Did you know that there are a lot of plastics filling up our lands and sea? This means that there are thousands of years of plastic that has to be degraded. Plastic pollution is a common problem that every country in the world faces. Yearly, the number of plastics that are tossed away is so much that it is said that it would be able to encircle the earth for about four times. Yearly, in the US, about thirty-five billion plastic water bottles are thrown away. When this occurs, the plastic drifts off to the sea or stays on land. As the number increases, the ecosystem continues to worsen. If care is not taken, at the end of the day, the plastic enters our bodies through what we eat. Studies have shown that more than ninety percent of those living in America above six years have tested positive for the chemical, BPA. BPA is known to cause a lot of illnesses such as diabetes, cancer, impaired immunity, and so on.
One can't exaggerate how dangerous plastic pollution is, because it is real. It is both a health, as well as an environmental hazard. What of if we told you that there is an alternative called hemp plastic that is a better alternative to traditional plastic? What makes up plastic is cellulose, and it can be taken easily from petroleum. Those plastics made from petroleum are filled with toxins; hence, they are dangerous to one's health. And the environment? It also wreaks havoc there. As for its alternative hemp plastic, it is made from hemp. Hemp is known to be a reservoir of cellulose and can be said to be sustainable, unlike petroleum-based plastics. Below are numerous ways that hemp plastic can revolutionize the world, and is better than petroleum-based plastics.
Hemp plastic is totally biodegradable
Yes, you read that right. A major problem of petroleum-based plastics is the fact that it isn't biodegradable. It's practically imperishable, filling up the land, oceans, and finding its way into our bodies. The same can't be said for hemp plastic. A bottle made from petroleum-based plastic can be said to not decompose until a long time. What of the other products made from petroleum-based plastics such as Tupperware, grocery bags, electronics, packaging, and so on? These spend a similar time to decompose too. This is why plastic pollution is an occurrence that must be tackled. When you craft out hemp plastic, you are sure that it is entirely biodegradable because it is created from biodegradable polymers. When you look at hemp plastic, you are sure that it won't add to the problem created by traditional plastic.
Unlike its counterparts that take long years to decompose, hemp plastic has a shelf life of fewer than six months. This means that within that time, the hemp plastic will decompose. With its capabilities, hemp plastics can easily be recycled for eternity. This is not to say that conventional plastics can't be recycled, but the issue is that the process is usually toxic compared to the one that involves hemp plastic. When conventional plastics are being recycled, usually toxins are exposed to the environment. These toxins, like BPA, are dangerous.
Hemp plastic is non-toxic. Yes, you read that right. Conventional plastics are known to be dangerous to not solely the environment, but to humans too. Why is this so? They possess endocrine disruptors like BPA, which are known to disturb how the hormone system works. Immediately after BPA and its counterparts seep into the body; they behave like estrogen, a hormone.
Why is this dangerous?
When it starts behaving as estrogen hormonal imbalance occurs. Endocrine disruptors like BPA have been known to lead to cancer, birth defects, learning disabilities, and so on. Sometimes, the endocrine disruptors find their way into the water or soil, destroying both our health and the environment.
When plastic is made from hemp, these issues are averted because it is not toxic. Hemp plastic doesn't come with the dangerous endocrine disruptors such as petroleum-based plastics. Unlike its counterparts, it doesn't send off toxins to the air while being produced.
Is it right to continue to tarnish the environment when alternatives abound?
Hemp plastic is very versatile
For those that feel hemp plastics won't be as volatile as its counterparts, then you are wrong. Everything that can be made using petrologic based plastics can be done with hemp plastic too. Why then destroy the environment? Some things that can be produced with hemp plastics are:
Toys
Electronics
Cosmetics
Containers
Bags
Bottles
Boats
Car Parts
Furniture
Straws
Gone are the days when we have to rely on conventional plastics. With hemp plastics, everything changes because it is environmentally friendly, as well as cost-effective.
Hemp plastic clamps down on environmental pollutants
This is one of the benefits that come with opting for hemp plastic. Did you know that research has shown that the carbon dioxide currently in the air is greater than the amount ever experienced within 80,000 years?
The reason almost everyone knows of global warming is because of the prevalence of carbon dioxide. This is what is called the greenhouse effect. The increased prevalence of carbon dioxide is linked to the usage of fossil fuels. Since the traditional plastics are created from petroleum, as well as other fossil fuels, it leads to an increased amount of carbon dioxide.
With the usage of plastic, carbon dioxide emissions have heightened. With the usage of hemp plastic, the greenhouse effect will reduce greatly. Why is this so?
Hemp is designed to absorb the CO2 in the air, and it can easily be transformed into oxygen. That's not all, as hemp plastic takes it up a notch by churning out nontoxic byproducts. Nontoxic by-products are things that unseen when producing petrochemical plastics.
Hemp plastic could aid in saving the endangered wildlife
With the way plastic continues to pollute the ocean, there is a need to be some checks put in place because those organisms living in water bodies suffer for it. Studies done by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization and Imperial College of London showed that about sixty percent of seabirds in existence have plastic lodged in their gut. When 2050 comes nigh, it is expected that the amount would get to ninety-nine percent.
The seabirds body, like that of a human beings, is not made to ingest, and digest plastics properly.
How does this plastic get to wildlife?
Usually, when you expose the plastic to intense sunlight, it disintegrates to tiny pieces, and these pieces find their way into the bellies of sea life. Before you know it, it is moving from one animal to another. Once an animal eats another animal, it transfers to the new animal, and before you know it, the plastic is in the human body. If we really as humans want to end the issues concerning plastic pollution, it is important that we move to the usage of hemp plastic.
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