A First: E.Timor to Recycle All Plastic Waste

In a region where seas are awash with trash, East Timor is set to become the world’s first country to recycle all its plastic waste after it teamed up with Australian researchers recently to build a revolutionary recycling plant.

In a region where seas are awash with trash, East Timor is set to become the world’s first country to recycle all its plastic waste after it teamed up with Australian researchers recently to build a revolutionary recycling plant.

Plastic bottles floating in the sea(Getty Images/iStockphoto)

RISKS POSED BY PLASTIC BAGS

Animals (birds, marine life, cattle etc) often mistake plastic bags for food which leads to poisoning, choking, entanglement, and blocked intestines. All of them can result in death.

Since plastic bags can’t biodegrade, they last virtually forever (some estimates say 500+ years). They break down into smaller pieces that leach toxicants which pollute the earth.

Due to their light weight, plastic bags easily blow out of trash receptacles and clog up waterways and damage agricultural land. It gives ideal breeding grounds for mosquitoes. Plastic bags are manufactured using petroleum, a non-renewable resource that can be used for several more important things.