Environmental Impact Of Plastic Manufacturing

Plastic shopping bags have heavily contributed to a huge amount of plastic debris found in the north pacific ocean.

Environmental impact of plastic manufacturing.

For example through policy and the improvement of new technologies air pollution from manufacturing in england has been greatly decreased since it was at its worst. Instead a combination of the sun s energy and environmental factors like rain will continue to degrade plastic down into smaller and smaller pieces. One of the positive characteristics of plastic is the fact that it is durable. Plastic pollution occurs when enough plastic has gathered in an area that it affects the natural environment and harms plants animals or humans.

Plastics could be used to benefit the environment. Plastic cannot be recycled by living organisms. It prevents the substance from spilling out and affecting the environment or exposing the employees to the toxic chemicals during manufacturing. This is known as the great pacific garbage patch.

Plastics make life better and easier for us. These pieces of plastic also known as microplastics will always remain on earth as plastic. Around 4 percent of world oil production is used as a feedstock to make plastics and a similar amount is consumed as energy in the process. From polymers to products many of these facilities contribute to or directly produce goods that have environmental benefits from helping make automobiles more fuel efficient to recycling products that keep plastics out of landfills.

Plastic buried deep in landfills can leach harmful chemicals that spread into groundwater. Unfortunately this is not a positive characteristic when it comes to the environment. Environmental impact litter from plastic bags is not just on land. Plastic has toxic pollutants that damage the environment and cause land water and air pollution.

Plastic is known to be chemical resistant and light. Plastics are very stable and therefore stay in the environment a long time after they are discarded especially if they are shielded from direct sunlight by being buried in landfills. The fact that plastic is durable means it degrades slowly. In addition burning plastic can sometimes result in toxic fumes.

Pollution and hazards from manufacturing the most obvious form of pollution associated with plastic packaging is wasted plastic sent to landfills. However we have a fairly successful track record of identifying and eventually curbing the impacts of industry on the environment.