Low cost, convenience, along with people's habits, have unintentionally made foam materials from food containers to impact-absorbing panels placed with electronic devices, fragile goods... become very familiar. belongs in life. However, how will the foam pieces be handled after use? How harmful? Can we prevent foam materials from harming the environment? not everyone knows.
Harms health and pollutes the environment
For many years now, with the properties of being light, durable, easy to use, and easy to find, foam food containers have become increasingly popular, becoming a consumption habit of many people. However, behind the convenience, this seemingly harmless foam box has many potential risks of causing environmental pollution and affecting health.
Nguyen The Quang, a shipper in Hai Ba Trung district (Hanoi) shared: "One day I deliver about 35 - 40 orders, most of which have foam boxes and plastic bags. I am also self-aware of foam boxes after When used, it is difficult to decompose and causes serious environmental pollution, so I try to limit use and do not throw trash indiscriminately." According to an environmental sanitation worker in Hoang Mai district, during the collection process, styrofoam as well as many other types of waste are often packed with household waste or thrown indiscriminately, bulky and easily damaged. broken. In many cases, styrofoam is often the cover for goods, but many people conveniently throw it right on the sidewalk, causing the styrofoam to fly around, causing unsanitary conditions.
In fact, plastic bags can also be recovered and recycled into other types of packaging, but foam materials cannot be recycled. Furthermore, broken pieces of Styrofoam that are not collected and treated are even more harmful than plastic bags. According to Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Duy Thinh - former lecturer at Hanoi University of Science and Technology, foam boxes are made from polystyrene, which is a form of plastic packaging, does not decompose in the environment, is thick, light but is very easy to break. . When the sponges drift into the water, rivers and seas, they pose a great risk of environmental pollution and are harmful to aquatic products.
Tightly manage supply, change usage habits
Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Duy Thinh especially noted that too much porous waste when discharged into the water or soil environment can change the properties of the soil, causing blockage of water circulation. Not only that, the stench is caused by not having the correct method of treating Styrofoam waste, so over many days, it is the cause of many types of bacteria to constantly grow, causing many dangerous diseases for children. People. Therefore, we must widely propagate so that people can change their habits of using foam materials.
Currently, in Vietnam, the production of foam, plastic, and nylon bags in craft villages, small craft establishments is still large and not strictly managed. Not only that, to treat waste from Styrofoam, the main methods are burying and burning, which will directly affect the air and water environment. If people are not given specific instructions on how to handle waste from styrofoam, the burden of environmental pollution will be huge if we continue to use it as it is today.
Changing habits is not easy, especially when foam boxes, plastic boxes, and nylon bags are currently cheap and are used every day. However, it is time for people to resolutely change that harmful habit to protect the health of themselves and their families. The first step is to limit use, then completely eliminate the use of plastic bags, foam boxes, and plastic boxes made from recycled plastic. Instead, you should use utensils made from porcelain, glass or other environmentally friendly materials. At the same time, people need to voluntarily raise awareness and responsibility in choosing and using household appliances in general.
According to thiennhien.net