GUIDE TO PLASTIC WASTE

Plastic causes serious damage to the environment, from its production to its disposal. Factories that produce plastic products emit up to 400 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere per year, and about 800 species of animals are now at risk of extinction due to eating and poisoning with plastic.

Single-use bags clog cities ' sewer systems and pose flood threats, while plastic waste clogs beaches and coastal recreation areas, causing damage to various industries.

Despite Kazakhstan's lack of access to the oceans, plastic waste in the oceans usually decomposes within a year, but not completely, and in the process, toxic chemicals such as bisphenol A and polystyrene can enter the water from some of its species. In 2012, it was estimated that there are approximately 165 million tons of plastic garbage in the World's oceans. According to 2014 estimates, there are 268,940 tons of plastic on the ocean surface, and the total number of individual pieces of plastic debris is 5.25 trillion.

Plastic pollution - clogging of reservoirs (throwing anthropogenic waste into rivers, lakes, seas), water pollution with particles of disposable plastic, plastic nets, and so on. A large number of plastic products produced each year are intended for single-use use: single-use packaging items or products that are usually always discarded within one year.

It is known that plastic decomposes for about two hundred years. Once in the ground, plastics break up into small particles and begin to emit chemicals into the environment. Microgranules of plastic and its chemicals seep through the ground water to the nearest water sources, which often leads to mass death of animals.

Landfills of solid waste (hereinafter-MSW), landfills are constantly littered with many different types of plastics. These landfills contain many micro-organisms that accelerate the biodegradation of plastics. As for biodegradable plastics, as they decompose, methane is released, which is a very strong greenhouse gas releasing dioxins and furans into the atmosphere.

Plastics contain many different types of chemicals depending on the type of plastic. The addition of chemicals is the main reason why plastic has become so multi-purpose. Some of the chemicals used in the production of plastics carry the risk of being eventually absorbed through the food chain by humans.

Plastic pollution can also poison animals, which in turn can negatively affect the supply of food to humans. Plastic pollution has been described as having very harmful effects on large marine mammals and in the book " Introduction to Marine Biology» it was called" the most serious threat " to them (plastic blocks the gastrointestinal tract of animals, marine mammals become entangled in plastic nets, and then leads to death or severe lacerations and ulcers).

Often, the modern benefits of civilization create not only convenience for people, but also cause irreparable damage to nature. In the last 10 years alone, more plastic products have been produced in the world than in the previous century.

Disposable tableware, bags, packaging, bottles and various containers are the most common types of plastic garbage that we "produce" every day. In Kazakhstan, only 28.7 percent of the plastic produced is recycled and reused in everyday life and human life.

From 1 January 2019 in accordance with article 301 of the Environmental code of Kazakhstan introduced the ban for disposal on landfills is plastic, plastic, polyethylene, polietilentereftalatnoy packaging; paper, cardboard and paper waste; mercury containing lamps and devices; cullet; scrap ferrous and non-ferrous metals; lithium, lead-acid batteries; electrical and electronic equipment.

From January 1, 2020, a ban will be introduced for dumping food and construction waste in landfills.

For example, in the territory of Almaty region, more than 1.0 million tons of solid waste are generated annually, of which 470 thousand tons come from the territory of Almaty. The total volume of accumulated MSW is 9 million tons. The share of MSW processing is 24%.

This year, in Almaty region, in order to implement separate collection of household waste, 194 containers were installed with separation into dry and wet types of waste, 240 containers were installed for separate collection of plastic waste, 190 containers were installed for collecting spent mercury-containing lamps, and electronic waste was collected in shopping centers specializing in electronic household products.

In Almaty region, special yellow mesh containers are installed to extract "dry" waste such as (plastic, (polyethylene terephthalate), PE (polyethylene), PET bottles, waste paper, scrap of non-ferrous and ferrous metals, glass).

Also, for residents of the cities of Taldykorgan and Kapshagai, net containers for collecting plastic waste are provided separately.

The Ministry of energy of the Republic of Kazakhstan together with the mayor's Office draw the attention of residents of the city to adhere to the principle of separate collection of waste " dry waste» getting clean recyclables and "wet waste" for further recycling.

WE CAN MAKE THE ENVIRONMENT SAFER AND CLEANER!