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15 Scary Facts About Plastics

Over the years the production of plastics has increased thus causing harm to our environment. It has slowly destroyed our planet and has now become a big problem not only for marine life but also for humans and land animals. This gigantic problem requires to be solved by each and every person on earth. People should be able to go plastic-free by avoiding the use of plastic materials like plastic bags and water bottles.

 There are various campaigns which have been able to spread awareness about the harmful impact plastics bring to our environment. This has been a success for countries such as Kenya and Iceland since they have been able to reduce their biodegradable plastics over the years. Today in this article I have compiled some of the scary facts about the impact of plastics on us and generally the environment.

1. There is more plastic in the ocean than marine wildlife

The ratio of plastics in the sea outnumbers marine animals by six to one. This has become a threat to their lives since what they considered a safe space is now a danger zone to them. They could choke on the plastic that is continuously thrown into the ocean every single day. It’s scary that about 90% of plastic is floating in the ocean which is 46,000 pieces of plastic in every single square mile.

2. Every year one million sea birds and marine animals are killed by plastics

Plastic waste in water. , , via Wikimedia Commons

Sea turtles and fish sometimes fed on the existing microplastics existing in the ocean, and this causes great harm to them leading to death. Some of the sea birds have been found to have plastics in their bodies. Not only are they harmed when they eat plastic, but also, they get trapped in plastic can holders. Every year 100,000 marine animals are killed due to the numerous plastics in and around the ocean. We should consider having a long-term solution for solving this plastic problem before we lose all our marine mammals.

3. It takes 450 years for a plastic bottle to decompose

Plastics already cause a lot of damage to our environment and to learn that it decomposes after 450 years is truly shocking! Fifty per cent of the plastics are created for a single use. Only nine per cent of the plastic can be collected and recycled. Therefore, we should try to reduce our plastic consumption such as getting used to reusable water bottles which are quite safer and favourable to the environment.

4. One million plastic bottles are sold off every minute

When we talk about how to fight plastics, plastic bottles are a major hindrance since they are produced in large quantities every single minute yet they cannot all be recycled. Only seven per cent of these water bottles can be recycled leaving the rest to be disposed to the environment and the ocean. This creates a huge threat to us and the sea mammals at large. Therefore, instead of purchasing this plastic water bottle why don’t we incorporate buying a good reusable water bottle that you can carry everywhere with you? It all begins with us changing our habits to save our planet.

5. Humans consume 74,000 microplastic each year

A picture of plastic waste. , , via Wikimedia Commons

A study in the journal Environmental Science and Technology revealed that humans can consume 39,000 to 52,000 microplastic particles every single year. As if that was scary enough, the microplastic can also be inhaled so probably it surpasses the 74,000-ingestion mark of plastics. Researchers at the University of Hull reported from their studies that high levels of microplastic could lead to cell damage which later causes inflammation and allergic reactions.

6. By 2050 there will be 12 billion tonnes of plastic in the dumping ground

With the continuous production of plastics, it is believed that there will be 12 billion tonnes of plastic in the dumping ground by 2050. As of now at least 8.3 billion tonnes of plastic has been produced. About 76% of this plastic production has become plastic waste and 80% of the plastic produced has been dumped in the dumping grounds or the oceans. Therefore, if we don’t change our behaviours, we are going to have more plastic occupying the little space we have on land and the also the amount of plastic in the ocean could outweigh the number of marine lives thus destroying the beauty of the ocean which are these ocean creatures.

7. Ninety-one per cent of plastic produced cannot be recycled

8.3 billion tons of plastic has been produced as of now and less than nine percent of plastic can be recycled. The remaining plastics are dumped in the garbage grounds and some of them are dumped into the ocean. Plastic production has continued to increase over the years and if we continue with the same habits the ocean can be seriously threatened. We usually trust the local waste management company to recycle the recyclable garbage we throw into the appropriate bins but that’s not the case. It starts with us we need to reduce the use of plastics.

8. Every year 10 million tons of plastic end up in the sea every year

It’s so scary that 10 million tonnes of plastic end up in the sea every year, this is the same as pouring a truck of plastic into the ocean every single minute. This endangers our environment and marine ecosystems. The dolphins, fish, whales, seals and so many other marine creatures make the ocean look beautiful, and to hear that all these plastics are exposed to them in the sea is insanely depressing. In the coming years, we will lose these beautiful creatures in the ocean if we continue with the same habits.

9. Nearly seventy-three per cent of all litter in the ocean is made of plastic

Plastics on a beach. , , via Wikimedia Commons

Every year millions of tons of plastic are thrown into the ocean and this has led to nearly 73% of beach litter being plastics, with 51 trillion microplastic particles. The litter which includes bottles, bottle caps, food wrappers, polystyrene containers and grocery bags have endangered the lives of seabirds, whales, turtles, dolphins and so many other marine animals who are the main victims affected by plastic pollution in the ocean.

10. Just 10 rivers carry 90% of plastic polluting our oceans

The 10 rivers that carry 90% of plastics into our oceans are from Asia and Africa. They include; the Yangtze, Indus, Hai He, Ganges, Pearl, Amur, Mekong, the Nile and the Niger. The reason why all these rivers carry a lot of plastics into the ocean is that they have high populations surrounding them and poor waste management systems. River Yangtze from China releases the most plastic litter among all the rivers, but the good news is that China is looking forward to reaching a 35% recycling rate by 2020 by halting the import of foreign waste and by sorting the waste too.

11. 50% of plastic is single-use plastic

Plastics in a bin. , , via Wikimedia Commons

Half of the plastic created is for single use only. They include plastic bottles, coffee cup lids, straws, and food packaging. People easily purchase these single-use plastics out of convenience, laziness and availability. In order to reduce this production of single-use plastic we need to avoid purchasing them since when there’s no demand for single-use plastics then they will reduce or stop the production of single-use plastic.

12. Two million plastic bags are distributed around the world every minute

When you take a walk around, you will realize there are a lot of plastic bags littered everywhere. Two million plastic bags are distributed every minute and this roughly comes to one trillion distribution every year. The encouraging news is that most countries have started banning and taxing plastic bags. This however can be fully achieved if people across the globe start using reusable bags instead of plastic bags.

13. Plastic contains BPA

Polycarbonate plastics contain a component called BPA which stands for Bisphenol A. This component gets into our bodies through food and fluids while air and water are other possible sources of exposure to BPA. We, therefore, need to stop microwaving polycarbonate plastic food containers because the higher temperature causes BPA to penetrate into our food. Exposure to high levels of BPA can damage the functioning of the endocrine system.

14. The world’s plastic production has doubled over the past 50 years

Plastics. , , via Wikimedia Commons

Plastic manufacturers have increased their production of plastic over the 50 years despite several organizations and countries banning the use of plastic. In 1974, the use of plastic per year was 2 kilograms per capita. Currently, it has increased to 43 kilograms and still this number is still rising. If there is still an increase in plastic production, by 2050 there will be 12 billion metric tons of plastic in landfills.

15. The amount of plastic disposed of every year can encircle the earth four times

The amount of plastic waste disposed of each and every year is enough in length to encircle the globe four times over. Over 50 years plastic production has doubled and it’s estimated that by 2050 there will be 12 billion metric tons of plastic in our environment and ocean. It is scary that in the coming years, the plastic waste disposed of can encircle the earth only once.

Check out this article on the 10 amazing facts about bottlenose dolphins here