Polythenes are frequently used in India as a packing materials. Polythenes were introduced in India as a subsitute to the paper bags which were initially used for packing especially the light commondities. As a result polythene wastes, this has indeed been a hazard to the Indian environment but first, the description of this substance.Polythene bags can best be defined as a non-biodegradable substance that is used by the majority of Indians as packing materials. Despite the fact that they are cheap as well as light, they are hazardous in the following ways;
- The fact that they are non biodegradable makes them hard to dispose and as a result, they can act as breeding places for many of the disease germs which, sooner than later cause an epidemic in the surrounding people.
- The fact that they are very light also makes it very easy for them to be blown from place to place and as a result, the unending littering of the environment.
- These polythene bags have over time been proven to be environmentally unfriendly considering the time taken for their decomposition. As a result of this time spun they can cause further problems like blocking water penetration into the soil which in turn affects food growth and development.
As an alternative of having to suffer the unending plight of environmental down fall, we would suggest that an alternative means of packaging materials should be encouraged and as such the use of polythene bags should be banned.
Polythenes are therefore the most outstanding of all the waste in the homes of most Indians and are hard to dispose off. They affect the environment in a number of ways with some very adverse effects.
Due to the careless disposal of the polythene in the country, the areas where they have been deposited in large quantities have lost soil fertility.This is mainly because they cannot rot and decompose and therefore cannot lead to the formation of good soils. The polythene bags have also got an acidic combination which with time disturbs the chemical formulas of the soils.
The poor disposal of the polythene bags can also lead to the spread of diseases. This is because the polythene bags can easily block the the sewerage and water pies which can eventually lead to the spread of the Diseases. They cannot also cause water logging since the water cannot percolate through them and this can be a good breeding ground for some of the vectors which spread diseases.
Unneccessary littering of the polythene bags on the roadsides destroys the beautiful scenary. If they are carelessly thrown all over the place, they make the environment very untidy and unpleasant to look at. This is the case in some parts of the city.
The polythene bags cannot allow the water to pass so easily. As a result the soil is not well earatedand this is because they are non-biodegradable and water cannot easily percolate through them.
Death of domestic animals specially the cows and the goats after eating the polythene bags. This clearly show that waste if mismanaged can be very dangerous to the environment.
Emphasis should be put on the use of paper bags. This is because the paperbags are also light and they can easily decompose. They should therefore act as the subsitute for the polythene bags . The industries should also be encouraged to recycle the polythene bags.
Education of the masses on the proper disposal of the polythene waste. The masses should be sensitized about the dangers of the improper disposal of the polythene bags.
Burningof the plythene bags using the incenerators at very high temperatures. This should mainly be done for the case of the polythene bags which were deposited so many years ago and have not decomposed up to now.
Laws and legislations should be put in place regarding the improper poythene waste disposal. The people who are seen throwing away the polythene bags careless while moving should be penalised and this should be done by lobbying the parliament to pass these laws. In some cases the use of polythene bags should be banned especially where they have been mismanaged.
Local Action projects should be emphasised by the students whereby the students move to the neighbouring communities to have them cleaned up and also carry out the seminars to sensitise the masses about the dangers of improper waste disposal.
