THE PROBLEM WITH PLASTIC AND POLLUTION

The planet is in trouble. After many years of out of control plastic production and consumption it’s now very clear that plastic has become a huge problem in our oceans and waterways. It’s toxic to wildlife, attracts naturally occurring toxins called POPs (persistent organic pollutants) and does not biodegrade, degrading instead into microplastics.

Plastic – whether lost or discarded fishing gear or waste from overconsumption – kills hundreds of thousands of seabirds and sea mammals each year through ingestion, strangulation and entanglement.

The ocean covers around 71% of the earth’s surface, regulates the weather, produces oxygen and absorbs carbon. Via photosynthesis, microscopic plants and animals transfer carbon to the deep ocean so when plastic breaks down into microplastics or enters the oceans as microfibres through the sewerage systems and enters the food chain, it not only bioaccumulates toxins as it goes, but it disturbs the equilibrium of the ocean.

In short, plastic in the ocean is bad news for the environment and for us.

Plastic is just part of the problem we have with waste. It’s costing us millions each year to dispose of and causes millions of tonnes of greenhouse gases to enter the atmosphere each year. From extraction to the end of its use, plastic creates climate change emissions at every stage of its life cycle. Plastic IS climate change.

Every effort you make to cut down on your waste, reduce your reliance on plastic, remove plastic from the marine environment and find reusable alternatives to plastic takes us one step closer to living in a healthy environment.

Read our blog on plastic pollution and climate change