What is Plastic Pollution?
Did You Know That...?
TWO MILLION plastic bags are used worldwide every minute.
By 2050, there will be more plastic pollution in the ocean by weight than fish.
1 in 3 fish eaten has plastic toxins inside of them.
Plastic bottles take 450-1000 years to decompose.
U.S plastic production pollutes 13.5 MILLION TONS of CO2 annually.
91% of plastic is NEVER recycled.
What Are Microplastics?
When plastic gets inside the ocean, it breaks down into small particles called MICROPLASTICS.
- These pose a problem since they harm marine life.
- 1 in 3 fish eaten has microplastics.
Effects On Marine Life
- 8 MILLION pieces of plastic pollution find their way into our oceans A DAY!
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- 100,000 marine mammals and turtles and 1 million seabirds are killed by marine plastic pollution annually.
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- Plastics make up 60 to 90% of all mariune debris.
How Does Plastic Get Into Our Oceans?
Any plastic that is left on land, no matter how far away, can be swept into the sea through:
Storms
Sewers
Rivers
Industrial Spills
Fishing
A Factor In Climate Change
Did you know that plastic pollution is one of the largest contributors to climate change?
In fact, the production of plastic alone from oil in the U.S puts 13.5 MILLION METRIC TONS of carbon dioxide.
And whenever plastic is burned, because it was thrown in the trash, 5.9 MILLION METRIC TONS of carbon dioxide is put into the air annually.