Code Blue! Code Blue! Those were the last words she heard in the pandemonium before she lost consciousness. She woke up in a hospital bed to see her crying parents. She tried to sit up but was tethered to machines with peculiar tubes protruding from all over her body. “What happened?” She groaned groggily. “You had a heart attack[1]. The pollution in the air has caused permanent cardiovascular complications in your body.”
Pollution is one of the main socio-ecological issues that the world faces.
Most of us have heard about the Kylie-Jordan scandal, but what about how illegal dumping and pollution are destroying our planet?
What is illegal dumping?
Illegal dumping is the unlawful deposit of any type of material that is 200 litres or more in volume[2]. Illegal dumping is a major issue in the community of Ridgeway. There has been a colossal increase in the number of illegal dumpings over the past few years.
What is the cause of the issue?
According to the ward councillor of Ridgeway, most of the illegal dumping can be attributed to a general lack of respect for the environment and community in general.
“The main reasons people dump are due to sheer laziness and I do not see any other reason” ~Sergio Dos Santos, ward councillor.
What are the effects of illegal dumping?
Illegal waste contains hazardous chemicals and substances that could have detrimental effects on the soil, air and water around us[3].
It can also hinder the natural flow of water during heavy rain. This consequently causes excessive water buildup, sequentially causing floods.
“The detritus sometimes flow into water bodies, causing contamination.”~Zaheer Paruk, resident of Ridgeway.
The illegally dumped waste can attract rodents or snakes carrying diseases which pose a potential threat to human life.[4]
[1] https://sciencing.com/negative-effects-pollution-5268664.html
[2] https://www.qld.gov.au/environment/pollution/management/waste/litter-illegal-dumping/illegal-dumping
[3] Interview: Suraya Chohan: environmental enthusiast
[4] Interview:ward councillor
A misleading solution to this issue is to burn the waste, yet a large segment of air pollution is caused by the burning of plastic products or by-products. Burning these products emit harmful gases, inevitably causing global warming.[1]
Plastic is produced using a number of harmful toxic chemicals.~Laaiqah Fulat, science lecturer.
This has detrimental effects on not only the environment and the animals around us, but it also has catastrophic effects on our health. Therefore the natural remedy would be to decrease the amount of plastic being produced and used. Recycling reduces emissions of greenhouse gases, which assists in the prevention of global warming. This relates to the SDG: climate action. According to statistics, people throw away about 80% of recyclable materials[2]. Many people are unaware of products that can potentially be recycled. Make posters, design presentations, utilize recycling bins, travel to schools. Create awareness!
The most simplistic solution for air pollution is to steer away from the use of fossil fuels and to move towards the use of renewable sources of energy, like solar power and wind energy.[3] It is slightly more costly, but no amount of money can be put above the value of lives.
Many citizens are of the opinion that we should follow a similar path as neighboring Botswana. They have prohibited the usage of plastic bags and those using them are heavily fined. Supermarkets only utilise paper bags.
‘My friend had to pay a 5000 Pula fine {$465} for using a plastic bag. It has worked because he will not use a plastic bag again. I’m proud of the initiative, as plastic is very harmful to animals and it is not biodegradable.’ ~ Farouk Salajee, a citizen of Botswana
If this solution is not sustainable, then an additional tax should be charged for plastic bags. I am positive that this will steer people away from the use of plastic bags as they will be at an additional cost. The tax charged should be used towards creating awareness, organizing cleanups or even for wastewater treatments. It is recommended that consumers purchase reusable cotton bags.[4] I’m Not only is this more beneficial to the environment, but it also ends up being less costly long term.
[1] https://www.google.co.za/amp/s/amp.livescience.com/37743-greenhouse-effect.ht
[2] https://www.sccmo.org/863/Recycling-Facts
[3] Interview: Nabeela Hassem: science lecturer
[4] Interview: Suraya Chohan:environmental enthusiast
According to a study done by the University of Georgia, 18 billion pounds of plastic trash wind up in our oceans each year. To put that into perspective, it’s enough trash to cover every foot of every coastline all over the world with five full trash bags of plastic.[1]
Imagine swimming around happily with your family. Suddenly it feels as if your gills have stopped working. Your vision is obscured and you feel trapped. The humans have thrown yet another plastic bag into the ocean. Do they not care? Will they ever stop? Gradually your vision goes darker. It’s futile struggling. The chemicals have deprived you of oxygen and the bag has already engulfed you.
Over 1 million animals are killed by water pollution every year. This statistic is staggeringly high, but like with all problems, I believe there are solutions that lie in our hands. Yes, OUR HANDS! The first solution is the wastewater treatment. It consists of removing superfluous detritus from wastewater through physical, chemical or biological processes[2]. These are the types of investments our tax money should be spent on. The next solution is to decrease the number of unnecessary waste products that we use. Moreover to find alternatives. Instead of plastic bottles, use glass. Label your bins accordingly. Replace the products that are bad for the environment with products that will be good for the environment. This relates to one of the 17 sustainable development goals: Life below water.
[3]-Many animals are killed each year as a result of pollution.
A common mindset is that one person cannot make a difference, but this is a complete fallacy. One person can change the world. Soon that one person will grow into two then three and so on until together, we will change the entire world for the better! I believe that this generation is destined for great things. Change begins with a single vision!
[1] https://www.rubiconglobal.com/blog-statistics-trash-recycling/
[2] https://solarimpulse.com/air-pollution-solutions
[3] https://www.rubiconglobal.com/blog-ocean-pollution-facts/
Tasmiyya Paruk – 14 years old
Nova Pioneer Ormonde South Africa