Gameplan: It’s time to beat plastic pollution
Plastic – not so fantastic
- Since the 1950s, 9.2 billion tonnes of plastic have been produced, of which 7 billion tonnes have become waste, filling up landfills and polluting lakes, rivers, the soil and the ocean/ Plastic’s durability means it can take thousands or even tens of thousands of years to degrade.
- We now produce and consume 430 million tonnes of plastic each year, two thirds of which are short-lived products which soon become waste.
- Without urgent action that figure will rise three-fold by 2060, with devastating impacts for ecosystems and human health. It is therefore time to eliminate unnecessary plastic, redesign products so they can be reused, repurposed, repaired and recycled, switch to non-plastic substitutes and strengthen systems for sound waste management.
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