The demon named 'Plastic'

Hi,
In today's world we do not give a thought before we use plastic. We cannot think our lives without plastic as we cannot think our lives without oxygen. But it is very necessary to understand that plastic is a very big monster for environment. It not only stays on earth for 25,000 years but also it takes a hell lot of resources to create just a kg of plastic. And while creating also, it generates a lot of hazardous materials for our mother earth. I've given an account on what it takes to create a kg of plastic. So, from next time think before buying a plastic bottle every time you travel or asking a plastic bag for each item you buy at a store.

Total Gross Energy (in kilowatt-hours) to Produce 1 Kg Plastic

		Average
Fuels	Coal	1.08
	Oil	4.43
	Gas	4.63
	Hydro	.15
	Nuclear	.23
	Other	.03
Feedstocks	Coal	.003
	Oil	9.22
	Gas	3.51
Total Gross Energy (Fuels plus Feedstock)		23.283

Total Raw Materials to Produce 1 Kg Plastic

Raw Materials	Unit	Average
Bauxite	mg	310
Sodium Chloride	mg	4900
Clay	mg	1
Ferromanganese	mg	1
Iron Ore	mg	550
Limestone	mg	270
Manganese	mg	50
Metallurgic Coal	mg	230
Sand	mg	20
Water	mg	17,500,000
Phosphate Rock	mg	30
Total Raw Materials	kg	17.51

As you can see that to just a kilo of plastic it takes a whopping 17.5 kg of raw materials (mostly water). Here we must keep in mind that we cannot use sea water so in a way we are indirectly reducing our water resources by using more and more plastic.

Now let's see the direct impact that can be measured. It includes air emissions, water emissions and solid wastes to produce a kilo of plastic.

Total Air Emissions to Produce 1 Kg Plastic

Air Emissions	Unit	Average
Dust	mg	3,800
Carbon Monoxide	mg	18,000
Carbon Dioxide	mg	2,330,000
Nitrogen oxides	mg	20,200
Sulphur oxides	mg	25,000
Hydrogen Chloride	mg	110
Hydrocarbons	mg	40,000
Organics	mg	9,400
Metals	mg	10
Total Air Emissions	kg	2.45

Total Water Emissions to Produce 1 Kg Plastic

Water Emissions	Unit	Average
COD	mg	3,300
BOD	mg	1,000
Sodium ions	mg	1,500
Acid as H+	mg	180
Metals	mg	120
Chloride Ions	mg	710
Dissolved Organics	mg	13,000
Suspended Solids	mg	600
Detergent/oil	mg	20
HydroCarbons	mg	400
Dissolved Solids	mg	580
Phosphate as P2O5	mg	10
Sulphate ions	mg	40
Other Nitrogen	mg	1
Total Water Emissions	mg	21,461

This way we are not only using precious water but also we are polluting it.

Total Solid Waste to Produce 1 Kg Plastic

Solid Waste	Unit	Average
Mineral Waste	mg	30,000
Stags and Ash	mg	9,600
Mixed Industrial	mg	3,500
Regulated Chemicals	mg	130
Inert Chemicals	mg	1,900
Total Solid Waste	mg	45,130

So friends, we need to reduce our use of plastic drastically. Please do not use any kind of plastic unless it is very necessary. Inculcate the habit of reusing the plastic bottles and bags.
Let's give back our environment something positive.