Bhubaneswar produces 30 tonnes plastic waste daily

The World Environment Day is an opportunity to raise awareness and promote action on environmental issues and mitigating damage caused to the environment. The day is observed on June 5 since 1972 in more than 100 countries, and is one of the most popular days on the United Nations calendar.

Through World Environment Day, the United Nations Environment Programme is able to personalise environmental issues and enable everyone to realise not only their responsibility, but also their power to become agents of change in support of sustainable and equitable development.

A variety of activities are planned to celebrate the great event in different countries to encourage more people towards the celebration.

Various news channels take part very actively in the celebration for spreading awareness among common public on environmental issues. Some of the national and international level activities include street rallies, tree plantation, garbage recycling, surrounding areas clean-up, parades and so many activities in order to draw people’s attention towards a wide range of environmental issues as well as bring difference.

The people of all age groups actively involve during the celebration to save their planet in original form as gifted by the nature.

Especially, modern day youths hugely take part in the celebration through many activities such as clean up campaigns, art exhibitions, motivating people for tree-planting, dance activities, recycling garbage, film festivals, community events, essays writing, poster competitions, social media campaigns and lot more. Many awareness campaigns are also run at schools, colleges and other educational institutions to motivate students towards their environmental safety.

The celebration takes place at national and international level by organising various activities in the public places to aware common public about the real causes of environment status degradation as well as let them know what steps should be taken to solve such environmental issues.

India is the global host of the World Environment Day this year. “Beat Plastic Pollution”, the theme for the day, urges the Governments, industry, communities, and individuals to come together and explore sustainable alternatives and urgently reduce the production and excessive use of single-use plastic polluting our oceans, damaging marine life and threatening human health.

Plastic Pollution Facts

• Plastic pollution is the accumulation of plastic products in the environment that adversely affects wildlife, wildlife habitat, or humans.
• A 2017 study found that 83 per cent of tap water samples taken around the world contained plastic pollutants.
• In 2015, a study found that sea salt samples purchased in China were contaminated with microplastics, often in concentrations as high as 681 plastic particles for every kilogram of sea salt.
• A study in Nature Scientific Reports found microplastics in 16 out of 17 salt brands originating from eight different countries.
• This plastic debris can kill the sea turtle by obstructing the oesophagus. So too are whales; large amounts of plastics have been found in the stomachs of beached whales.
• Over the years, plastic has emerged as one of the major reasons behind the death of many cows and other animals in India.
• In one such incident at Bhubaneswar OUAT, veterinarians surgically removed more than 70 kg of plastic from a bull’s stomach.
• Some of the chemicals used in plastic production can cause dermatitis upon contact with human skin.
• Delhi is the largest contributor to India’s 25,940 tonnes of plastic waste every day.
• Using five plastic bags at the grocery store adds one kilogram of carbon dioxide to our carbon footprint.
• Every year, more than 500 million single-use plastic straws wind up in the trash. Instead of a plastic straw we can use a stainless steel straw.

Plastics Waste in India

Based on a study conducted by the Central Pollution Control Board and Central Institute of Plastic Engineering and Technology for 60 cities in the country, during 2010-11, it was observed that 10 cities viz Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai, Bangalore, Ahmadabad, Hyderabad, Surat, Kanpur and Pune generate more plastic waste.

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) said in its 2015 report that as many as 60 tier-I and tier-II Indian cities roughly account for generation of 4,059 tonnes of plastic waste per day.

Delhi is the largest contributor to India’s 25,940 tonnes of plastic waste every day. In Bhubaneswar, 30 tonnes of plastic waste is generated every day which accounts for 5 per cent of solid waste generated.

(Dr Senapati is Professor and Head, Department of Chemistry, Trident Academy of Technology, Bhubaneswar. He is also a Prakruti Bandhu awardee.)