1.     Plastic once produced cannot be destroyed. It stays in the environment forever.

2.     As garbage it is an eye sore anywhere.

3.     Thrown carelessly, it clogs our gutters and drainage system.

4.     Ultimately it reaches the ocean and creates havoc to the marine animals and birds.

5.     On the land it gets broken into very tiny pieces and gets blown into the air and enters our body through lungs and stomach.

6.     Inside our body it causes diabetes, kidney problems, lung congestion and heart diseases and in some people it causes hormonal imbalance which results in impotency or menstrual problems or spontaneous abortions.

7.     Burning plastic is all the more dangerous because the smoke contains many poisonous substances like dioxin, furans and bis-phenyl B which may cause asthma, lung cancer and neural problems in some people. They may even cause birth defects.

8.     Animals and birds suffer silently after eating discarded food  wrapped in plastic. They suffer from stomach ailments, internal bleeding and asthma.

9.     Plastic in water is equally harmful to the aquatic animals and birds. Ultimately they enter the food chain, thus harming us too.

10.  Millions of tons of plastic discarded in the past are still there in scattered, tattered form. They become fine particles and enter in to every life form. Whatever we carelessly throw today will cause harm to the future generation.

Scientists have been warning us about the plastic menace. The UN has given us the slogan Beat Plastic Pollution. for the World Environment Day and India was chosen as the host country. We have special responsibility to show to the world how we manage our plastic pollution. There is enormous ignorance among the public about the hazards of plastic waste. We need to educate our family members, neighborhood people , traders, workers and  even educated elders.

Children are the best ambassadors for this. They understand the issue quickly and they are much more capable in convincing the elders. They have better empathy towards animals and birds. They are the agents of change. Please sensitise your children as well while you put your signature on this pledge.