Facts about plastic pollution

Today it’s impossible to escape plastic in our everyday lives, and plastic is literally in our hands all day long. Coffee in plastic cup, the fruit in plastic packaging, salad in plastic case, yoghurt in plastic cup all together in the plastic bag. We think anyone can relate. All together after 10 minutes becomes plastic trash, which will eventually end up in the landfills, oceans or in the environment. There are many reasons why plastic trash is a problem. Plastic trash has negative impacts on the environment due to material’s durability, since it takes decades for plastic to decompose. Ending up as trash in the oceans it seriously impacts the life of marine animals. On daily basis marine animals die from plastic entanglement and ingestion. The most terrifying fact and yet to become serious problem is that plastic is entering our foodchain and affecting our health.

Here are preposterous facts about plastic pollution:

• Over the last ten years humans have produced more plastic than during the whole last century
• Plastic that is thrown away each year can circle the Earth 4 times
• 50% of the plastic we use, we use just once and throw it away
• Only 5% plastic of the plastics we produce is being recycled
• Plastic accounts for around 10% of the total waste we generate
• Every year approximately 500 billion plastic bags are used worldwide
• It takes 500-1000 years for plastic to decompose
• The production of plastic uses around 8% of the world’s oil production
• Plastic in the ocean breaks down into microplastics that from one water bottle could end up on every mile of beach throughout the world
• Plastic constitutes approximately 90 percent of all trash floating on the ocean’s surface
• 100000 marine animals are killed each year from plastic litter
• Some of these compounds found in plastic have been found to alter hormones or have other potential human health effects

How can we individually act?

• Refuse single use plastic bags, straws, cups and packaging
• Buy a reusable bag and glass bottle
• Consider a reusable lunch box instead single use
• Seek and choose the alternatives to the plastic items
• Recycle the plastic products you can’t avoid to buy
• Support your local environmental organisations, volunteer at a beach cleanups and spread the word.

Raising awareness on plastic pollution and why it’s important to reduce plastic in everyday life is the only way that people will start understanding the impacts of plastic pollution on the environment and our health.