The Shocking Facts About Plastic
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10 Facts To Inspire Change
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1.
More than 5 trillion pieces of plastic are already floating in our oceans.
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2.
Worldwide, 73 percent of beach litter is plastic: filters from cigarette butts, bottles, bottle caps, food wrappers, grocery bags, and polystyrene containers.
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3.
World plastic production has increased exponentially from 2.3 million tons in 1950 to 162 million in 1993 to 448 million by 2015.
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4.
By 2050, virtually every seabird species on the planet will be eating plastic.
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5.
As of 2015, more than 6.9 billion tons of plastic waste had been generated. Around 9 percent of that was recycled, 12 percent was incinerated, and 79 percent accumulated in landfills or environment.
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6.
As of 2015, more than 6.9 billion tons of plastic waste had been generated. Around 9 percent of that was recycled, 12 percent was incinerated, and 79 percent accumulated in landfills or environment.
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7.
Estimates for how long plastic endures range from 450 years to forever.
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8.
The largest market for plastics today is packaging materials. That trash now accounts for nearly half of all plastic waste generated globally—most of it never gets recycled or incinerated.
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9.
Some 700 species of marine animals have been reported so far to have eaten or become entangled in plastic.
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10.
More than 40 percent of plastic is used just once, then tossed.
Photo credit to Your Shot community.