How Plastic Affects Our Oceans & What We Can Do About It
Plastic pollution is still a huge global problem for our environment, especially our oceans. To show you the true scale of the problem here are some facts for you:
- 300 million tonnes of plastic is produced every year (UNEP)
- Only 9% of the plastic we use globally gets recycled (UNEP)
- In the UK less than a third of all plastic is recycled (PlasticsEurope)
- It’s estimated 8.3 million tons of plastic has been produced since the 1950’s
- The production of plastic is forecast to grow by 60% by 2030 & treble by 2050 (Center for International Environmental Law)
As people are becoming aware of the scale of the problem, more is being done to reduce our plastic consumption. Companies such as IKEA and Iceland have committed to phasing out single-use plastic and opting to replace them with more sustainable alternatives which is a great start. Although there have been efforts to reduce the impact that plastic has on the environment there is still more that needs to be done.
