Photograph by Randy Olson, Nat Geo Image Collection, as rapidly increasing production of disposable plastic products overwhelms the world’s ability to deal with them. Plastic pollution is most visible in developing Asian and African nations, where garbage collection systems are often inefficient or nonexistent. But the developed world, especially in countries withPlastics made from fossil fuels are just over a century old.
The conveniences plastics offer, however, led to a throw-away culture that reveals the material’s dark side: today, single-use plastics account for 40 percent of the plastic produced every year. Many of these products, such asand food wrappers, have a lifespan of mere minutes to hours, yet they may persist in the environment for hundreds of years.Production increased exponentially, from 2.3 million tons in 1950 to 448 million tons by 2015. Production is expected to double by 2050.
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, with some estimates ranging to at least 400 years to break down.Most of the plastic trash in the oceans, Earth’s last sink, flows from land. Trash is also carried to sea by, which act 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.
The solution is to prevent plastic waste from entering rivers and seas in the first place, many scientists and conservationists—including the, better product design that takes into account the short life of disposable packaging, and a reduction in manufacturing of unnecessary single-use plastics.How a dramatic win in plastic waste case may curb ocean pollution