Plastic Pollution Unveiled: Causes, Impacts, and Effective Prevention Methods

Abstract

‌‌Environmental pollution is considered a global issue nowadays and immense efforts are being made to prevent it. Plastic pollution has become one of the most pressing environmental issues as plastics are accumulating worldwide on land and in oceans due to rapid population growth and urbanization. The amount of plastic garbage created has grown due to the fast population development, creating significant problems for its disposal. Plastic products are made up of various elements such as carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, chlorine, and sulfur. Plastics and natural materials such as rubber or cellulose are composed of very large molecules, or polymers, through a process called polymerization. Plastics are produced under specific and appropriate temperature and pressure conditions, additional plastics from industrial and municipal sources have caused headaches for agencies tasked with handling them. There are various methods for processing these materials. Various common methods to prevent plastic pollution have been investigated through this literature research. The result of the research revealed that there are two common ways to prevent the pollution of plastic products, one of which is to bury them and burn them, and the second way is the process of recycling, which can be used as a secondary product, gas, or oil. It can serve as an energy source.