By H Mohammed Imran

Plastic bags and its impact on Environment[A Study conducted at Gangolli]

Introduction:A plastic bag, polybag, or pouch is a type of packaging made of thin, flexible, plastic film, nonwoven fabric, or plastic textile. Plastic bags are used for containing and transporting goods such as foods, produce, powders, ice, magazines, chemicals and waste.Plastic bags were introduced in grocery stores in 1977, with the modern-day polyethylene T-shirt-shaped bag introduced by Safeway and Kroger in 1982. By 2012, around 90% of all bags used in grocery stores were plastic. While these bags have been widely used for many decades, their harmful impact on the planet outweighs the benefit of having a cheap and efficient way to transport grocery items. A UN report in 2006 estimates that 10% of all plastics produced annually throughout the world end up in the ocean, of which 70% find their way to the ocean floor. Polyethylene bags have a very slow decomposition rate—about 1,000 years—which allows these bags to remain in the ocean for a very long time.

Many of these bags remain in the Pacific Ocean as part of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch where large amounts of man-made debris accumulate due to the established ocean currents. According to a report by the Ocean Conservancy, plastic bags are the second most common type of refuse in oceans after cigarette butts, causing the death of many marine species that confuse the bags or their fragments for food.

Objectives:1. Deciding on ways to handle plastics waste.2. Identifying society's value on responsible action by citizens regarding the discarding of plastics waste.3. Awareness of the different ways of making and using plastics.4. How to overcome.

Methodology Primary Data • Accumulated data from GANGOLLI. • Prepared structure and undisguised questionnaire.• I had been personally interviewed all respondents and Conducted research on 15 families under that I got 30 respondent.• It’s a conclusive research and • Sample 30. • Secondary data from internet.

Concept:Reusable produce bagsAbout 1 million plastic bags are used every minute, and a single plastic bag can take 1,000 years to degrade. If you're already bringing reusable bags to the grocery store, you're on the right track, but if you're still using plastic produce bags, it's time to make a change. Purchase some reusable produce bags and help keep even more plastic out of the landfill. However, avoid those bags made from nylon or polyester because they're also made from plastic. Opt for cotton ones instead.Plastic is foreverPlastic creates toxic pollution at every stage of its existence: manufacture, use, and disposal. Plastic is a material that the Earth cannot digest. Every bit of plastic that has ever been created still exists, including the small amount that has been incinerated and has become toxic particulate matter.Plastic poisons our food chainIn the environment, plastic breaks down into small particles that attract toxic chemicals. These particles are ingested by wildlife on land and in the ocean, contaminating the food chain.

Plastic affects human healthHarmful chemicals leached by plastics are present in the bloodstream and tissues of almost every one of us, including newborns.Disposable plastics are the main source of plastic pollutionConsumption of disposable plastics—bags, bottles, straws and so forth—has spiraled out of control. These items are used for seconds, hours or days, but their remains last forever.Plastic recycling is not a sustainable solution to the crisisMost of our plastic waste is landfilled, downcycled, incinerated or exported to other countries. Recycling of plastic is costly and does not stem the production of virgin plastic product.

Plastic pollution is not only in the ocean

The amount of plastic pollution in the ocean is expanding at a catastrophic rate, but

there are similar concentrations of plastic in the desert, in every community around

the world, in our homes and in us.

Environmental ImpactsPlastic bags are linked to a range of environmental impacts. They are one of the most obvious displays of our throw away society. Even though many are made from a non-renewable resource (oil), the vast majority have a useful life of minutes - from the shop to the car and from the car to the kitchen. Then they are thrown away. As oil supplies become scarcer, we simply can’t afford to throw away such a valuable resource. Plastic bags also present life-threatening risks to wildlife and livestock. Turtles, whales, birds and fish are especially vulnerable. Plastic bags floating in water can be mistaken for food. Once ingested, a bag can prevent the animal from digesting food or can prevent them submerging.

Data Analysis;In gangolli a study conducted on plastic bags and its impact on environment, all my respondent have been using the plastic bags and they all had agreed plastic bags are very much harmful for the environment. There are various ways on how plastic bags can harm the health of humans and the entire environment. Two major methods that release toxic chemicals of plastic bags are by burning and throwing. Whether you burn or throw plastic bags, all the chemicals are released which can cause harm to the society.

Gender of respondent

Occupation of respondent

Age of respondent

Education of respondent

Plastic bags consuming per day.

Sources of information about the dangerous of plastic bags.

An alternative to plastic bag.

Awareness of society towards the danger of plastic bags.

Re-use of plastic bags.

What they do with plastic bags.

Reduction of rate of consumption of plastic bags.

Government intervention on ban of plastic bags.

Charging of plastic bags.

Reduce of plastic bag usage in future prospective.

Finding and Suggestion

1. Educate yourself on the impact plastic bags.2. Have plastic bags at home? Reuse or recycle them!3. Stop using bottled water. 4. Bring your own reusable grocery bags with you when you go to the store.5. Use silverware instead of plastic utensils. 6. Download your music instead of buying CD’s.7. Seek out items that are not made of plastic.8. Avoid plastics that are not readily recyclable.

9. Use cloth shopping bags. Plastic bags are an eyesore and are dangerous to wildlife. Keep reusable bags somewhere handy – in your car or your bike, or by the front door – so that you don’t forget them when you take off for the market, grocery store, or mall.10. Return them to your local grocery store – they can be re-used and sometimes recycled. 11. Use cloth shopping bags.

Conclusion By refusing to use plastic bags, you can make a huge difference to the pollution problem. Remember that each person uses about 83 bags a year. If there are four people in your family, that's 332 plastic bags less every year.• Release toxins into the ground water from landfill sites• Stay in the environment for hundreds of years while they break down• Get into the food chain through animals that ingest small particles of plastic• Waste energy during the manufacturing process• Kill any of the estimated 100,000 marine animals that die each year of plastic pollutionThese are all-important factors that have a profound affect on our environment and the creatures we share our planet with. Should we really put our own selfish needs before the needs of everything around us now and the lives of future generations? That's up to you to decide.

References;Web; http://recyclingnearyou.com.au.Web; www.unesco.org/education/educprog/ste/pdf_files.Web; http://plasticpollutioncoalition.org/learn.Web;http://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/responsible-living/photos/16-simple-ways-to-reduce-plastic-waste/reusable-produce-bags#ixzz3URWktS4b.Web; http://www.googobits.com/articles/p4-1604-plastic-bag-pollution.Web; www.macrothink.org/journal/index.php/ijld/article/download.Web; https://saferenvironment.wordpress.com/2008/10/06/plastic-wastes.