Page 107 - Final Magazine 2019-2020.cdr

Environmental Degradation: Plastic V/s. Paper

Ms, Dipali Paresh Mali, Sonepant Dandekar College, Palghar

longer be used. So, all plastic is not recyclable. Plastic straws are usually not recyclable and coffee
cups require a special machine to recycle them because the outside of the cup is made of paper
and the inside has a thin layer of plastic. Because there are two different materials, the cups cannot
be recycled unless the materials are separated, which is impossible to do by hand and requires a
special machine. Keyboards may also be recycled, with special and intense effort.

Though the process of recycling paper consumes more energy than plastic I feel the process of
recycling paper is pretty straightforward as compared to recycling plastic and many different types
of paper can be recycled. According to me most of the disposable plastic also lasts forever in the
environment and does not get recycled as recycling plastic is a complicated system dictated by
market demand, price determination and local regulations, the success of which is contingent
from the product-designer, to the trash-thrower, to the waste collector, to the recycling factory
worker.

Health Effects of Paper and Plastic

Wrapping food items in newspaper is bad for our health as its ink has multiple bioactive materials.
Printing inks may also contain harmful colors, pigments, binders, additives and preservatives.
Besides chemical contaminants, pathogenic microorganisms in used newspapers also pose a
potential risk to human health. Working in pulp and paper mills causes health effects such as
obstructive airways diseases, hypersensitivity reactions and cardiovascular diseases. Plastic has
been linked to disrupting hormonal growth and carcinogens. While using it we should be wary
about chemicals leaching into food or drink products. Studies suggest that food and drinks stored
in plastic containers can contain trace amounts of Bisphenol A (BPA), a synthetic chemical that may
interfere with the body's natural hormone messaging system. Different human health problems
like irritation in the eyes, vision failure, breathing difculties, respiratory problems, liver
dysfunction, cancers, skin diseases, lung problems, headache, dizziness, birth defects,
reproductive, cardiovascular, genotoxic and gastrointestinal disorders are often traced down to
the use of toxic plastics.

Both, paper and plastic have drawbacks for the environment. So, I conclude it's better to minimize
the use of both of them. Does there exist third alternative? Information Technology may offer an
answer. How about paperless communication and transactions? They will conserve the
environment, save time and space. An average 8GB ash drive, which holds the equivalent of
approximately 136,000 Word, Google or Page Documents costs around Rs.2000 which is
certainly much lower than the cumulative cost of paper and ink for printing on paper. The need to
cut down forests will reduce and creatures of the wild will not be denied their spatial rights. The fear
of water bodies running dry and getting polluted will also become a thing of the past.

“ Wanting to become someone else is a waste of
who you are.” (Curt Cobain) 96
2019-20