Stop plastic bottles
Single-use plastic water bottles are ubiquitous on our planet. More than 89 billion bottles of water are created each year worldwide. They are certainly practical, but this waste is real pollutants for the environment. Indeed, many plastic bottles end up in the sea and in nature. From today, let’s say stop to plastic bottles.
The negative impacts of the plastic water bottle
Beyond the fact that the production of bottled water contributes to the emission of greenhouse gases, the production of bottles poses another problem: only less than 50% of hospitalharrywilliams.org the production of plastic bottles is recycled. The other half turns into waste that most often ends up in the ocean.
When the bottles are left abandoned in the oceans, part of them floats on the surface and the other piles up in the agoradesign.it depths. The plastic water bottle is also the number 1 plastic waste in European waters. These different plastics then follow the marine currents of the oceans for several centuries before degradation.
The water bottle is gradually degraded by the action of the sun and by the consumption of plastic by bacteria. But this degradation can sometimes last more than a millennium. And unfortunately, as we’ll see, those plastic bottles aren’t going away entirely.
Microplastics, the hell of the oceans
The problem that plastic water bottle imposes in the oceans and that it does not completely degrade and that it gives way to particles called microplastics. In 2020, these microplastics of less than 5 millimeters are counted at more than 14 million tones in the oceans of our planet.
They have a very harmful effect on it. In addition to being a pollutant for the sea which is our primary resource in terms of oxygen, the microplastics present in the oceans are extremely harmful to the seabed.
They disrupt ecosystems and many mammals die from ingesting plastics. By ingesting microplastics, some of them remain blocked in their organic tissues and can lead to death by intoxication in the long term.
According to UNESCO, more than 100,000 mammals die every year after ingesting plastic material. In 2017, the NGO Surf rider listed more than 697 threatened species. Unlike garbage in a trash can, microplastics cannot be removed from our oceans. They are so abundant that a new geological layer of microplastics may be forming above the ocean floor.
How to stop the constant pollution of our environment by microplastics ?
At a time when France is only considering a ban on single-use bottles in 2040, it is time for us to reduce our own consumption, and ideally to ban it. Great initiative, but where to start?
A simple solution to reduce the impact of our environmental footprint is to stop our chronic consumption of single-use bottles. Indeed, by stopping our consumption, we are able to stop this ecological disaster.
To replace the plastic water bottle, there are various possibilities.
We can first opt for the gourd. There are several kinds with some that filter bacteria and allow us to drink unsafe water. The linen or glass bottle can also be a good solution. We also had the pleasant surprise recently of producing a biodegradable bottle made from sugar cane.
We therefore realize the disastrous impact that the plastic water bottle has on the environment. But this awareness must lead us to be actors in the world of tomorrow. To improve our impact on the environment and contribute to the preservation of our planet, let’s say no to plastic bottles!
WHAT WE CAN DO
Following a simple reduce, reuse, recycle, lifestyle does not only mean that you are actively saving the environment, it also means that you are benefiting yourself by possibly saving hundreds of dollars using reusable water bottle. Moreover, you can also go the extra mile to ensure that any plastic you happen to use is indeed being recycled. Additionally, it is crucial to learn to identify false advertising that is promising healthier or cleaner water by doing your own research and understanding the characteristics that make consumable water you can avoid falling victim to large organizational propaganda. Finally and most importantly, you can speak up and spread the word on just how much plastic bottled water is impacting the environment.