Why is it important to recycle and reuse plastic waste and role of bacteria in increasing fertility of the soil?
Plastic recycling reduces the need to extract new, raw materials from the earth as it reuses the stuff that's already processed and protects natural resources. This can help reduce emissions of heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere. It also prevents adding more rubbish to landfills. Bacteria increase soil fertility through nutrient recycling such as carbon, nitrogen, sulphur and phosphorus. Bacteria also help in the decomposition of dead organic matter and then give out simple compounds in the soil, which can be used up by plants. Bacteria perform many important ecosystem services in the soil including improved soil structure and soil aggregation, recycling of soil nutrients, and water recycling. Soil bacteria form micro aggregates in the soil by binding soil particles together with their secretions. Bacteria change the soil environment so that certain plant species can exist and proliferate. Where new soil is forming, certain photosynthetic bacteria start to colonize the soil, recycling nitrogen, carbon, phosphorus, and other soil nutrients to produce the first organic matter.Nitrogen-fixing bacteria in the soil saturate it with inorganic N-containing compounds, which are necessary crop nutrients. When fixation bacteria die, the accumulated N in their biomass is released into the soil. This way, they boost soil fertility naturally, allowing farmers to save on synthetic fertilizers. Soil fertility can be further improved by incorporating cover crops that add organic matter to the soil, which leads to improved soil structure and promotes a healthy, fertile soil; by using green manure or growing legumes to fix nitrogen from the air through the process of biological nitrogen fixation.
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