The World’s Plastic Problem

Plastic, a great invention that was create about 150 years ago, has become an enemy to the planet due to human consumption. The June 2018 Edition of National Geographic focuses on how the over-abundance of plastic on the planet is having a deleterious effect on the Earth.

The aforementioned magazine issue states the following plastic facts:

  • 9 million tons of plastic end up in the ocean every year.
  • More than 40% of plastic products is used just once.
  • “The ‘working life’ of a plastic bag is 15 minutes.”
  • Less than 10% of the plastic used in America is recycled.
  • Less than 20% of plastic used worldwide is recycled.
  • Estimates state that it takes anywhere from 450 years to infinity for plastic to completely biodegrade.
  • Plastic that makes its way into the ocean kills millions of sea animals every year.
  • According to some estimates, as the ice in the Arctic Ocean melts, millions of bits of plastic could be released into the ocean.
  • “On some beaches in Hawaii, as much as 15% of the sand is actually grains of microplastic.”
  • The Coca-Cola Company reportedly manufactures 128 billion plastic bottles a year.
  • “Half the plastic ever manufactured has been made in the past 15 years.”
  • Currently, globally, 18% of plastic is recycled.
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