Plastic Bottle

Plastic bottles.

This. Has been seriously worsening the risk of global warming. 

          Nowadays you see plastic bottles everywhere you go, every convenience store, every vending machine you bump into. From such widespread plastic bottles, the amount of purchase on pet bottles is almost equivalent to 20,000 bottles being bought every second. Such pet bottles used for water and soft drinks are mostly made from polyethylene terephthalate. Often referred to as ‘PET’. Although this is recyclable plastic, since the amount that is been used is incredible, it is failing on collecting such pet bottles to prevent pollution in the ocean. The reality, only 1 in 5 bottles are actually recycled. The rest of the bottles, around 3 billion pounds, contributes to plastic waste that has been added to landfills every year. Not only do0es the plastic spreads through the land surface. But it causes a major effect on marine life. With leaked plastic in the word’s ocean, marine species often ingest such plastic pieces. Causing corruption of sea life.* This affects us, humans, as well, as such plastic leaks on the ocean have been slowly finding its way into the human food chain. Based on scientist calculation, it estimates how every year people who eat seafood, ingest around 11,000 tiny pieces of plastic. 

           Not only does the outcome product of ‘plastic bottle’ does affect the environment. But, the process of production itself harms the environment too. From data in Australia (2009), which produced 582.9 million liters of bottled water, 52.5 million liters of oil were used throughout that year. Just to produce the PET used for the plastic bottle. This does not include the energy used in transportation and refrigerator as well. While energy used transporting the pet bottle was significant as well. Pacific Institute estimates how the total amount of energy used for transporting pet bottles can be equivalent to filling one-quarter of the pet bottle full of oil. Overall in that year, Australia has used more than 145.7 million liters of oil, for pet bottles. 

As such, the pet bottle causes the environmental effect. From both the consumption and the waste. So what small movement can we make? 

20,000 bottles being bought every second. 

In other words, 20,000 bottles can be saved if everyone stopped buying pet bottles for a second. This can be hard to measure. But the idea can be alternated. Bringing your own water bottle/ mug. Or if your a great plastic bottle consumer, just buy one less plastic bottle for today. 

Anything less than the day before can be your start! 

 *(Detail effects on plastic effects on marine life would be posted on an upcoming post.)