Plastic Pollution: what we can do about it
Posted on October 16, 2024
Over 3 million tonnes of plastic are thrown away yearly, of which only 9 percent are recycled, while the rest ends up in landfills, waste-to-energy facilities, or the environment. This is why we must be mindful and raise awareness to avoid the usage of single-use plastics to take a step towards saving our Earth.
Plastic Facts
Plastic isn’t a material that decomposes easily and is hard to break down. For example, water bottles are estimated to take about 450 years to decompose. With that information, imagine how much plastic we’ve accumulated from fast foods alone, being used once and thrown away moments after. Here are some plastic facts that can make people more mindful of their plastic use.
Every minute of every day a truckload of plastic is dumped into the ocean.
73% of beach litter worldwide is plastic.
One million plastic bottles are bought every minute.
There could be more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050.
The average person eats 70,000 microplastics each year.
The average time a plastic is used is just 12 minutes.
Over the past 50 years, world plastic production has doubled.
Plastic Free Organizations
Plastic Free-YYC is an organization that is made up of plastic-free and zero-waste experts who are eager to educate Calgarians about the overall impact of plastic on our planet. Some of their initiatives are to ban plastic bags and encourage bars and restaurants to go straw-free! Check them out to show support if you are passionate about making an impact!
End Plastic Pollution is a campaign that focuses on systematic problems of plastic use. They inform policymakers to contribute discussions to the international discussion on plastic pollution. Their site includes different fact sheets relating to plastic use and its damages. They also have different links for people to have easier access to take action. They have backed up research on how plastic has created a health crisis across the globe.
Small habits that can make an impact
There are small changes in our everyday lives that we can change that can make an environmental impact. Here is a list of a few things that you can pick and choose that seems doable for you.
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Carry reusable shopping bags, utensils and straws
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Use your own water bottle
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Avoid single-use plastics
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Choose products without a plastic container
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Switch to bar soap
Those little efforts can make a collective impact and will ripple into a positive effect on the environment. Let’s do the best we can to help save our planet Earth!
Arianne Somosa
Communications Team Volunteer
Green Calgary
