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Over 8.3 billion tonnes of plastic has been made since its mass production began in the 1950s. Only 9% of this plastic has been recycled, the other 91% sits in landfill, floats in our oceans or has been burned. An estimated 8 million tonnes of plastic enters the ocean every year. Many animals mistakenly ingest plastic believing it to be a food source. This can cause injury, suffocation, starvation and often death. Plastic contaminates our air, land, sea and can enter the human body through the food we eat, the water we drink and the air we breathe.
Demand for plastic grew from its low cost and durability: plastic is almost indestructible and a serious threat to the natural environment. The vast majority of plastics are made from finite fossil fuels extracted from the earth. Plastics do not break down. Instead, they ‘break up’ into smaller and smaller pieces, creating microplastics and nanoplastics. Both the creation and degradation of plastics releases harmful greenhouse gases, contributing to our planet’s changing climate.
We need to reassess our relationship with plastic. Plastic production from new, finite resources like oil and gas must decrease if we are to protect our oceans and wildlife. If plastic is to be used, it must fit within the circular economy model. The circular economy (opposed to the current ‘take-make-dispose’ linear model) is modelled on nature where there is no such thing as waste and is renewable and regenerative by design. Technical nutrients (like plastics and metals) are recovered to create new materials while biological nutrients (like food waste) are processed to regenerate agricultural and natural systems. The circular economy model embraces renewable energy and represents an exciting blueprint for the future where waste and pollution become a thing of the past.
References
1. “A whopping 91% of plastic isn’t recycled” 20 Dec. 2018, https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/07/plastic-produced-recycling-waste-ocean-trash-debris-environment/. Accessed 3 Jan. 2019.
2. “Plastics are in your poop | Take 3 for the Sea.” 24 Oct. 2018, https://www.take3.org/plastics-are-in-your-poop/.Accessed 3 Jan. 2019.
3. “Plastic bags and plastic bottles – CO2 emissions during their lifetime ….” http://timeforchange.org/plastic-bags-and-plastic-bottles-CO2-emissions. Accessed 13 Feb. 2019.
4. “Fact Sheet: Single Use Plastics | Earth Day Network.” 29 Mar. 2018, https://www.earthday.org/2018/03/29/fact-sheet-single-use-plastics/. Accessed 3 Jan. 2019.
5. “Facts – Plastic Oceans Foundation.” https://plasticoceans.org/the-facts/. Accessed 3 Jan. 2019.
6. “A Brief History of How Plastic Straws Took Over the World | National ….” 9 Jul. 2018, https://www.nationalgeographic.com.au/nature/a-brief-history-of-how-plastic-straws-took-over-the-world.aspx.Accessed 4 Jan. 2019.
7. “Production, use, and fate of all plastics ever made | Science Advances.” 19 Jul. 2017, http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/3/7/e1700782.full. Accessed 4 Jan. 2019.
8. “Are takeaway coffee cups recyclable? – Choice.” https://www.choice.com.au/food-and-drink/drinks/tea-and-coffee/articles/are-takeaway-coffee-cups-recyclable. Accessed 4 Jan. 2019.
9. “Cigarette Butts are Plastic and Compound the Nicotine Health Risk from Smoking, Plastic Pollution Coalition, August 30, 2018” https://www.plasticpollutioncoalition.org/pft/2018/8/6/cigarette-butts-are-plastic-and-compound-the-nicotine-health-risk-from-smoking Accessed 14 May. 2019.
10. “Tobacco and cigarette butt consumption in humans and animals, Professor Thomas E Novotny, April 18, 2011” https://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/content/20/Suppl_1/i17?fbclid=IwAR24BbSUMHEaEYnm9GFn80_pPVE5MHWu7j3LppIJPcnpmcedYRhVBUtmWtc Accessed 14 May. 2019.
11. “Building a Clean Swell, 2018 Report, Ocean Conservancy, 2018” https://oceanconservancy.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Building-A-Clean-Swell.pdf Accessed 14 May. 2019.
12. “Production, use, and fate of all plastics ever made, 19 July, 2017” https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/3/7/e1700782?fbclid=IwAR0xrE6dZKvNCkX4y-gHudIlRs71A8XOnKsqeIlfaEruAya1qOOKOZnkBzQ Accessed 28 May. 2019.
13. https://www.wwf.org.au/get-involved/plastics?fbclid=IwAR0WmQQaUNLx2oAfE26LPS-T9TqtFLvW6u05nVpPtijnAJpw98ODMADfDOI#gs.ehidlx Accessed 28 May. 2019.