Dear MEL Topic Readers,
The amount of plastic in the ocean is a lot
worse than we thought, study says
Are all plastic materials evil? Should all single-use
plastic materials be banned?
Cellophane is a thin, transparent sheet made
of regenerated cellulose and is used for food packaging since the 1930s when
supermarkets started packaging meat and vegetables. When wrapped or sealed by
cellophane, the product and merchandises can be placed on the store shelves neatly
and picked up by shoppers easily. Later in the 1950s, Saran Wrap, or cling film,
became popular to seal food items in containers to keep them fresh for a longer
period of time, which also leads to reducing food waste.
In the meantime, single-use plastic bags or drink
bottles became popular since the late 20th century and have been creating
more plastic waste that harms the environment and lives of marine creatures. As
you probably know, those plastic wastes floating on the sea become microplastic
when they are broken into by currents and exposed to ultraviolet light. And microplastic
can be swallowed by fish and the fish is eaten by humans.
Also, not all plastic materials are equal.
Some are recycled more commonly than the others like PET while others are recycled
almost never like PVC. In the meantime, many of the single-use plastic items like
shopping bags and straws can be substituted easily by other more
environmentally friendly materials, like cotton bags or paper straws.
Humans seem to need to be better at using
their own inventions.
Enjoy reading and learn about this convenient
but harmful material.
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