For the last past few years, plastic has invaded our homes, landfills, and even oceans. If it’s hard for you to believe it, beterre decided to reveal to you 10 shocking facts about plastic pollution. This will make you think twice before you buy plastic next time!
1 – 8,3 billion tons
It represents the amount of plastic humans have made since the 1950s, shocking right?! Just keep reading, you’ll learn even more shocking facts.
2 – Only 9% of plastic is recycled!
Did you know that only 15-20% of plastic waste is being collected for recycling? Well, what’s worse is that only 9% of plastic waste gets actually recycled, according to National Geographic. So, it means that 91% of plastic isn’t recycled and will eventually end up in the environment. This is the reason why it’s necessary to limit our use of plastic if we want to prevent it from ending in the oceans or soils.
3 – 450 years to decompose?
It’s the time necessary for a plastic bottle to decompose. Even worse, nearly a million plastic bottles are sold around the world every single minute. Humanity would have disappeared that there still be plastic bottles on our Earth.
4 – 2 million plastic bags are used every minute
That’s the number of plastic bags used every minute around the world. What’s worse is that they’re only used for an average of 12 minutes but they take up to a thousand years to decompose.
5 – 40% of plastic is used only once
Over 40% of plastic created is only used once and then thrown away. This is probably one of the most shocking facts since almost half of the plastic ever created is used for only a couple of minutes and then thrown away. However, the damages on our Earth last forever.
6 – 10% of global plastic is dumped into the ocean every year
10% of the 260 million tonnes of plastic the world produces per year gets dumped into the sea annually, according to a Greenpeace report.
7 – 100% of turtles have plastic in their bodies
The impact of plastics on the marine ecosystem is disastrous. Indeed, according to a study published in the Annual Review of Marine Science, 100% of marine turtles have ingested plastic. In total, around 700 marine species are threatened with extinction as a result of plastic pollution.
8 – Microplastics in human bodies too?
It’s not just animals that are hurt by plastic pollution. Apparently, each year, a person eats about 70,000 microplastics. A study, published in Environmental Pollution, suggests each meal we eat contains an average of 100 bits of microplastic.
9 – An exponential growth
About half of all plastic ever manufactured has been made within the past 15 years.
10 – More plastic than fish
What’s worse is that plastic production is set to double by 2050. And there will be more plastic than fish. Indeed, if we do nothing to stop plastic pollution, the Ellen McArthur Foundation estimates that plastic will outweigh fish in the sea by 2050.
Although plastic has invaded our lives, we need to remember that plastic is a relatively recent innovation. So, it means we can easily avoid using it. Let’s join our efforts to reduce our plastic use step by step.
