Evaluate the main Problems Associated with Using Plastic Bags Essay

Evaluate the main Problems Associated with Using Plastic Bags - Essay Example As the report stresses in India non-biodegradable bags result in long-lasting litter at landfill sites. This is especially dangerous to wildlife away from areas of human population. Collecting plastic bags is not profitable for waste pickers in India, and this leads to plastic bags continuing to create a major threat to the environment. As a consequence the landscape of India is dominated by litter from plastic bags. Presently, plastic accounts for an estimated 10 percent of generated waste. This paper discusses that some of the litter that does not end up in landfills results in blocked drains and choked soil. Plastic bags are light and so they lead to blocked drains which results in water logging and nuisance to citizens. They can also lead to choked soil because they are non-porous, and do not permit the free flow of water and air, hence causing plants to choke. The rotting waste from pits generates methane. The toxins present are dissolved, permeates the soil and pollutes groundwater during monsoon rains. Plastic bags are photo-degradable instead of bio-degradable – which means that they break down into small toxic bits. This results in the contamination of the ground and waterways. This becomes a heath hazard to humans, animals, marine life and plant life. Suffocation as a result of plastic bag is not uncommon, especially in Malaysia. There have been accidental deaths, both among small children who play with shopping bags and adolescents who are solvent abuse rs. There have been instances of homicide cases, and the victims are invariably infants or adults who are frail or terminally ill and are not able to struggle or show resistance (Perez-Martinez et al 1993). Impact on plants, animal and marine life In India dumping grounds are filled, levelled off and converted into parks. Owing to the fact that the soil was predominantly plastic bags, the trees were not able to anchor firmly into the ground. The flora is destroyed due to the uprooting of trees from the high velocity winds that blow over the city during the