Plastic’s great, right? I mean – we all use it daily, don’t we? The world uses enough plastic each year to circle the Earth four times – that’s 300 million tons. That’s proof enough, surely. So what’s the problem? The issue is that it takes from 450 to 1,000 years to biodegrade. That means it doesn’t break down in the same way garden waste does. Plastic pollution poses a threat to humans, animals, and the environment. This article will let the facts speak for themselves. We need to do something about it- and now!
THE USE OF PLASTIC
Grocery bags are a major cause of plastic production, and half of these are designed to be used only once. That’s incredibly short-sighted and irresponsible. Plastic bottles are also the main use of plastic daily. Wonderopolis said it takes 2,000 times more energy to create bottled water than to produce tap water! If you click here you’ll discover that the experts say plastic bottles are still not free of Bisphenol A. This chemical messes with our hormones and could adversely affect our ability to reproduce.
THE EFFECTS
LANDFILL
Landfill sites are where we dump our non-recycled rubbish. More and more areas of land are being designated for it. That means less land is available for good things like planting healthy crops and plants. Most of what you’ll find in landfill is made of plastic. Globally speaking, only 9% of plastic is being recycled. Added to this is the flytipping that is so common, where people just dump stuff somewhere they shouldn’t – often on beautiful farmland or residential areas.
ANIMALS AND BIRDS
When so much plastic remains in the environment, it spells trouble for nature. How many seabirds are killed by plastic in one year? Answer: one million. What about marine animals? One hundred thousand. The statistics speak for themselves.
THE OCEAN
We also need to worry about what plastic does when it hits the ocean. It breaks down into micro-plastic, i.e. very small pieces. It Is so hard to see that we don’t know how much we are ingesting. Seafood eaters will be unhappy to learn they could be eating up to 11,000 pieces of plastic in a year.
People throw old plastic into the ocean. 90% of the rubbish you will see floating there is made of it. If plastic is left nearby, the wind will also blow it into the ocean. It is staggering to learn that eight million tons of plastic are dumped into the ocean each year. Poor countries are the biggest offenders. The more wealthy nations need to help them dispose of it in a better way.
Imagine a day when there is more plastic than fish in the ocean. Sadly, this could become a reality by 2050.
If there is an issue with the oceans, then there is an issue with our waterways. Plastic ends up here and is often the reason you can’t drink tap water in certain countries. You have to drink bottled water there instead – and it’s probably contained in a disposable plastic bottle.
THE AIR
When you make plastic, 90% of the energy used for it is fossil fuels, i.e. oil. This creates carbon emissions in the atmosphere. Over ten percent of plastic is incinerated when it is no longer wanted. This creates toxic gases that are released into the air.
When you add everything together, you discover an apocalyptic worst-case scenario. Every nation knows something needs to be done, and quickly. Money so often stands in the way of legislation. Short-term economies take rank over long term investment in our planet. We have to steward our global resources wisely or face a bleak future. Do we want to impure water and unhealthy food? Do we want rubbish and pollution all across the globe? Do we want to see more and more endangered species dying out? Do we want to breathe polluted air and risk our health and reproduction?
We start by looking at the global picture, but then realize what we and our children’s children are facing. It gets personal. You and I need to take active steps. We can be wiser with our daily use of plastic. We can have reusable shopping bags. We can have drinks containers that will last. We can join charities and organizations that will put pressure on the governments of the world to take action. We take small steps individually, but if we all take them, we can create a worldwide movement for change.
