Environmental impact of waste plastics

Together with iron and steel, wood, and cement, plastics together constitute the four basic materials of modern industry and play an important role in the development of the national economy. Plastics have the advantages of excellent material comprehensive performance, convenient processing, significant energy saving in production and use, etc., making them widely used in industry and agriculture and people's daily life. With the vigorous development of the plastics industry and its large-scale use, environmental pollution caused by waste plastic products and plastic waste has become increasingly serious. The disposal and disposal of plastic products has caused a series of environmental problems, and “white pollution” has become a household name. Plastic materials are synonymous with environmental pollution and have become a global environmental hazard. Correctly understanding the impact of waste plastics on the environment and actively studying their handling and disposal processes are of great significance to the protection of the environment and the use of resources.

1. "White pollution" caused by waste plastic packaging

Plastics are widely used as packaging materials for various products because of their low cost and convenient molding. With the development of the modern plastics industry and the improvement of consumption levels, most of them are disposable products, which are disposable and cause environmental pollution. For example, it is used as a white foamed polystyrene plastic for household appliances, industrial instrumentation and other packaging and fast food boxes, beverage cups, etc. It is characterized by large volume, light weight, no decay, no decomposition, abandoned by people after use. Caused by the railway along the river, river routes, cities and scenic spots are full of white foam, seriously affecting the environment and the appearance of health, was known as "white pollution."

According to reports in the literature, in 1995, the total output of plastic products in China was nearly 7 million tons, of which about 1.7 million tons were used for packaging. About 500,000 tons of these packaging materials were used as solid waste to enter the municipal solid waste treatment system, and the other part was Users readily throw litter to form plastic waste. These plastic wastes were abandoned on the roadsides, green areas, or tree-lined trees of bustling cities and tourist attractions, damaging the urban landscape and affecting the appearance of the city. In windy cities, plastic bags littered with the wind posed a disturbance to the city's power supply system. In 1996, the electrical department in Tianjin caused more than ten accidents due to short-circuit accidents caused by plastic bag winding overhead power supply lines. Plastic packaging for food and beverage packaging is a breeding ground for mosquitoes, flies and bacteria to survive and reproduce. It is easy to cause the spread of germs, affect environmental health and the public health of the urban public.

2. The impact of waste plastic landfill disposal on the environment

The disposal of landfills as garbage into municipal landfills is currently the main method of disposing of used plastics. With the rapid development of the plastics industry, the output of waste plastics is directly proportional to the environmental problems caused by it. First, landfills occupy limited farmland and waste land resources. The second is that plastic waste will not be rotted after being landfilled and will harm the future. Corrosion resistance and bacteria resistance are a big advantage of plastic products, but they become a headache for scientists after they become garbage. Under conditions without air or light, microbes are difficult to decompose organic substances. Plastic waste needs 200 years of time in landfills. Can be decomposed. The third is that after landfill plastic waste is washed through the rain for a long time, so that a large amount of harmful substances are brought into the living environment of human beings, causing harm to future generations. From the above, it is a long-term effect that the environmental pollution of plastic wastes is treated by the landfill method, and such methods should be avoided in practical disposal.

The use of agricultural mulch has brought great development to agricultural production. However, the fragmentation after mulching has also caused great harm to the soil. Film debris forms a barrier on the soil, degrading the arable land, and hindering the development of the root system of the plant. Absorb moisture and nutrients to poison the soil.

3. Environmental Impact of Waste Plastics Incineration Treatment

In order to solve landfill land occupation, high cost, and long-term damage to the environment, many countries are actively developing incineration of waste plastic equipment, and use the heat generated by the incineration to generate electricity and achieve resource reuse. However, this seemingly simple and easy method hides great harm.

In the process of thermal decomposition of plastics, the polymer is cracked, releasing a large amount of harmful gases, such as polystyrene plastics can keep the composition of the substance below 80°C. When the temperature exceeds 280°C, its molecular weight begins to decrease, resulting in volatile. Gases and gases contain 44% styrene monomer, 22% dimer, trisomics, and small amounts of toluene, ethylbenzene, etc. These are all harmful substances that are harmful to the environment. Incineration of polyvinyl chloride plastics not only produces chlorine, hydrogen chloride, and dioxin gas that are extremely destructive to the environment, but also produces harmful gases such as C0, N0x, formaldehyde, vinyl chloride, and styrene, which have a great impact on the ecological environment.

In the plastic incineration process, inorganic materials such as plastics filling and dyeing are also volatilized in the atmosphere, such as Pb, As and other harmful substances, causing air pollution.

From the above, it can be seen that with the continuous development of the plastics industry, the impact of plastic waste on the environment is increasing, which has already caused certain damage to people's production and life. Therefore, how to prevent the damage of plastic waste has become a hot issue for plastic workers and environmental protection workers in various countries. In addition to the landfill and incineration methods, the current methods of processing plastic waste include chemical methods and physical methods that are based on the principle of reduction, harmlessness, and resource recycling, so that plastic waste can be resource-resourced and turned into waste. For the benefit of mankind.