The Problem of Plastic and Styrofoam Pollution

The amount of rubbish we create is constantly increasing as the population is increasing and people are buying more plastics to meet new lifestyle changes and ultimately creating more waste. In order to minimize the huge negative impact on the natural environment it is crucial that persons try their best to recycle plastics. http://fortune.com/2018/01/17/eu-pushes-plastic-recycling/ What is Recycling ? According to Wikipedia, (h ttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recycling ), Recycling is defined as " Recycling is the process of converting waste materials into reusable objects to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, energy usage,  air pollutio n (from incineration) and water pollution (from landfilling) by decreasing the need for “conventional” waste disposal and lowering greenhouse gas emissions compared to plastic production. Recycling is a key component of modern waste reduction and is the third component of ...

What Are Plastics, and Where Did They Come From? The term Plastic  originally meant “pliable and easily shaped.” However  it now refers to a category of materials called polymers which are long chains of molecules.  Cellulose which is found in cell walls of plants, is a very common natural polymer. Clear Polymer Granules.- https://www.amcopolymers.com/solutions/clear-polymers During this last century humans have developed the ability and knowledge to construct synthetic polymers. In some cases, natural substances such as cellulose are utilized but carbon atoms provided by petroleum and other fossil fuels are used most often. Synthetic polymers are similar to organic polymers as they are made up of long chains of atoms, arranged in repeating units but they are often much longer than the latter. The length of these chains, and the order in which they are aligned, result in polymers being strong, lightweight, and malleable. Although these properties make synth...

Caribbean countries are among the biggest producers of trash in the world per capita. In Trinidad and Tobago, over eight thousand tonnes of plastics are annually dumped at the nation’s landfills. This figure does not include the countless amounts which are thoughtlessly disposed of throughout the environment. Image by Caribbean 360: http://www.caribbean360.com/news/trinidad-generating-trash-world-per-capita In order to minimize this figure, the SWMCOL (Trinidad and Tobago Solid Waste Management Company implemented the Waste Recycling Policy in 2014 which involves the coordination and implementation of the National Waste Recycling Management System. This involved plastic processing equipment, the addition of a number of recycling programs and an increased focused on public awareness. In order for this initiative to become efficient, it is mandatory that citizens of Trinidad and Tobago to also make an effort to prevent the pollution of plastic. Individuals can add simple practices to the...