Where Do Most Plastic Items End Up?
Plastic has only existed for a little over a century, yet it has permeated every aspect of our lives, from clothing and food to housing and transportation. The plastic waste we discard daily seems to "disappear" once it's hauled away by garbage trucks. But in reality, plastic doesn't truly disappear. It may end up in landfills, incinerate, or enter the ocean, or even decompose into smaller particles, continuing to exist in the environment. Globally, over 300 million tons of plastic are produced annually, with approximately 8 million tons ultimately ending up in the ocean. The "disappearance" of this plastic waste is actually a long process of "lurking."
01 Landfilling
Landfilling is a widely used traditional method for disposing of waste plastic. This simple and direct physical treatment method has significant hidden dangers and harms. It increases the pressure on land resources, the non-biodegradable plastics severely hinder groundwater infiltration, and the additives in plastics cause secondary pollution of the land. Plastic waste—almost impossible to completely decompose in nature—most plastic products never completely disappear; they simply become smaller over time.
02 Incineration
Incineration is also a widely used method for disposing of plastic waste. Proponents of incineration argue that plastics, refined from petroleum and natural gas, are primarily hydrocarbons. Burning them generates significant heat, which is then used to generate electricity.
Incinerating plastic waste in this way has, in some areas, replaced polluting fuels like coal or oil. However, burning plastics produces toxic and harmful gases, which can enter the environment if the incinerator is inefficient.
Professor of the School of Environment at Tsinghua University told the Global Times that a sophisticated control system is needed to ensure complete combustion of plastic waste, followed by a robust flue gas purification system to treat the flue gas effectively, thus controlling pollution.
03 Recycling and Pelletizing
Recycling and granulation is a physical method of recycling plastic waste. Most recyclable plastics are mechanically broken down into granules, which are then remanufactured into new plastic products such as packaging materials, seats, or clothing. However, recycling and granulation also has limitations; its applicability is limited, and most plastic waste still ends up in landfills or is incinerated.
04. Pyrolysis Method
This method utilizes the thermal instability of organic matter in solid waste, placing it in a pyrolysis reactor for thermal decomposition. This technology can convert waste plastics into high-value-added energy products such as fuel oil, natural gas, and solid fuels.
05. Composting
Household waste is piled up, kept at 70°C for storage and fermentation. The microorganisms in the waste decompose the organic matter into inorganic nutrients. After composting, household waste becomes hygienic, odorless humus. This solves the waste disposal problem and achieves resource recycling. However, household waste compost is large in volume but low in nutrient content, and long-term use can easily cause soil compaction and groundwater deterioration. Therefore, the scale of composting should not be too large. Pre-treatment is necessary for all municipal solid waste treatment methods, including landfill, incineration, and composting.
Due to the non-biodegradable nature of plastics, they have become humanity's number one enemy and have already caused the tragic deaths of many natural organisms. For example, fish, dolphins, and sea turtles in the ocean die painfully after ingesting plastic waste, unable to digest it. Beautiful beaches and seas are now littered with all sorts of plastic debris that the ocean cannot contain. Various types of indigestible plastic have been found in the carcasses of dead seabirds.
So, what can we do to reduce plastic pollution?
1. Bring your own reusable shopping bags when shopping at the supermarket.
2. Use biodegradable plastic products and have a high level of environmental awareness.
3. Don't litter and do your part to beautify the environment.
4. In daily life, encourage those around you to reduce their use of plastic products.
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