ENVIRONMENT
Plastic Pollution: Single-use plastics are a major source of plastic pollution in the oceans, rivers, and land. When improperly disposed of, they can take hundreds of years to degrade, accumulating in the environment and harming wildlife.
Microplastics: Over time, larger single-use plastics break down into smaller pieces called microplastics, which can enter the food chain and have potential impacts on human health.
IMPACT
Plastics have an adverse effect on the environment and subsequently on people's health. The plastic crisis in Nepal is still getting worse and the health consequences are severe, especially because a lot of the plastics are being burned and the toxic fumes accumulate in the valley. People breathe these fumes day in and day out, leading to different types of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. Many children suffer from acute lower respiratory infections. This air pollution can be reduced by more than 20% if we stop burning plastics and collect and recycle these instead.
Plastics also contaminate the rivers, lakes, ground and drinking water and, ultimately, the food chain. Research shows that we consume up to 5 grams of plastic per week, with microplastics present even in human breast milk. We don’t know enough about the health effects because there has not yet been sufficient research, but medical specialists say that we are likely facing a public health emergency in the near future. Chemicals found in plastic affect the hormonal system and can cause chronic inflammation, cancer, heart disease, and even neuropsychiatric diseases like Parkinson's or major depression.
The plastic pollution of rivers and water can be stopped if plastics are no longer dumped but collected and recycled. Reclaim Nepal provides a recycling solution for the types of plastics that are mostly found in the rivers and other water bodies in Nepal.
