R.I.P Mr. Single Use Plastic

It is with great happiness we announce the death of SUPB (Single Use Plastic Bag) on January 1st, 2019 in Tamil Nadu. He was an inseparable part of our daily lives. Though immortal in nature, we bid him farewell because we were all irresponsible in his disposal and he found his way into the environment, polluting and poisoning it. He is survived by our children’s children, marine animals and the rivers and oceans of the earth.

May his soul biodegrade in peace.

 Kindly post your farewell messages below in the comments section.

Decomposition rates of Single-Use Plastic

Other than the obvious threat posed by plastic to marine life and city dwellers, plastic waste also occupies a lot of space in landfills since they take several years to decompose, if at all. They also leech harmful chemicals into the environment while breaking down and cause severe damage to water and soil during the decomposition process. Here is a look at how long everyday single-use plastic items take to decompose to get a sense of how much harm we are causing by using them.
Plastic has been the most useful material invented by mankind that has made several thing possible in everyday life. Plastic is a petroleum based product that does not biodegrade like other organic materials and occupy lot of space in our landfills.
Although scientists are now claiming certain processes that could biodegrade these materials, replicating those outside of controlled environments in large scale is still not possible, not to mention the unknown side-effects of such new processes. So, until we have a safe way to dispose of plastic, our only choice remains in reducing use, reusing existing materials and recycling waste and all of these involve a conscious decision on our parts to be responsible citizens.
Time taken for Plastic to decompose
Time take for single-use plastic to decompose