is always an end.
In the past years, around
2005-2010 I guess, there has been a city declared by the Philippine government
that has been a great help for the improvement and development of a greener
earth. However, in the success of the promotion of a good start, I have also
witnessed the negligence of the people because the environment issue stopped
due to the fast improvements. The city later on went back to its regular habit
of throwing trash (especially plastics) everywhere.
The success that I’ve
witnessed in the other city where I used to live is quite similar to the
success of the implementation of the plastic-free city of Dumaguete. I am just
worried for the city because they might also have a similar story with the ones
done by my old urban city.
I hope for the best of the
plastic-free program and may each citizen of that city cooperate in order to
continue the improvement of a greener environment.
Have a good green day!
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