Plastic pollution is at an all-time high. The world is simply swamped with so much harmful plastic waste that microplastics in our seas have outnumbered the stars in the galaxy.
From how much we use and the time it takes to degrade to how it affects life on earth, here is a look at the numbers that surround plastic pollution.
1 million in 1 minute
In one minute, a million plastic bags are used. The number totals to a whopping 500 billion annually.
1/3
One in three fish contain traces of plastic. Worse, some of these fish end up on our dinner table.
10 vs. 100
Humans have produced more plastic in the last 10 years than what was produced in the last century.
50%
Almost 50
70%
About 70
100
In 2011, a whale was found dead off of Mykonos. When the animal was dissected, scientists found over 100 plastic bags and other debris inside its stomach. Most recently, a whale was determined to have swallowed 80 pieces of plastic bags before dying. The number of whales dying from plastic ingestion is unclear, but it’s evident that the occurrences are becoming more frequent.
660
The estimated number of plastic particles Americans could be ingesting every year from eating salt.
1,000
Many experts suggest the use of biodegradable plastic, but it can still take over 1,000 years for most to completely degrade.
100,000
Each year, 100,000 mammals die due to ingestion of non-degradable plastic and exposure to plastic debris.
1,000,000
The number of water bottles that are purchased every minute. This is expected to increase 21
15,000,000
There’s 15 million square meters of 'plastic soup' in the Pacific Ocean, almost the size of Russia. Plastic soup is made of floating plastic debris that joins together to create patches in the ocean.
8,300,000,000
Since the ‘50s, 8.3 billion metric tons of plastics have been created. This can be compared to the weight of one billion elephants. According to a study, most of these are now in landfills. “If current trends continue, roughly 12 billion metric tons of plastic waste will be in landfills or the natural environment by 2050.”
5,250,000,000,000
…and counting. Humans produce and use over 5.25 trillion plastic bags each year. More often than not, these are just thrown out and end up in the world’s oceans. Less than one
This story originally appeared on Townandcountry.ph.
* Minor edits have been made by the Esquiremag.ph editors.
