By 2050, our oceans will hold more plastic than fish
(NEWSER) – Use of plastic has increased 20-fold in the past half-century; production of the ubiquitous material is expected to double again in the next 20 years (and nearly quadruple over the next 50). And, CNN Money reports, nearly a third of all plastic packaging "escapes collection systems."
As for where the rest goes, more than 8 million tons of plastics end up entering our oceans each year, where the pieces can survive for hundreds of years. There are believed to be 165 million tons of it in the ocean right now. We're dumping the equivalent of one garbage truck's worth into the ocean per minute; that's projected to jump to four per minute by 2050, according to a report released Tuesday by the World Economic Forum and Ellen MacArthur Foundation. And that report has an ominous warning: We're on track to have more plastic than fish, by weight, in the world's oceans by 2050. (Right now, the ratio is about 1:5, plastics to fish.)
And the discarded plastic that doesn't end up in the ocean is likely be put in a landfill; those two resting places end up holding about 70% of our plastic, the Washington Post reports. Just 5% of plastics are effectively recycled, according to the Guardian. It's not just a problem of pollution. .................(more)
http://www.freep.com/story/news/2016/01/24/oceans-more-plastic-than-fish/79267192/
= new reply since forum marked as read
This is an ongoing consciousness issue. We contribute to the overuse of plastic by not tuning in to our consumer intelligence.
When we unthinkingly buy items with excessive plastic packaging, when we don't reuse or use reusable bags when shopping, even when we accept food samples served in plastic in grocery stores (complain to mgmt- there are compostable alternatives!)
I have personally changed after having visited several landfills in my work life. Loaded! With one-time use plastic. And so much of it finds its way into water bodies where it strangles or finds its way into the stomachs of aquatic mammals...
Plus its manufacture is not without environmental impact.
Call me crazy, but if I'm getting takeout I bring my own plastic containers for them to use (they may object, just ask them to drop the food into the containers without touching with the serving utensil) or going to a restaurant, I tuck an empty container in my bag for any leftovers, etc.
Children's toys, pet toys, stocking stuffers, etc etc... rather than unthinkingly over-consuming, we can choose non-plastic alternatives instead.
A moment on the lips and decades in a landfill. We throw these items away and don't think further
about it. Bring our own water bottle with us. Etc. etc. etc. We are each leaving a heavy trail piece by piece.
We need to open our eyes to the cumulative impact of our consumer choices and by standing up to the ease with which companies throw plastic at us for their own convenience and cheapness-focus, we will change the market. If we continue buying blindly and don't speak up against it, it will continue.
I am not saying plastic is completely unnecessary, obviously it is instrumental in medical equipment, etc, but let's advocate for alternatives where we can and choose not to buy gratuitous plastic. There are alternatives, we just need to be less unconscious about it.
