We need to do something about plastic pollution. Plastic is terrible for the environment. Countries and cities worldwide are banning the use of plastic left, right, and center and the call for the end of single-use plastic is at a high level.
Stores such as Iceland and Ikea have introduced plastic bag bans that will take effect within the next two years, reveals Junk Bunk Ltd, London’s largest waste management company. Meanwhile, plastic pipes, spoons, and forks have been targeted by numerous retailers, including McDonald’s, in the UK, and the use of plastic bags is enough to get you to jail in some places.
Some governments and organisations are doing their part to reduce plastic use and improve the environment. Still, as everyday consumers, you need to know how and why ending plastic use is so vital.
Here are some lesser-known facts about plastics that you need to know
1. Since 1950, about 8.3 billion tons of plastics have been produced worldwide
According to a Guardian report, about 8.3 billion tonnes of plastic have been produced since 1950 – which equates to the weight of more than 800,000 Eiffel Towers. And only 9% of this mass is recycled.
2. The average time a plastic bag is used is… 12 minutes
Yes, that’s right – they last for an average of 12 minutes and then take up to a thousand years to decompose.
3. In some parts of the world, plastic is already illegal
Kenya introduced one of the world’s toughest laws against plastic bags in 2017. Now, Kenyans caught catching, selling, and even using plastic bags will risk up to four years in prison or a $ 40,000 fine.
Other countries that have banned, even partially, or taxed single-use plastic bags are China, France, Rwanda, and Italy.
4. A person eats an average of 70,000 microplastics each year
According to a study published in Environmental Pollution, about 100 pieces of microplastics during a meal.
A team of UK-based researchers sets up adhesive test tubes near dinner plates in three homes in the UK. After only 20 minutes, the test tubes accumulated an average of 14 microplastics.
5. 73% of beach litter worldwide is plastic
According to National Geographic, 73% of all beach litter is plastic. Dust includes filters from cigarette butts, bottles, bottle caps, food wrappers, and food bags.
6. 90% of the plastic that pollutes our oceans is carried by only 10 rivers
According to World Economic Forum researchers, only 10 rivers across Asia and Africa carry 90% of the plastic in the oceans.
The study says eight rivers are in Asia: Yangtze, Indus, Yellow, Hai He, Ganges, Pearl, Amur, and the Mekong. Two rivers can be found in Africa: the Nile and the Niger.
The WEF added that the two things all the named rivers have in common are a large population living in the area and a poor waste management system.
7. One million plastic bottles are purchased worldwide every minute
A report by the Guardian revealed that 1 million plastic bottles are purchased every day in the world, and that number will increase by another 20% if we do not act.
The same report said that more than 480 billion plastic bottles of drinking water were purchased worldwide in 2016 – up from $ 300 billion a decade ago.
In addition, less than half of the bottles purchased in 2016 were recycled – with only 7% of those collected turned into new bottles, while the rest ended up in landfills or the ocean.
8. About 2 million plastic bags are used every minute in the world
It may seem like an incredible number, but according to Ecowatch, 500 to 1 trillion plastic bags are used worldwide each year.
According to the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, New Yorkers alone use 23 billion plastic bags each year (which is why it’s so good that the city is banning food bags).
Stopping plastic bags has already been proven to be extremely effective in countries with them. In the UK, for example, the introduction of a 5-point load of plastic bags in 2015 has resulted in an 83% reduction in the use of plastic bags.
While Britain still produces 1.3 billion plastic bags a year, according to a government report, the decline in use marks significant progress.
9. Plastic is killing more than 1.1 million seabirds and animals
A study conducted by the University of Queensland in Australia, based on data collected since the late 1980s, found that Green Sea turtles now eat twice as much plastic as 25 years ago.
According to the United Nations, swallowing plastic kills about 1 million seabirds and 100,000 marine animals.
In addition, more than 90% of all poultry and fish are believed to have plastic particles in their stomachs. It is because plastic explodes into small pieces in the sea, consumed by fish and other marine animals.
Research from Plymouth University has found that about 700 species of marine life are facing extinction due to increased plastic pollution.
10. Over the last 50 years, world plastic production has doubled
As a growing number of organizations and states are banning the use and production of plastics, the world’s leading plastics manufacturers are planning to increase production by nearly a third over the next five years, according to the World Economic Forum.
In 1974, world plastic consumption per year was 2 kilograms (4.4 £) per capita. Today that has grown to 43 kilograms – and that number continues to grow.
If plastic consumption increases at the current rate, according to National Geographic, by 2050, there will be 12 billion tonnes of plastic in landfills.
