Effects Of Litter Pollution: An Essay On Environmental Disposal.

Impact of Litter Pollution on Water Bodies

Environmental disposal is regarded as an unwanted disposal of waste to the environment without taking into consideration the effects of the waste that is disposed to the environment. Environmental pollution is unwarranted disposal of mass or energy into earth's natural resources which in this case relates to disposal of waste in the environment without taking due consideration of the effects of discharging waste to the environment. Litter and plastic disposal has become a threat to the environment in that it poses a threat to water bodies by creating blocking of water bodies an act that in return results into the water bodies to be polluted hence endangering plant and animal species that depend on the water and land for survival. Environmental pollution is a threat to human development in which it calls for the need to adopt recovery measures that can support conservation efforts and ensure that the environment is safe from pollution (Franco-Garcia & Oyediran 2019). The long- or short-term detrimental impacts of litter pollution is that it creates a threat to the atmosphere and its ecological health to negatively hence creating an impact to the living beings and their life both quantitatively and qualitatively.

Litter pollution continue to be experienced in the society on a daily basis with its impact being experienced far and wide, it results into endangering the lives of people. In addition to water and soil pollution, litter can also pollute the air. Researchers estimate that more than 40% of the world's litter is burned in the open air, which can release toxic emissions. These emissions can cause respiratory issues, other health problems, and even be a starting base for acid rain. It is evident therefore that litter contributes to causing the serious damage to the environment by acting as a reciprocal of various challenges and damages that are experienced in the society (Ashai 2021).

Moreover, litter contain all sorts of elements both good and bad which include plastics and other Non-Biodegradable Wastes. These plastics are caseinogenic and non-biodegradable in that they cannot decompose even if they are burned or buried in the ground. Plastic litter has continued to be a threat to the survival of plant and animal species in water and on land due to the fact that they cannot decompose hence creating a challenge in regards to how they are going to be handled during disposal. There are areas that the plastic litter has continued to be discharges carelessly to the environment and the result has always been destruction of the society ecosystem by blocking drainage systems, they have also acted as breeding grounds for diseases and also they are used as a threat to development of food chain by destroying plants and animals that used to complete the ecosystem (Gayathre & Kalaiarasan 2021).

Litter which include plastic and all sorts of waste is a major pollutant to the environment if not well taken care of. Micro-plastics tend to hinder development and survival of plants as they contribute to pollution fo the environmenrt as well as water and food sources hence impacting on survivl of these living organisms. It is therefore evident that litter of all forms contribute towards polluting the environment. Careless throwing of litter in the environment has an impact to business operations in the society such as limiting tourism which act as a source o foreign exchange income to the country. The community has been working on a program aimed at alleviating and controlling pollution to the environment however they have not managed to fully address the issues of pollution because the dumping rate is higher that the cleaning and recovery rates hence creating a negative impact in regards to whether the recovery efforts can be able to address fully the challenges associated with the program. It is therefore evident that community efforts to control pollution does not equally address recovery efforts hence creating a disparity in terms of efforts to solve pollution activities in the environment (Abhijith et al. 2021).

Negative Effects of Litter on Biodiversity

Sidhu & Desai (2018) claimed that the extent of pollution to the environment is very devastating to a point that the society is facing issues related to pollution such as waterborne diseases and skin diseases as well as permanent disability that has been caused by consuming polluted water that has been polluted by various dangerous litter that has been disposed to the environment. Plastic litter has contributed to polluting water bodies hence resulting to those who consume the water to face challenges of consuming water that is polluted and has a threat to their safety and wellbeing.

Not only does litter affect environment largely but, they also release certain harmful chemicals to the environment which pollute the environment. The chemicals released by polluted water and land are a threat to human survival. For instance, plastic pollutants release chemicals which once they reach the surface, they integrate to form dangerous elements that can endanger the lives of plants and animals in society by hindering completion of food chain cycle.

Litter pollution is a threat to the environment based on the aftermath of the litter that has been carelessly disposed to the environment. All forms of litter that are carelessly disposed to the environment have an impact in regards to addressing pollution and how to control it in the environment. To be able to control pollution and litter disposal is a difficult task which require stakeholder efforts in ensuring that the goals of the project are achieved. All forms of pollution are dangerous and damaging to the plant and animals in the society. The extent of pollution to the environment is very devastating to a point that the society is facing issues related to pollution such as waterborne diseases and skin diseases as well as permanent disability that has been caused by consuming polluted water that has been polluted by various dangerous litter that has been disposed to the environment. Plastic litter has contributed to polluting water bodies hence resulting to those who consume the water to face challenges of consuming water that is polluted and has a threat to their safety and wellbeing (Macias et al. 2022).

