BENEFITS OF PLASTIC PACKAGING

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essay should be structured exactly the way it is shown in the plan. I have also
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My Topic: PLASTIC PACKAGING

Solution

Introduction

Many industries rely on good packaging materials that will enable them to reach their
goods safely to their consumers. Plastic packaging has proved to be very reliable in terms of cost,
durability, and safety on their products, although many countries do not appreciate the use of
plastics due to their damage on the environment, many of these industries wish that the plastic
bags could be returned to the industries for reuse and this would ensure there are no plastic bags
that are left to degrade the environment. Plastic packaging is mainly used by the food industries,
pharmaceuticals, and the beverage industries to package their products.
Globally the use of plastics has increased sustainability due to its many useful properties.
However, overuse of plastic packaging can lead to the pollution of the environment this has been
felt all over the world. Many countries have banned the use of plastics, because of the rate of
environmental pollution they have caused in the country, plastics lead to water pollution and land
pollution. Using an example of Hong Kong where there are huge environmental problems due to
the excessive use of plastic bags, the city has a very huge population, and most of the people
living there prefer to use plastic bags since they are light and affordable. This poses great harm to
the climate and the environment which can lead to a global mishap in the climatic changes
(Lewis, Verghese, & Fitzpatrick, 2010).
In the year 2011, the total plastic waste per household was at 18.5% and this had increased in
2013 with a total of 21.1%. Little of this waste is recycled and the rest is left in the landfills and
since plastics do not decay easily, the landfills are full in a short amount of time and the cities are
forced to build other landfills which require a lot operational cost.

PLASTIC PACKAGING

Body of the Essay

In an article written by Thompson et al., (2009), consumers play a critical role in
promoting sustainable development. Consumer preference can influence production decisions in
industries. Although there are a lot of environmental risks in using plastic bags, there are some
advantageous factors about the bags that keep them in the industries. Plastic bags are easy to
produce and hence come at an affordable cost to the consumer, plastic packaging is convenient
for foods since it keeps the food fresh for a considerable amount of time. Many consumers are
aware of this and they mostly prefer food that is packed in plastic bags and other than the
freshness of the products, plastic bags are transparent and the consumers are able to view the
type of foods they are buying and the nature of the food packed (Lange, & Wyser, 2003).
Plastic packaging is a form of sustainable packaging to the industries since it keeps their
products safe. The recycling of plastic packaging bags can make a difference globally since the
consumers and the production industries can use sustainable plastic packaging bags. In the
beverage industries, the plastics are used to store drinks, in this industry, this is the most
convenient type of packaging since liquid can only be stored in plastics and glasses. Bottles
made of glass are very fragile and require a lot of careful handling. This may limit this industry
in transporting their products to other regions since they require a very expensive means of
transport to ensure their safety (Piringer, & Baner, 2008).
The plastic bottle is very durable and rigid they can be transported by road and still make it to
their destinations with the product intact and in good condition. The pharmaceutical industry also
uses plastic packaging to package medicine that is in liquid form, many consider this as the
safest way of ensuring that the medicine reaches the patients in the exact condition that it was
packed.

PLASTIC PACKAGING

4
As much as the use of plastic bags is economically friendly to the consumer and the industries,
there are many negative effects that come with the use of plastics bags based on Andrady, (2003)
research the environment is one of the major elements that is affected by the use of plastics bags.
Plastic bags posses a great danger to the animals living in the water since many plastics that are
released water pile up in the water and end up producing aloft of harmful chemicals that make
the plastic last longer but the chemicals affect the marine life. Also, some animals may feed on
these bags, which is very harmful since the plastics cannot be digested and end up clogging in
the animal's intestines which will cause the animals death immediately.
Plastics packages also pose a great danger to humans, many foods are mostly packed in plastic
bags, plastic bags are made of harmful toxic chemicals that are used to manufacture plastic bags.
According to a research done by Piringer, & Baner, (2008), chemicals that have been used in the
manufacture of plastic have occasionally been found in the human body, the chemicals are
believed to be from the plastic packaged foods. The chemicals in the plastics contaminate with
the food, and if the food is ready made and the consumer will just eat the food from the package
this means that they will consume the chemicals too. These chemicals have adverse effects on
the human body including reproductive abnormalities (Coles, McDowell, & Kirwan, 2003).
Plastics compose of the largest amounts in landfills since they don't easily decompose, some are
carried by rivers and water when it rains. This waste makes its way to the water bodies and
oceans which interferes with the marine life. Some of this waste makes its way to the agricultural
land, where the chemical in the paper bags react with the soil making it corrosive and not
suitable for agriculture. This will lead to low production of food and the countries that are greatly
affected might find it hard to provide food for their nationals.

