Moving Towards a Plastic-free Planet

Author: Sajid Malek

Plastics have been in use by humans for over a century. This technological advancement allowed us to produce cheap and reliable materials that can hold our food, water and other utilities.

The biggest downside of using plastic is that it is non-biodegradable. This means that the material cannot decompose naturally. It wasn’t until the mid-seventies that the dangers of plastics were discovered by the public.

Give the extent of use of plastic in our daily lives, there has been millions of tons of plastic that has accumulated on our planet’s surface. A lot of this has ended up in the oceans and landfills.

Plastics promote growth of various yeasts, bacteria, algae and other microorganisms, which cause a myriad of diseases and health hazards to all living species. It is estimated that by the year 2050, there will be more plastic in our oceans that there are fish. This will end up completely destroying the eco-system of our planet, risking the extinction of all living species.

Plastics are everywhere. Made from fossil fuels, consuming energy only to be thrown away, piling up in landfills, clogging our oceans, and contaminating food chains — they somehow sum up everything that's wrong with how we treat our planet.

The report by WHO (World Health Organization) estimates that only 9% of plastics are recycled out of the billions of tons of plastic waste that has accumulated on our Earth.It is estimated that by the year 2050, there will be more plastic in our oceans that there are fish. This will end up completely destroying the eco-system of our planet, risking the extinction of all living species.

Notably, India alone generates 10,000 tons of plastic waste daily that accounts for 9% of the total waste generation of the country. Using less-than-ideal processing plants, India is able to turn 6,000 tons of mixed waste into usable compost.

SET (Save Environment Token) is making phenomenal efforts when it comes to solid waste management. The platform is facilitating local government bodies to reuse and recycle solid waste. The company plans to use shredded mixed plastic films to make higjh quality and durable roads.they somehow sum up everything that's wrong with how we treat our planet.