How much plastic do you throw away after one trip to the supermarket? If it's not sorted for recycling, it's likely taking up at least half of the bin. Plastic is the scourge of humanity in the 21st century, one of the most difficult problems due to its widespread use in any industry and its low percentage of reuse. Scientists have proven that plastic is already contained in small oceanic zooplankton, which, along the food chain, also ends up on a plate for humans.
Of particular danger is thin soft plastic (packaging of bakery products, wrapping film, disposable bags, etc.), which practically (and in the territory of the CIS countries completely) cannot be recycled to obtain recyclable materials. What happens to it after our 2 minute use? It is sent to rot in a landfill for centuries, polluting soils and groundwater, killing the biosystem, or burned, releasing hundreds of toxic compounds into the atmosphere. All this is returning to us in the form of contaminated food, water, climate change, the extinction of hundreds of animal species and an increase in the number of diseases, especially childhood ones. We destroy ourselves, succumbing to momentary comfort.
Of course, it is impossible to completely abandon plastic while living in the city and shopping in the supermarket. Not everywhere there are shops selling the necessary products by weight in eco-friendly packages. What you can do is try not to buy goods packaged in plastic. If, nevertheless, there is no way to refuse, write to the manufacturers with requests to replace plastic packaging with environmentally friendly (paper, biodegradable, recycled). Today it is an affordable alternative for most products. The more conscious citizens show their interest, the more the manufacturer will think about moving to the next, healthier stage for all of us. In turn, this will help to improve the recycling chain, as demand for it will increase.
Perhaps, on a galactic scale, some 500 Earth years of plastic decomposition is nothing. But think about the next generations. Where will they live?
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