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    Vicente STS

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    VethinaViray
    If the author could solve one global problem, they would change how plastics are made to be more environmentally friendly. Currently, plastic pollution is a huge issue because most plastics are not biodegradable and accumulate as waste. The author's solution would be to develop and promote the use of biodegradable plastics like polylactic acid (PLA), which breaks down in the environment more quickly than traditional plastics. They would conduct an awareness campaign on social media, work with companies to adopt biodegradable plastics, and propose the idea to government officials.

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    Vicente STS

    Uploaded by

    VethinaViray
    21 views2 pages
    If the author could solve one global problem, they would change how plastics are made to be more environmentally friendly. Currently, plastic pollution is a huge issue because most plastics are not biodegradable and accumulate as waste. The author's solution would be to develop and promote the use of biodegradable plastics like polylactic acid (PLA), which breaks down in the environment more quickly than traditional plastics. They would conduct an awareness campaign on social media, work with companies to adopt biodegradable plastics, and propose the idea to government officials.

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    VICENTE STS

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    If the author could solve one global problem, they would change how plastics are made to be more environmentally friendly. Currently, plastic pollution is a huge issue because most plastics are not biodegradable and accumulate as waste. The author's solution would be to develop and promote the use of biodegradable plastics like polylactic acid (PLA), which breaks down in the environment more quickly than traditional plastics. They would conduct an awareness campaign on social media, work with companies to adopt biodegradable plastics, and propose the idea to government officials.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    21 views2 pages

    Vicente STS

    Uploaded by

    VethinaViray
    If the author could solve one global problem, they would change how plastics are made to be more environmentally friendly. Currently, plastic pollution is a huge issue because most plastics are not biodegradable and accumulate as waste. The author's solution would be to develop and promote the use of biodegradable plastics like polylactic acid (PLA), which breaks down in the environment more quickly than traditional plastics. They would conduct an awareness campaign on social media, work with companies to adopt biodegradable plastics, and propose the idea to government officials.

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    Vethina V.

    Vicente
    BSC 2-4

    “If you will be given the chance to solve any existing problem in the world, what will it be
    and why? Outline the steps you will take to be able to solve it.”

    If I could change the creation of plastics, that would probably be the one global issue I want to
    solve. The issues we currently and soon will be facing are enormous because of our improper
    waste disposal. By substituting biologically degradable materials for plastic, many of these
    issues could have been avoided. The typical polymers we use aren't actually biodegradable by
    their very nature.
    Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and other petroleum-based polymers do not disintegrate in
    the same way as organic stuff. When buried, wood, grass, and food scraps go through a process
    called biodegradation, which is just a fancy way to say that microbes in the soil change them
    into other beneficial substances. However, microorganisms dislike plastic and avoid it.
    I've come to realize that photodegradation is the sole effective method of disintegrating plastic.
    It needs sunshine to decompose organic matter in this way, not microorganisms. The
    connections holding the lengthy molecular chain together in plastic are broken when UV rays hit
    the material. This can eventually break up a large chunk of plastic into several tiny pieces. But
    these fragments and other plastic waste eventually wind into the oceans, where they are soaked
    in as much light as the water, through wind, negligence, and rain.
    In 2019, scientists discovered that plastic can decompose in warm ocean waters in less than a
    year. Until you know that those little pieces of plastic are made of harmful chemicals, this
    doesn't sound that horrible. Where people are most probable to come into close touch with the
    toxins in the stomachs of animals or when they wash up on shorelines.
    The first thing that I would do is look for alternatives. Biodegradable plastic is a potential
    remedy for this environmental catastrophe. Plant-based hydro-biodegradable plastic and
    petroleum-based oxo-biodegradable plastic are the two varieties now available on the market.
    The most frequently discussed alternative is polylactic acid (PLA), a plastic derived from corn. It
    breaks down into carbon dioxide and water in 47 to 90 days, which is four times quicker than a
    PET-based bag floating in the sea.
    The next thing that I will do is promote it on social media. We all know that social media
    platforms are very reliable for sharing information around the globe. I will do a social
    awareness campaign about this. I would contact influencers to actually post this information on
    their platforms to share with their followers. I will also create a site where I will post
    infographics, and videos about this. I would also coordinate with the big companies to work
    with this alternative that I found. I will market this Polylactic Acid to use by their companies for
    the consumers. After that, I will talk and set a meeting with one of our department secretaries to
    propose this alternative plastic for the public to use it. I will convince them by the proposal to
    actually make time and coordinate with our prestigious scientists to make this work.
    Resources:

    Cho, R. (2017, December 13). The Truth about Bioplastics. State of the Planet; Columbia
    Climate School. https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2017/12/13/the-truth-about-bioplastics/

    Danso D, Chow J, Streit WR (2019) Plastics: environmental and biotechnological perspectives


    on microbial degradation. Appl Environ Microbiol 85:1–14

    What are biodegradable plastics? The need for clarified terminology. (2020, September 4).
    Let’s Do It Foundation. https://letsdoitfoundation.org/2020/09/04/what-are-biodegradable-
    plastics-the-need-for-a-clarified-terminology/

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