Plastic pollutants: effective waste management for pollution control and abatement

Plastics have been reported as one of the major pollutants among various pollutants that are disposed of in the environment. They play a pivotal part in human life as they are cost-effective and are versatile. Plastics are known to have a mixture of many chemical components and are used for various domestic applications. Despite various useful applications, plastics take a long time to degrade. The burning of plastics releases chemicals such as phosgene and dioxides that are considered a hazard to the ecosystem. The toxic debris that is released from the plastics enters the food chain and water bodies in the form of microplastics. Microplastic-polluted foods and the presence of meager amounts of phthalates in toys lead to serious health consequences such as congenital diseases and malignant cancers. The dioxins released from the plastic polymers are lethally persistent organic pollutants which cause tumor and neurological damage in humans. Inadequate waste management practices have led to significant plastic pollution of water bodies. Plastics tend to settle on beaches, which decreases esthetic and recreation values. In this article, we have discussed ways for resource recovery from plastic wastes and the possible effects of plastics on the environment and available safety regulations for the use of plastics. This article also discusses scientific literature about the remediation of plastics using various methods, which can help to promote further improvement of the existing system by competent authorities and researchers.