Plastic Pollution And How it's Killing Us
The shocking truth about plastic and how it's killing us
The statement, "there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish by 2050", has taken been the center of world media attention recently. Plastic pollution has reached epidemic proportion.
The rampant growth of plastic production – particularly in single-use plastics – is finally being recognized as one of the greatest risks facing the environment and mankind's wellbeing. Not only is plastic burying the earth's surface under a layer of non-biodegradable waste, it is also saturating our oceans and soils with tiny plastic particles.
While plastic's permanence has numerous advantages, it also has one major disadvantage. When plastic enters the environment as mismanaged waste, rather than biodegrading into its elemental constituents, it’s broken down into smaller and smaller particles known as microplastics and nanoplastics.
Plastic impact on oceans
Plastic is more evident along our coastlines and in our oceans than anywhere else in the world.
Beaches are awash with plastic debris of every conceivable shape, size and origin. Some of this plastic is picked up by seabirds who eat it and/or feed it to their chicks – evidence shows that up to 90% of seabirds have plastic in their stomachs.
This has contributed to the estimated two-thirds decline in seabird numbers around the world, in the last 60 years alone. Micro and nanoplastics are also mistakenly ingested by all kinds of shoreline marine life including otters, shellfish, corals and fish.
Photo from NOAA
Philippines survey shows 'shocking' plastic waste
An audit in the Philippines has shown the country uses a "shocking" amount of single-use plastic, including nearly 60 billion sachets a year, a new report said Friday. Every day, almost 57 million shopping bags are used throughout the Philippines, adding up to more than 20 billion a year. That figure does not include the smaller, thinner and often transparent plastic bags known as "labo" bags -- around 16.5 billion of those are used per year across the country.
Small portions of products ranging from coffee to shampoo are often sold in sachets in the Philippines, and are seen as an affordable solution for consumers.
The government is urged to "institute a comprehensive national plastic bag ban that promotes reusable bags", and to add regulations on other single-use plastic products and rules requiring companies to redesign products and packaging to minimize plastic waste.
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