📘 IAS Prelims 2025 — GS-I Q.44 | Classroom Explanation

(Environment & Ecology | Plastic Pollution)

📌 Question

Q.44) Consider the following:

I. Cigarette butts
II. Eyeglass lenses
III. Car tyres

How many of them contain plastic?

(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) All the three
(d) None

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✅ Correct Answer: (c) All the three

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🧑‍🏫 Classroom Explanation

This is a classic UPSC microplastic trap question — everyday objects that don’t look like plastic but actually are.

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🔍 Statement-wise Breakdown

✅ I. Cigarette butts — Correct

• Cigarette filters are made of cellulose acetate, a synthetic plastic polymer.
• They are:

• Non-biodegradable
• A major source of microplastic pollution
• Embedded with 7000+ toxic chemicals, including carcinogens

⚠️ UPSC Trap: Looks organic, but chemically plastic.

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✅ II. Eyeglass lenses — Correct

• Most modern lenses are plastic-based, not glass.
• Common materials include:

• CR-39 (Columbia Resin #39)
• Polycarbonate
• Trivex

• Advantages:

• Lightweight
• Shatter-resistant
• UV-protective

✔️ Hence, they contain plastic.

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✅ III. Car tyres — Correct

• Tyres are made from synthetic rubber polymers, derived from petrochemicals.
• Tyre wear releases tyre wear particles (TWPs), a major source of microplastics.

📊 Key Fact:

• ~28% of global microplastics entering the environment originate from tyres.

✔️ Hence, tyres contain plastic components.

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🧮 UPSC-Style Count

Item	Contains Plastic?
Cigarette butts	✅
Eyeglass lenses	✅
Car tyres	✅

➡️ Total = 3

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🎯 Final Answer

✅ Correct Answer: (c) All the three

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📦 High-Value Prelims Add-Ons (Info Box Ready)

🧠 One-Line Memory Hook

Filters, lenses, tyres — hidden plastics everywhere.

⚠️ UPSC Microplastic Trap Theme

UPSC increasingly asks about non-obvious plastic sources:

• Tyres
• Synthetic textiles
• Paint flakes
• Cigarette filters

🌍 Policy Link

• Microplastics now tracked under UNEP, SDG-14, and plastic treaty negotiations
• India flagged tyre-wear particles as an emerging urban pollutant

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