Solid or semisolid, non-soluble material (including gases and liquids in containers) such as agricultural refuse, demolition waste, industrial waste, mining residues, municipal garbage, and sewage sludge.
Published in Chapter:
White Pollution: A Hazard to Environment and Sustainable Approach to Its Management
Mehvish Hameed (National Institute of Technology, India), Rouf Ahmad Bhat (Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, India), Dig Vijay Singh (Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, India), and Mohammad Aneesul Mehmood (Sri Pratap College, India & Cluster University Srinagar, India)
Copyright: © 2020
|Pages: 30
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-7998-0031-6.ch004
Abstract
Plastic derived from the petrochemical industry with a high molecular weight constitutes about 9-13% of total solid waste. Since the industrial revolution, the use of plastic has increased manifold without improving its adequate management as a waste. Most of the plastic waste produced in the world is mainly from packaging industry followed by building and construction. Plastic is a non-degradable deadly pollutant to degrade environmental quality and are known to remain in water and soil for years without making any change in their structure. Due to enormous generation, open burning of plastic is also preferred due to the lack of resource in the developing countries thus releasing toxic gases thereby causing air pollution. Plastic disturbs the balance of the environment by acting as physical barrier leading to the drainage of the drains, degrading soil properties, and are often ingested by the organisms ultimately leading to their death. Thus, it becomes more important to manage the plastic pollution keeping in view its detrimental impacts on the environment.