The invention of plastic, which was pioneered by Leo Baekeland, a

Belgian chemist, with his remarkable discovery of Bakelite in 1907,

which was believed to be the world’s first synthetic plastic, has turned
plastic into a revolutionary game-changer with its endless uses just to
be in par with the pace of the modern world. For instance, plastic has
been highly incorporated in the production of plastic containers to
protect the food and drinks from external factors before they are
delivered to the customer in a healthy and reliable way. Although it
cannot be denied that plastic is the most important material used in
the food and drink packaging industry, at the same time, the
weaknesses and dark sides that are posed in terms of chemical
containment in the plastic itself to various aspects in the long run
makes it clear that the disadvantages of plastic packaging containers
outweigh its advantages instead of the other way round.
First of all, the primary benefit that plastic packaging containers
can contribute is that it does not interact with the food at normal room
temperature conditions. This raises a green flag to the packaging
industry as the consumers would not have to deal with physical health
problems, such as, food poisoning, vomiting and diarrhoea which is
usually associated with food contamination. Food contamination
usually happens when the chemicals are contained in the food or drink
packaging material seeps into the product, hence poisoning the food
and drink, which is not the case for plastic. This is because, according
to Keleş, 1998; H OM, 2008; MEB, 2011 (1), plastic is usually made
2
up of long synthetic polymer chains, such as polyvinyl chloride
(PVC), polyethylene (PE), polystyrene terephthalate (PET) and
polystyrene (PS), which are chemically inert and does not react easily
with other substances, thus making it highly resistant to chemical
reactions. This special characteristic/feature of plastic makes it an
ideal substance to be used for the packaging and storage of food and
drinks as it helps to promote a long shelf-life for the food and drink
products, and at the same time, increase the purchase demand for
these products from consumers.
 On the contrary, out of the many disadvantages of plastic
packaging containers, one of the most significant disadvantages is that
it pollutes the environment. For instance, when these packaging
containers are manufactured, the by-products of the manufacturing of
these plastic containers, which are also toxic air pollutants are emitted
in relatively high amounts into the surroundings, such as, sulphur
dioxide (SO2), methylene chloride, nitrogen (I) oxide (NO2) and
carbon monoxide (CO). The emission of these air pollutants into the
surroundings causes high levels of air pollution which not only can
lead to catastrophic disasters like the El-Nino phenomenon and haze,
but also disrupt the balance in the ecosystem, considering the fact that
there is a lack of oxygen in the Earth’s atmosphere. Another example
of environmental pollution that is caused by the production of plastic
containers is land pollution. For instance, when these plastic
packaging containers no longer serves their purpose to humans after
usage, humans will tend to discard these containers into landfills or
any other place where they can be discarded. This inconsiderate act by
mankind, causes the chemical pollutants inside the packaging
material, such as bisphenols and heavy metals to seep into the soil and
water. As a result, in the long run, the soil becomes acidic and infertile
for agriculture while the marine life on the other hand, faces threats of
extinction as they are unable to sustain life in the highly acidic water.
Another common disadvantage of plastic packaging containers is
that the chemical contaminants that are contained in the packaging
material (plastic), can also affect human health. For instance, when
humans drink from plastic cups containing hot liquid or when they eat
hot, oily or acidic food that are stored in plastic containers, they can
suffer from multiple health disorders unknowingly. This is because,
when the plastic cup or plastic container are exposed to high
temperatures, the heat will cause the chemical pollutants in the plastic
to migrate into the liquid or food, resulting in liquid or food
contamination. Some of these pollutants are linked to several health
disorders depending on the type of pollutants that are present in that
particular food or drink. For example, dioxins are highly toxic and can
rattle the development of reproductive organs in both men and women
whereas heavy metals such as lead and mercury can lead to
neurological and permanent kidney damage. Another way that these
packaging containers can indirectly pose dangers on human health is
the transparency of the packaging material, which in this case is
plastic. This is because, when food is exposed to light containing
ultraviolet radiation (UV rays) the UV rays can oxidize the food when
light enters the food by penetrating the transparent packaging
material. Oxidation of food by the UV rays in light can spoil the food,
thus leading to chemical reactions in the food that can eliminate some
of the vital nutrients or vitamins contained in that particular food. As a
result, the body of the consumers will not be able to receive those
important nutrients and vitamins which are essential for the regulation
of body processes and for the development and growth of organs or
body tissues.
In conclusion, it is evident that the usage of plastic packaging
containers in the food and drinks packaging industry brings more
disadvantages than advantages. While plastic packaging containers
bring the benefit of not interacting with the food, but at the same time,
if external factors such as the inconsiderable acts of mankind in
managing the plastic waste containers, high temperature of food and
the presence of ultraviolet radiation (UV rays) are taken into light,
then these factors will surely portray the dark side of the plastic
containers. Therefore, it is important that the society takes the
initiative to make a whole proper use of these plastic containers. A
way of doing so is by recycling the plastic containers when they can
no longer be used. By doing so, the primary uses of these plastic
containers can not only be maximized, but the negative effects of
these plastic containers can be minimized at the same time.
(1038 words)