The Great Swindle degradable - Out Reach Define

The Great Swindle degradable

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consumers in Indonesia will have noticed that plastic bags large chains of convenience stores and supermarkets are now labeled "green" "degradable. But are these really good plastic bags to the environment?

The short answer is no. Unfortunately, there is no such thing as an environmentally friendly bag. The fact that the degradable plastic bags eventually disintegrate does not make them good for the environment. They only produce microscopic fragments of plastic, which is decomposed by biological activity but have the potential to end up in the human food chain.

But what about those "reusable green bags" cool used in some countries? And what about trendy bags made from jute, cotton or hemp? All these "alternative" bags have an impact on the environment. The production of cotton, hemp and jute is resource intensive, requiring much more energy and resources to produce than common plastic bags. As for the "green bags", so popular in Australia, they are made from non-woven polypropylene, a non-biodegradable by-product of oil refining. They must be sent to China for recycling because it is too expensive to undo their seams in the West.

If you genuinely care about the planet and want to reduce pollution, you must bring your own reusable bags in stores. And reused hundreds of times over many years until they wear out. If you are too lazy or too embarrassed to bring these bags, so you can not ask to take care of the environment -. No matter how many "save the orangutan" or "stop illegal logging and forest fires in the campaign images you share on  

" But I re-use bags plastic bags as trash, "you might argue. It's awesome. You should always take reusable bags in stores. Otherwise, you can accumulate hundreds of old plastic bags that end up begin to disintegrate and should be evaluated. Many plastic bags end up in rivers, long before they have a chance to break, blocking drains and contributing to floods.

Indonesia is the second largest contributor of plastic waste are dumped into the seas of up to 1.29 million metric tons of plastic waste per year, according to results of a study published this year by Science Journal. Only China pours more waste into the sea. The larger pieces of plastic can kill sea creatures while tiny fragments can enter the food chain.

Many plastic bags are thrown into the seas

Plastic bags are thrown into the sea

Unfortunately, litter seems to be a way of life in Indonesia. Where are the television public service announcements, showing politicians or celebrities denouncing littering? There exists a. Politically conscious rock band Slank in 2013 was recruited by the administration of Jakarta to join an anti-littering campaign, coinciding with the introduction of Rp.500,000 fine for littering and fines of up to Rp.25 million for shopping centers which fail to use environmentally friendly bags.

While almost no one fined for littering, retailers offer plastic bags seen as good for the environment. There is no system of international standards for retail plastic bags. Some countries and states have banned plastic bags. The US state of California in 2008 prohibits labeling plastic bags as "biodegradable," "degradable" or "decomposable" because these terms are misleading to consumers.

degradable Versus Biodegradable

At this point, we should examine the difference between degradable and biodegradable. Degradable means that something can be biologically or chemically decomposed into small pieces. So almost everything on the planet is degradable. Some plastics contain additives of certain metal compounds to make them decompose faster oxidation. These are called oxo-degradable plastics. Then there are photodegradable plastics, containing an additive that absorbs light and accelerating fragmentation.

Biodegradable means that something can be decomposed by microorganisms. biodegradable plastic is decomposed by the action of bacteria, so that the carbon atoms are broken, and can be used to create other organic molecules. There are two types of biodegradable plastics: those made from renewable raw materials such as starch (corn, potatoes, wheat, tapioca and sago); and those made from petrochemicals mixed with biodegradable additives.

In Indonesia, officials and big name retailers adopt plastic bags oxo-degradable. Oxygen, ultraviolet light and heat weaken in small pieces over a couple of years. According to scientific research the organization you read these fragments may or may not have a negative effect. plastic oxo-degradable are not suitable for the recycling of conventional plastics, such as PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles of water, such as oxo-degradable additives are any new product more susceptible to degradation.

The market leader in Indonesia for oxo-degradable bags is PT Tirta Marta, making Oxium brand bags, which are what you receive in Alfamart, Indomaret, Hero and many other stores chain. Although the bags with text saying "degradable within two years", the process may take longer under certain conditions. Oxo-degradable bags can not be composted because they require sunlight and air to decompose, which means they do not disintegrate in a buried discharge.

Besides bags of Oxium ubiquitous Tirta Marta also Ecoplas brand bags, which combine synthetic polymer with tapioca starch . they cost more to produce, therefore they are not as widely used. Tirta Marta has received much praise for its efforts to protect the environment, but the government must do much more to fight against addiction the nation in plastic bags and the national pastime trash.

in the West, food packaging often has a recyclable symbol on it. in Indonesia, food packaging is more likely to include the halal certification symbol of the Indonesian Ulema Association of contaminated corruption (MUI). If the religious spirit buyers really wanted to please God, they might start showing some respect for the planet by not treating it as a giant garbage dump, rather than worrying about whether a certain company paid for a certificate.

Some people think that because a plastic bag is labeled "degradable", it may be littered inconsequential because it will eventually disappear. Try saying that the next team of plastic tensile workers muck of a clogged drain when Jakarta's flooding. Then there are people who believe that littering is a positive activity on the ground that provides work for cleaners and scavengers.

The next time you bring home shopping plastic bags, look for the Oxium logo and realize that "the deterioration of 100%" does not necessarily mean not save the planet from plastic pollution . Instead, try to reuse your plastic bags or start using long lasting bags. If you really care. And start encouraging others to do the same.

 
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