Solutions to Plastic Pollution Essay
The process of construction plastic production involves raw materials such as crude oil, coal, salt, and natural gas. Mixing of the raw materials with chemical products in a process known as polymerization results to monomers (Hillmyer, 869). Heating the monomers at high temperature and putting them in a condensation reaction process to form construction plastic products.
HAZOP Analysis (Risk Assessment)
HAZOP (Hazard and Operational Analysis) is a procedure for assessing and examining the structure and proficiency of a system and its risk management. In other words, it is a technique that identifies operational hurdles and potential sources of danger in a scheme that can result in harmful products. In their article, “Automated model-based HAZOP study in process hazard analysis,” Janošovský, Juraj and Ludovic, state that operational intentions and design deviations cause risk events in a system and also form a basis of the HAZOP theory (506). A systematic database of different variations, which contains a set of guide words, identifies the deviations above. Therefore, the above unique features are essential in the evaluation of the HAZOP methodology and can help a team identify and explore potential variations in a system.
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Developing solutions to the pollution of construction plastic materials is crucial. Forming of effective strategies by advocates and implementers leads to zero construction plastic waste disposal to the environment. Today, diminishing natural resources has led to the need for recycling business operations and the presence of social demands of environmental safety. Therefore, the above action must be done through a process that promotes efforts of reducing dumping of plastics from constructions sites and redesigning of systems. It is important to note that a sustainable way to reduce construction plastic pollution is through recycling and reusing of the existing products. HAZOP analysis contributes to the policy discourse of construction plastic products pollution by focusing on the attempts to eradicate their pollution.
Identification of Hazards
It is prudent for an assessor to prepare a list of activities and areas that require the risk assessment. For instance, it is important to check areas such as machinery, construction sites, equipment, people’s activities, and the environment to determine the potential risks of plastic products of construction. Also, the assessor should identify the possible effects of construction plastic disposal in the areas above and process and non-routine operations that are involved to cause the consequences. An example is to examine activities such as production cycle change, cleaning, maintenance, and vehicle loading and unloading in a construction site. Overall, assessing and identifying hazards of a problem helps formulate solutions.
Figure 1: plastic waste assessment
Elements Affected by the Hazards
From the above assessment, it is clear that most of construction plastic pollution material come from constriction sites, old trash, and disposal of garbage. It is hard to break down plastic materials, hence resulting to havoc on the natural environment and extensive consequences to people, animals, and plants. The first aspect that construction plastic products pollute is groundwater. Disposal of plastic bags from construction sites endangers the world’s water because of leakages from waste. Hence, when it rains, the water runs through the plastic wastes and later people drink it from reservoirs and tanks (Wickramasinghe). Construction plastic products also affect the oceans through litter and pollution, thus affecting marine species. Collectively, disposal of plastic products from construction sites makes water sources susceptible to toxins.
Construction plastic products also pollute the air. Burning of plastic construction materials in open air results to the release of toxic chemicals that pollute the environment. This scenario causes respiratory issues when Human beings and animals inhale the polluted air. Dumping of plastic materials from constructions in landfills mixes with water to form hazardous chemicals that degrade the quality of clean water (Wickramasinghe). Hence, this may suffocate animals in the area to death and block poles, fences, towers, traffic light, and trees. All in all, plastic materials from construction sites pollute the air and add litter to land that results to hazardous chemicals.
ollution of plastic products from construction sites causes detrimental effects on the food chain. Plastic waste is in form of small and large sizes, hence can affect any organism. Larger animals that depend on smaller ones for food usually suffer when the latter die because of poisoning caused by plastics. Therefore, further death in the food chain will lead to peoples’ death, for instance, people eating fish with plastic. Construction plastic materials are also poisonous because various toxic chemicals make them. Wickramasinghe asserts that health concerns such as lung issues around the world results from the use and exposure to construction plastic products. Overall, pollution from construction plastic affects the food chain and their disposal, storing, and making causes damage to living things.
Figure 2: The time taken for various materials to degrade
Control Measures
To reduce and eradicate the above construction plastic pollution effects is through employment of patterns that reduces waste on every sector. Organization around the world and people can address the above move through agreements and effective arrangements. The first step to implement is educating companies on the effects of construction plastic disposal (Van et al., 55). For instance, training can be given construction companies on ways to package, store, and recycle plastic products from construction sites. Involving the governments and lawmakers in this issue to encourage people to use alternative materials and dispose and recycle construction plastic products properly. Thus, providing necessary knowledge about the effects, disposal, and recycle of construction plastic products reduces its pollution.
Another measure is packaging of items with reusable products. Plastic materials are convenient and essential in packaging of various construction material but their effects are adverse. Therefore, it is crucial for organizations, especially construction companies, to reuse most of the plastic products instead of disposing them. People working in construction sites need a lot of drinking water to stay hydrated and plastic bottles carry it conveniently (Van et al., 60). However, most of these bottles are a one-time use, hence a worker throws it into the trash after use. It is important for firms to make reusable cans that replace plastic bottles, thus reduce in the production of leaking bottles and plastic waste. All in all, reusing plastic material will help reduce pollution of plastic products.
Figure 3: The proportion of plastic waste among other types of waste
Risk Rating
The negative impacts of construction plastic products pollution results to ocean toxification and deterioration of people and animals’ health. However, management of plastic products from construction sites determines the degree risks from its pollutions. Therefore, it is crucial for individuals and various organizations across the world to take an initiative of implementing effective waste management systems, providing knowledge about the disposal and recycle of plastic products, and fostering the use of reusable bags and cans.
Corrective Action Required
In sum, the above assessments and review of construction plastic products is essential in determining the degree of effects of pollution from wastes. Therefore, the government and relevant authorities should employ effective corrective actions such as the use of alternative materials in packing items and design improvements of plastics to prevent leakages. Isolation, segregation, safe systems of packaging, and exposure limiting of the above hazards can reduce construction plastic pollution. Lastly, installing warning systems such as instruction, labels, and signs of using and disposing plastic products in various construction sites will help reduce plastic pollution.
Work Cited
Hillmyer, Marc A. “The promise of plastics from plants.” Science 358.6365 (2017): 868-870.
Janošovský, Ján, Juraj Labovský, and Ludovit Jelemensky. “Automated model-based HAZOP study in process hazard analysis.” Chemical Engineering Transactions 48 (2016): 505-510.
van Heek, Julia, Katrin Arning, and Martina Ziefle. “Reduce, reuse, recycle: Acceptance of CO2-utilization for plastic products.” Energy Policy 105 (2017): 53-66.
Wickramasinghe, Kamanthi. “Causes and effects of Plastic Pollution.” (2018).