PLASTIC PACKAGING

Conclusion

Plastic packaging has been practiced for a long time globally, this has led to
environmental degradation and pollution to all the natures of the environment. Pollution has led
to drastic climatic changes that have adverse effects on the weather pattern in many parts of the
world. There are cases of drought and floods happening in countries that are close, this a clear
indication of the impacts of a polluted environment. People have also been affected by the use of
plastic packaging especially on food and medicine which require the consumer to consume them
directly from the packages.
Necessary measures need to be taken in order to curb the effects of using plastic materials in
packaging. Some countries have banned the use of these materials in their countries to try and
reduce the amount of plastic waste in their landfills and the amount of pollution it causes to the
land and water. Some have resulted to recycling the plastics to keep them away from the
environment but it is clear that the use of plastic packages causes a lot of harm to the
environment and people need to act on the issue.

PLASTIC PACKAGING

References

Andrady, A. L. (Ed.). (2003). Plastics and the Environment. John Wiley & Sons.
http://theeye.eu/public/Books/Medical/texts/Plastics%20and%20the%20Environment%2
0-%20A.%20Andrady%20%28Wiley%2C%202003%29%20WW.pdf

Coles, R., McDowell, D., & Kirwan, M. J. (Eds.). (2003). Food packaging technology (Vol. 5).
CRC Press.
https://s3.amazonaws.com/academia.edu.documents/35810531/Food_Packaging_Technol
ogy.pdf?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAIWOWYYGZ2Y53UL3A&Expires=1555502185&Si
gnature=1VBL%2B4gL7%2BpjIOvuPUzKh6yToG4%3D&response-content-
disposition=inline%3B%20filename%3DFood_Packaging_Technology.pdf

Lange, J., & Wyser, Y. (2003). Recent innovations in barrier technologies for plastic
packaging—a review. Packaging Technology and Science: An International Journal,
16(4), 149-158.
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jakob_Lange2/publication/216091428_Recent_Inno
vations_in_Barrier_Technologies_for_Plastic_Packaging__A_Review/links/59d88787aca
272e609668ed0/Recent-Innovations-in-Barrier-Technologies-for-Plastic-Packaging-
A-Review.pdf
Lewis, H., Verghese, K., & Fitzpatrick, L. (2010). Evaluating the sustainability impacts of
packaging: the plastic carry bag dilemma. Packaging Technology and Science: An
International Journal, 23(3), 145-160.

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https://s3.amazonaws.com/academia.edu.documents/42447762/Evaluating_the_sustainability_im
pacts_of20160208282901afvkji.pdf?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAIWOWYYGZ2Y53UL3A
&Expires=1555502347&Signature=hZPuyXznICR4fzCZ3J7163KR01I%3D&response-
content-
disposition=inline%3B%20filename%3DEvaluating_the_sustainability_impacts_of.pdf
Piringer, O. G., & Baner, A. L. (2008). Plastic Packaging Materials for Food: Barrier
Function, Mass Transport, Quality Assurance, and Legislation. Hoboken, NJ: John
Wiley & Sons.
https://books.google.com/books?id=7Uz9XWVihgC&pg=PA337&dq=plastic+packaging
&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjyrsiY3dbhAhVByhoKHUAHDlkQ6AEILTAB#v=onep
age&q=plastic%20packaging&f=false
Piringer, O. G., & Baner, A. L. (2008). Plastic Packaging: Interactions with Food and
Pharmaceuticals. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
https://books.google.com/books?id=wxvTeGVK5o8C&printsec=frontcover&dq=plastic
+packaging&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjyrsiY3dbhAhVByhoKHUAHDlkQ6AEIKD
AA#v=onepage&q=plastic%20packaging&f=false
Thompson, R. C., Moore, C. J., Vom Saal, F. S., & Swan, S. H. (2009). Plastics, the environment
and human health: current consensus and future trends. Philosophical Transactions of the
Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 364(1526), 2153-2166.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/40485988.pdf

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