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Plastic Pollution is One of the Main Environmental Problem of Humanity
Summary
This English-language summary reviews global plastic pollution statistics, noting that of approximately 9 billion tons of plastic produced, most has accumulated in landfills or nature rather than being recycled. It emphasizes plastic material stability and the need for improved waste management to prevent further microplastic accumulation.
Тhe article is devoted to the global environmental problem of plastic waste pollution. Now, about 9 billion tons of primary plastic have been produced. Of this amount, 6.3 billion tons is plastic waste, of which 9 % was recycled, 12 % incinerated, and 79 % accumulated in landfills or in the environment. The main feature of plastic materials is their stability. Once in the environment as waste, plastic can be in its original state for more than 450 years. The purpose of the article is to study the current state of production and use of plastics, as well as the field of plastic waste management; identification of perspective methods for solving the problem of plastic pollution. Plastics are organic macromolecular compounds that have high quality characteristics. Due to this, they became widespread. There are different types of plastics: thermoplastics, thermosets, foams and bioplastics. Currently, 40% of plastic is used once, after which it is discarded. Under the influence of various factors in the environment plastic slowly breaks down into small fragments, known as microplastics. Microplastic particles get into the soil, water, and through food chains can enter the human body. Potentially microplastics can negatively affect the human body. To solve the problem of accumulation of plastic waste in the environment, many countries around the world, including Ukraine, are implementing a waste management system based on the European waste management hierarchy. The hierarchy reflects five approaches to waste management: Removal (waste disposal and incineration without energy production), Recovery (waste incineration with energy production), Recycling (waste conversion into secondary raw materials for reuse), Reuse (waste reuse without recycling) and Prevention (waste amount minimization). Disposal is the least efficient way of waste management, and recycling and prevention are the most effective ways. Keywords: plastic, waste, pollution, environment, landfill, recycling.