Each year on June 5th, World Environment Day reminds humanity of its critical responsibility to protect and restore the planet. In 2025, the message rings louder than ever as one of the most pressing environmental challengesplastic pollutioncontinues to suffocate ecosystems across continents and oceans. From bustling metropolises to remote island shores, plastic has infiltrated every corner of the Earth. It has made its way up to the secluded Pyrenees mountain range and down to the bottom of the Mariana Trench.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) is one of the most well-known and alarming examples of plastic pollution in the world’s oceans. Combatting this menace requires global cooperation through stricter regulations, promotion of sustainable alternatives, responsible consumption, and improved waste management systems.
Single use plastics are a growing menace to the environment as these plastics are often used for just a few minutes before being discarded. These conveniences are so ubiquitous and are so quickly thrown out that they hardly register in our minds. But these single-use plastics come with a steep environmental price that we’ll be paying off for millennia.
Items like grocery bags, food packaging materials, bottled water containers, straws, coffee stirrers, disposable cups and cutlery all fall under single use plastics. The use of these single-use plastics should be banned globallyas they are traditionally hard to recycle.They fall into the crevices of recycling machinery and therefore are often not accepted by recycling centres.
Over 400 million tonnes of plastic are produced globally each yearwith more than one-third being single-use plastics. Of this, at least 14 million tonnes end up in the oceans annually posing a fatal threat to marine life and eventually entering the food chain in the form of microplastics. These microscopic plastic fragments no more than 5 millimetres long are hard to detect and are found almost everywhere.
In the ocean, these tiny plastic particles are often mistaken for food by marine animals like fishes, seabirds, whales and plankton. Ingesting microplastics can lead to internal injuries, starvation, and even death, disrupting the marine food chain and threatening biodiversity.
Plastics contain several harmful chemicals that pose significant risks to human health. One of the most well-known is Bisphenol A (BPA) commonly found in food containers and water bottles, which can disrupt hormonal balance and has been linked to reproductive and developmental issues. Styrene present in disposable containers and foam packagingis a possible carcinogen and can affect the nervous system.
One of the most objectionable types of litter that is detrimental to the health of environment is the use of polythene bags. Be it the roadside vendors selling fruits or vegetables, or shopkeepersthe use of polythene continues and is found mostly littering the streets, parking lots and where not! Most of us take metals with ready to eat food items carried in the coloured polythene carry bags like lead through black polythene carry bags, chromium through red polythene carry bags, copper through blue polythene carry bags and salt of barium through green polythene carry bags.
It’s high time to confront the plastic crisis head-on and embrace sustainable alternatives. A proper ban should be imposed on the use of polythene bags and instead use of cloth-based bags like jute and cotton which are biodegradable as well as reusable should be largely emphasized. These Eco bags not only provide a safe and eco-friendly alternative but they also eliminate the need for plastic bags that have proven to harm the environment.
Eliminating plastic pollution is an important component of the United Nations Decade On Ecosystem Restoration 2020-2030. It’s not too late yet. There are still many changes that we can incorporate in our lifestyle to reduce our plastic footprint in the environment. Many companies around the world are taking initiative and following Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR) likePepsiCoaims to reduce virgin plastic content across its beverage brands by 50% by 2030.
McDonald’s swapped its plastic straws for paper at its United Kingdom and Ireland restaurants. Disney is eliminating single-use plastic straws and stirrers at all its theme parks, resorts and properties. Starbucks, which uses an estimated one billion plastic straws per year, is phasing them out in favour of paper ones. Apple removed plastic wrap from iPhone boxes; reduced use of plastic in packaging by 75% since 2015. H&M switched to paper packaging for online orders. Patagonia uses 100% recycled polyester; redesigned packaging to reduce plastic use.
Coca cola pledged to collect and recycle a bottle or can for each one sold by 2030 through its “World Without Waste” initiative.Procter & Gamble (P&G) launched shampoo bars with paper based packaging to replace plastic bottles.Unilever committed to making all plastic packaging reusable, recyclable, or compostable by 2025.These actions are a response to calls for change and shifting consumer habits.
Recycling more plastic, more frequentlyreduces its footprint. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) one of the most commonly recycled plastics and the material that makes up most water and soda bottles can be turned into everything from polyester fabric to automotive parts.Strengthening of waste management infrastructure, implementation of effective seggregation systems and establishment of recycling centres will help to a greater extent to address the growing menace of plastic waste. Besides this our personal preferences can create asignificant change. Cutlery still remains the primary source of plastic waste at weddings ceremonies.
We should encourage the use of tumblers, plates and other utensils made of glass and environment-friendly metals. Use cloth or jute bags instead of plastic ones while shopping.Carry a stainless steel or glass bottle instead of buying bottled water. Choose metal, bamboo, or compostable alternatives for straws, forks, and spoons. Store food in glass, metal, or BPA-free reusable containers instead of plastic wrap or disposable boxes. Share your plastic-free habits with family and friends to encourage a collective change.
One small change can mean a world of difference for the safety and health of the planet.
(Author holds Master’s in Environmental Science from Kashmir University. She teaches at Kashmir Harvard Higher Secondary Institute, Habak Naseem Bagh Srinagar. The author can be mailed at: [email protected])
