Nowadays, the total amount of dry waste, wet waste, hazardous waste, and recyclable waste has not been increased, but the number of bags has increased. A question arises, isn't it that it takes more than a hundred years for white garbage to degrade? Isn't this generating new garbage?
The reason why traditional plastics are called white garbage is that they were originally synthesized by humans after extracting them from by-products of petroleum refining. The biggest characteristic of plastics is that they are light and strong, and have characteristics such as resistance to acid and alkali corrosion, water resistance, and insulation. In addition to being able to burn off, it is difficult to find a way to destroy their original structure.
However, incineration can also produce chemical reactions that pollute the air or cause cancer, even contaminate land and water sources, such as toluene, hydrogen chloride, dioxins, and other substances; Therefore, even if it is necessary to incinerate, it is necessary to use professional equipment to incinerate and treat harmful exhaust gas. It is also necessary to consider the waste treatment problem of incomplete incineration, which is costly.
Later, it was discovered that various additives that are more prone to chemical changes can be added to the process of making plastic, and then when disposing of plastic waste, various means can be used to decompose or change the additives, thereby changing the chemical structure of the original plastic, thereby playing a degradation role.
With the progress of science and technology, plastic is no longer the white garbage that can only pollute the environment for hundreds of years. We also have solutions and ideas. But at the same time, the technology of plastics has not developed to completely solve the problem of plastic degradation.
Proper source classification is vital for effective recycling and subsequent treatment. Technological advancements hold great promise for the production of affordable and highly biodegradable plastics in the future. This will ultimately lead to the eradication of huge white garbage mountains and the vicious cycle of small animals dying from consuming plastic bags. The hope is that with time, we can eliminate the presence of non-biodegradable plastics in our environment. This will significantly reduce the negative impact of plastic waste on our ecosystem, leading to a cleaner and safer environment for all living beings.