Articles: August 2008 Archives
by Marlene A. Affeld
By negligently discarding plastic items, especially plastic water bottles, fishing gear and plastic bags, people are unknowingly causing the deaths of millions of mammals, fish, birds and reptiles each and every year. We defile the face of the earth with plastic refuse creating waterway contamination. Since the invention of plastic earlier this century, it has become a popular material used in a wide variety of unique and innovative applications.
Plastic is used to make, or wrap around, many of the items we buy or use. The problem comes when we no longer want these items and how we dispose of them, particularly the throwaway plastic material used in wrapping or packaging. Plastic is handy, lightweight and easily discarded. Too easily discarded. Plastics are utilized because they are easy and inexpensive to manufacture, strong and durable. Regrettably these same useful characteristics make plastic an overwhelming pollution problem. Inferior quality and low cost means plastic is readily discarded. Plastics take around 300 years to photo degrade.
Its long life assures it survives in the environment for extended periods where it can do great harm. Because plastic does not easily decompose and requires high energy ultra-violet light to break down, the volume of plastic waste in the world's oceans is steadily increasing. Plastic is now found in virtually all the oceans and rivers of the world, even the most remote and once pristine.
Blog Action Day 2008 Poverty from Blog Action Day on Vimeo.



Discussions
Marlene Affeld in Plastic Pollution And The Plight Of The Planet: Thank you for posting my article. I am always heartened when I find blogs that focus on environment awareness. I enjoy following your blog. For more information on the environment and the beauty of
HAYOONA in Why do we read Quraan, even if we can't understand a single Arabic word?!: Wow..very nice story.. I too read a lot of things in Quran and don't understand them, but now i will continue reading even if i don't understand...Thank you for the story..
Erin in Plastic Pollution And The Plight Of The Planet: BI: You need to consider several things before you assume all this information is false and therefore the situation is not as dire... First, there are no overhead pictures of the plastic swirl becaus
sat seeker in Al Rai vs Al Watan Tv: anyone seen the feed (scpc) for alrai? i'm having trouble getting the mux station. thanks!