Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Get clued up with these lesser-known facts about plastic that you really need to know. Only 9% of all plastic produced is recycled. A whopping 2 million plastic bags are used every minute worldwide. Single-use plastics are illegal in some parts of the world.
The world's plastic pollution crisis, explained. Much of the planet is swimming in discarded plastic, which is harming animal and possibly human health. Can it be cleaned up?
Read our explainer to find out more about the plastic pollution crisis: Why is plastic pollution such a problem? Affordable, durable and flexible, plastic pervades modern life, appearing in everything from packaging to clothes to beauty products.
Plastic pollution, harmful accumulation of synthetic plastic products in the environment. Plastics are persistent large-scale pollutants, and plastic debris (such as bottles, straws, containers, and plastic wrap) and particulates have been found in many environmental niches, from Mount Everest to the bottom of the sea.
1. Only 9% of all plastic produced is recycled. According to a report from the Guardian, an estimated 8.3 billion tons of plastic have been produced since the 1950s — that’s equivalent to the weight of more than 800,000 Eiffel Towers.
On this page, you can find all of our data, visualizations, and writing on plastic pollution. You can also find a summary of this material in our slide deck.
Plastic pollution has become ubiquitous in natural and built environments, raising concerns about potential harm to humans and nature alike. Once in the environment, research shows that plastic pollution is persistent and may take between 100 to 1,000 years or more to decompose, depending on environmental conditions.
Plastic pollution is a global problem. Every year 19-23 million tonnes of plastic waste leaks into aquatic ecosystems, polluting lakes, rivers and seas. Plastic pollution can alter habitats and natural processes, reducing ecosystems’ ability to adapt to climate change, directly affecting millions of people’s livelihoods, food production ...
Plastic pollution affects all land, freshwater, and marine ecosystems. It is a major driver of biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation and contributes to climate change.
Fast facts about plastic pollution. Versatile, pliable, durable, cheap to produce—and ubiquitous. Plastic is all of that. It is also both a life-saving miracle product and the scourge of the...