Half of all plastics ever manufactured have been made in the last 15 years.
Every year, about 8 million tons of plastic waste escapes into the oceans from coastal nations. That’s the equivalent of setting five garbage bags full of trash on every foot of coastline around the world.
Production increased exponentially, from 2.3 million tons in 1950 to 448 million tons by 2015. Production is expected to double by 2050.
Plastic waste makes up 80% of all marine pollution and around 8 to 10 million metric tons of plastic end up in the ocean each year.
Research states that, by 2050, plastic will likely outweigh all fish in the sea.
The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) has stated that basically 100% of all plastics human beings have ever created are still in existence.
Plastic generally takes between 500-1000 years to degrade. Even then, it becomes microplastics, without fully degrading.
Currently, there are about 50-75 trillion pieces of plastic and microplastics in the ocean.
This plastic either breaks down into microplastic particles, or floats around and ends up forming garbage patches.
Plastics often contain additives making them stronger, more flexible, and durable. But many of these additives can extend the life of products if they become litter.
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