Plastic Waste and Plastic Footprint

Abstract

Although plastics provide many conveniences to our daily lives, they never really disappear. As a result of the widespread and increasing use of plastic materials, plastic waste and environmental damage have increased. Plastic pollution has occurred as a result of both the widespread use of plastic and poor waste management. Today, with the development of the concept of footprint, the definition of plastic footprint has also been made. Environmental problems caused by plastic production, use and consumption need to be solved urgently. If our world continues to be polluted with plastic waste, it is estimated that there will be more plastic waste in the seas than fish in 2050. The millions of tons of plastic litter that end up in the oceans each year is one of the most visible and alarming signs of these problems. For this reason, plastics should be considered as a kind of pollutant in terms of their production and the leakage of plastic products and wastes into the environment should be prevented. Within the scope of this study, plastic pollution caused by plastic waste and how it can be prevented are mentioned, and the concept of plastic footprint is also mentioned. This study has been carried out by making use of the scientific research and studies that have been done in this field and the literature data in this field.