Our dependence on plastic is causing a lot of harm to the environment. Not only do they pile up in landfills, they also end up in the ocean where they hurt marine animals – some get tangled up in the waste while others die after ingesting too much plastic mistaken for food.
Here are some sobering facts and figures:
- According to a 2015 estimate by a University of Georgia professor, between 5.3 million and 14 million tons of unrecycled plastic a year end up in the ocean from coastal regions alone.
- People around the world throw roughly 4,000,000 tons of trash a day – 12.8 per cent of which is plastic.
- A study released last year by a team of researchers found that around 9 billion tons of plastic have been made since the 1950s and only 9 per cent end up being recycled.
- At the current rate of pollution, there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050, according to the United Nations Environment Programme.
Last December, some 193 countries signed a United Nations resolution to get rid of plastic pollution in the ocean – they will start monitoring the amount of plastic waste they produce.
It’s time we do the same as consumers.
Follow these six simple tips to start reducing your reliance on single-use plastic today.