In what is the most astounding piece of news I have heard for a long time, the governing body of Tokyo has reportedly decided that it would burn non-decomposable plastic from now on for lack of burial space. If these reports are true, then I can think of nothing that is more disastrous in recent times than this, considering the environmental damage it can cause. We all are having problems world over in regards to dealing with plastic. Plastic disposal or even recycling is one of the most daunting tasks that we have had to encounter in recent times.
The problem with plastic is that it presents a dichotomy of problems that are very unique and difficult to deal with. It is so dexterous and adaptable that one can almost use it anywhere and to add to this, its commercial preparation is indeed a lot cheaper compared to other eco friendly products. This means that the use of plastic is inevitable at some level and makes complete elimination of its use almost impossible. For many years now Japanese people and people world over have been very careful with sorting of their trash, trying to make sure that they do not affect the environment in a nasty way.
For over 30 years now, the authorities of Tokyo have been using an artificial land fill to bury the plastic waste so as to ensure a greener city. But now, to extend the lifetime of this landfill, they are planning to burn plastic waste thrown out by the city. That is nothing less than asking for disaster. The governing body of Tokyo says that plastics can now be burnt while suppressing the amount of poisonous dioxins released which is another reason why they made this decision.
Now the important word to notice in all that is ‘Suppress’. The city says that it can suppress the amount of toxins released in to the atmosphere and not eliminate it. To what extent will they lessen the toxins release and in what fashion it will be done is still unclear. This is an absolutely lunatic idea to say the least and it only is going to push Tokyo in to controversy. I wonder if Japan did sign the recent Bali daft and if they did sign it, then to what extent did they promise a carbon emission cut. But this surely won’t help.
