03/09/2024
Sips & Bites take it seriously when it comes to the environment 🍃
That is why, we decided to share with you all some facts about plastic pollution! ⚠️
Hopefully, these facts could give everyone some bits and pieces of knowledge about the danger of using plastic 😍
🏝 Plastic Waste in Oceans
✨️ Production increased from 2.3 million tons in 1950 to 448 million tons by 2015. Production is expected to double by 2050.
✨️ Over 8 million tons of plastic waste enter the oceans every year. This is the same as throwing the trash from a garbage truck into the sea full of plastics.
🏖 Impacts on Marine Life
✨️ Millions of animals are killed by plastics every year, from birds to fish and to other marine organisms.
✨️ Most of the deaths to animals are caused by entanglement or starvation. Seals, whales, turtles and other animals are strangled by abandoned fishing gear or discarded six-pack rings.
✨️ Microplastics have been found in more than 100 aquatic species, such as fish, shrimp and mussels that are destined for our dinner plates. This has been caused by the blocked digestive tracts or pierced organs which lead to the death of these marine life.
🔖 Microplastics
✨️ These microplastics are similar to the normal plastics but the particles are smaller than 5 millimetres.
✨️ These microplastics are spread throughout the water column and have been found in every corner of the world, from Mount Everest, the highest mountain to the Mariana Trench, the deepest trough.
✨️ Microplastics are breaking down further into smaller and smaller pieces.
♻️ Plastic Waste Management
✨️ The global recycling rate for plastic is around 9%. Many plastics are not recyclable due to their composition or contamination.
✨️ Many regions have struggled with plastic waste management due to inadequate infrastructure, high costs, and lack of efficient recycling technologies.
🌏 How Plastics Move Around the Globe
✨️ Most of the plastic trash in the sea flows from the land. The plastics are also carried to sea by major rivers, such as conveyor belts, picking up more and more trash as they move downstream.
✨️ Once at sea, much of the plastic trash remains in coastal waters, but once caught up in ocean currents, it can be transported around the globe.
We hope you can take notes and take action on taking care of our environment better after learning a few things from us 😉
Let’s try better for the sake of our health and the world by preventing pollution! 🍃