So what did we learn in the meantime, why is plastic bad for the planet?
The main fact about plastic you need to know is:
It takes 500-1000 years for plastic to degrade!
And now you need to know about the volume of plastic on our planet:
- Since 1950, around 8.3 billions tons of plastic have been produced whereof only 9% has been recycled
- 1 Million plastic bottles are being sold every minute globally
- About 2 million plastic bags are used worldwide every minute
- 1974 global plastic consumption per capita was 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds), today it’s at 43 kilograms (95 pounds).
Negative characterisitics of plastic
- Burning of plastic is releasing green house gases and increasing global warming
- Plastic breaks down in micorplastic and gets into the cirlce of life
- Many plastic articles are one-time use articles
Consequences of the plastic flooding:
- More than 8 million tons of plastic are dumped in the oceans every year
- Over 90% of seabirds have plastic pieces in their stomaches
- Plastic is killing more than 1.1 million seabirds and animals per year
- 73% of all beach litter is plastic
- Development countries have no budget and knowledge for efficient waste management
What have we learned from the facts:
If you think about the main fact, that plastic needs hundreds of years to degrade and add the fact, that the plastic production is still increasing, the list of consequences is just the beginning. If we don’t act now and if we don’t change our behaviour, we will turn our blue planet into a plastic world.
So please inform yourself about alternatives, see how you can avoid it by replacing it, and see what you can do with the plastic that is already in hour hands. Click here to find out more!