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Choudhury M, Sahoo S, Samanta P, Tiwari A, Tiwari A, Chadha U, Bhardwaj P, Nalluri A, Eticha TK, Chakravorty A. COVID-19: An Accelerator for Global Plastic Consumption and Its Implications. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 2022:1066350. [PMID: 36246469 PMCID: PMC9568321 DOI: 10.1155/2022/1066350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2022] [Revised: 07/27/2022] [Accepted: 09/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Plastic has been ingrained in our society. Repercussions on the usage of nonbiodegradable plastics and their problems have been recently realized. Despite its detrimental environmental impact, the COVID-19 epidemic has compelled worldwide citizens to increase their plastic use due to affordability and availability. The volume of hospital solid waste, particularly plastics, is overgrowing due to an unexpected increase in medical waste, culminating in the global waste management catastrophe. Henceforth, adopting good waste management practices along with appropriate technologies and viewing the current issue from a fresh perspective would be an opportunity in this current scenario. Accordingly, this review study will focus on the plastic waste scenario before and during the COVID-19 epidemic. This review also disseminates alternative disposal options and recommends practical solutions to lessen human reliance on traditional plastics. Further, the responsibilities of various legislative and regulatory authorities at the local, regional, and worldwide levels are addressed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moharana Choudhury
- Environmental Research and Management Division, Voice of Environment (VoE), Guwahati, 781034 Assam, India
- Department of Environmental Science, Tezpur University, Tezpur, Assam, India
| | - Subhrajeet Sahoo
- Centre for Life Sciences, Vidyasagar University, Midnapore 721102, India
| | - Palas Samanta
- Department of Environmental Science, Sukanta Mahavidyalaya, University of North Bengal, Dhupguri, West Bengal, India
| | - Arushi Tiwari
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Alavya Tiwari
- School of Chemical Engineering (SCHEME), Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Utkarsh Chadha
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, Tamil Nadu 632014, India
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Faculty of Applied Sciences and Engineering, School of Graduate Studies, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 2Z9
| | - Preetam Bhardwaj
- Centre of Nanotechnology Research, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore 632014, India
| | - Abhishek Nalluri
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Tolera Kuma Eticha
- Department of Biology, College of Natural and Computational Sciences, Ambo University, Ambo, Ethiopia
| | - Arghya Chakravorty
- Centre of Nanotechnology Research, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore 632014, India
- School of Biosciences and Technology, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, Tamil Nadu 632014, India
- Research and Development Action Wing, Baranagar Baghajatin Social Welfare Organisation, Kolkata 700036, India
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