Litter is causing a major concern in the environment in that it contributes to increased acidification of the water vapor that rises to the atmosphere hence contributing to increasing acidification and destruction of ozone layer. Intense radiations that are experienced in the environment are as a result of increased pollution which is function of litter that is carelessly disposed to the environment hence causing a threat to survival of plant and animal species in the environment. litter contain all sorts of elements both good and bad which include plastics and other non-biodegradable wastes. These plastics are caseinogenic and non-biodegradable in that they cannot decompose even if they are burned or buried in the ground. Plastic litter has continued too be a threat to the survival of plant and animal species in water and on land due to the fact that they cannot decompose hence creating a challenge in regards to how they are going to be handled during disposal. There are areas that the plastic litter has continued to be discharges carelessly to the environment and the result has always been destruction of the society ecosystem by blocking drainage systems, they have also acted as breeding grounds for diseases and also they are used as a threat to development of food chain by destroying plants and animals that used to complete the ecosystem (Sivadas et al. 2022).

Community Efforts to Control Pollution and Recovery

In the course of exercising efforts by states to conserve the environment there is need for societies to take proactive measures in ensuring that they protect the environment from pollution. It is therefore important to note that pollution of the environment is a function of human beings and equally, there is need for these individuals to take proactive measures in ensuring that they protect the very society that they are living because any attempt to not adhere to protection measures such as controlling pollution of the environment will result to damaging flora and fauna which are part and parcel of completing the ecosystem in terms of providing food for the food chain animals and plants.

It is therefore important to acknowledge the fact that pollution of the environment contribute to threatening survival of plant and animals in the society. therefore, the report can conclude that the society is facing threat from litter pollution an act that calls for the need to ensure that proper measures are put in place to address litter pollution and control disposal of litter which is acting as a threat to plant and animal survival. Therefore, there is need to ensure that efforts are adopted by people to control pollution of the environment and minimize pollution and unethical litter disposal. Moreover, there is need for government intervention in creation of policies that can help to control disposal of litter and control plastic usage as it is the major litter that is causing a threat to plant and animal survival. As students, you have a role to play in controlling litter in the society by organizing litter control programs either weekly or once in a while as a way of giving back to the school community through conducting clean up exercise that will enable control of ineffective disposal of litter to the environment (Sivadas et al. 2022; Ashai 2021).

Pollution is a threat that should be dealt with through any means possible which in return can contribute to creating a conducive environment for people to live and operate by. Society is responding to litter pollution in the following ways.

1. Engaging in cleanup exercises that are conducted once in a while like at the end of the month in which people engage in clean up exercise with an aim of cleaning the environment and unblocking drainage system that has been blocked by the litter that is thrown carelessly.
2. Government have attempted to create policies aimed at controlling litter disposal by punishing offenders who are found throwing litter carelessly without following due process of litter collection and disposal.
3. The community has initiated education campaigns in which they educate people on the importance of protecting the environment from pollution by offering them with education on how to separate litter from the plastic litter and taking the plastic litter for disposal in an area that is concealed so as to avoid damaging the general society with plastic litter.
4. Schools are acting as avenues of educating learners on the importance of controlling pollution. This is done through the syllabus that has education on how to control pollution as well as what people can do to be able to control pollution that is increasingly affecting development of the society.as a result, there has been successful impact of these education programs as the students are in return reciprocating by providing the community with the education gained that has led to betterment of efforts to control environmental pollution.
5. Lastly, people have become aware of the consequences of pollution and as a result, they have adopted recovery measures whereby they are engaged in efforts to control pollution by acting on their own initiating mechanisms that can control pollution and make the society to be a better place for human development.

Conclusion

Litter pollution is causing a threat to human survival by stimulating development of diseases which cause human beings to face health threat. It is required that human being should take efforts to control pollution by reducing the volume of litter that they are disposing to the environment through engaging in recycling waste and reusing before they can dispose of. They have also engaged in other efforts such as shunning from using plastics whose litter is non-biodegradable hence contributing greatly to controlling pollution in the environment. 

Reference 

Abhijith, R., Kaladharan, P., Asokan, P. K., Vinod, K., Shilta, M. T., & Mahesh, V. (2021). A case study on quantification of plastic litter-A global menace and paving way for unleashing toxins into two mangrove ecosystems of Kerala.

Ashai, P. (2021). Analysis of marine plastic litter policies in Ghana.

Franco-Garcia, L., & Oyediran, L. O. (2019). Effective solid waste management: A solution to the menace of marine litter in coastal communities of Lagos State, Nigeria. African Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, 13(3), 104-116.

Gayathre, V. L., & Kalaiarasan, M. (2021). Marine Trash-A Grievous Menace in Near Future! Biotica Research Today, 3(8), 676-678.

Macias, D., Stips, A., & Hanke, G. (2022). Model based estimate of transboundary litter pollution on Mediterranean coasts. Marine pollution bulletin, 175, 113121.

Sidhu, B. K., & Desai, B. H. (2018). Plastics pollution: a new common concern of humankind. Envtl. Pol'y & L., 48, 252.

Sivadas, S. K., Mishra, P., Kaviarasan, T., Sambandam, M., Dhineka, K., Murthy, M. R., ... & Hoehn, D. (2022). Litter and plastic monitoring in the Indian marine environment: A review of current research, policies, waste management, and a roadmap for multidisciplinary action. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 176, 113424.