Plastic predicament
Earth Day is Monday, April 22, and the theme for 2024 is “Planet vs. Plastics.” Plastic has many benefits: It’s cheap, versatile, lightweight and durable. It also can provide environmental benefits: It plays a critical role in maintaining food quality and safety and reducing food waste. But at the same time, plastics are having a negative impact on our oceans and wildlife health.
The first synthetic plastic — Bakelite — was produced in 1907. Rapid growth in global plastic production began in the 1950s. Since then, annual production of plastics increased nearly 200-fold to 381 million tons in 2015.
Share of global mismanaged plastic waste, 2019
In rich countries, nearly all plastic waste is incinerated, recycled or sent to well-managed landfills. It’s not left open in the surrounding environment.
Low- to middle-income countries tend to have poorer waste management infrastructure. Waste can be dumped outside of landfills, and landfills that do exist are often open, leaking waste to the surrounding environment.
Mismanaged waste is material that is at high risk of entering the ocean via wind or tidal transport, or carried to coastlines from inland waterways. Mismanaged waste is the sum of material that is discarded as litter or inadequately disposed. Inadequately disposed and littered waste are different and are defined in the sections below.
When compared by population, India, China, the Philippines, Brazil and Nigeria top the list.
You can learn more at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development here.
You can read more about future scenarios of global plastic waste generation and disposal on Nature.com.
A few ways to reduce plastic use
Switch to shampoo bars.
Switch to a bamboo toothbrush.
Use natural sponges.
Buy detergent in a box.
Use a reusable water bottle.
Buy wine with natural corks.
Use cloth snack bags.
In our oceans
At the global level, best estimates suggest that approximately 80% of ocean plastics come from land-based sources and the remaining 20% from marine sources.
Of the 20% from marine sources, it’s estimated that about half comes from fishing fleets (such as nets, lines and abandoned vessels).
Plastic in the food chain
A sampling of ocean fish found one-third had plastic fragments in their digestive tract.
Plastics pop quiz
What happens to plastic waste when left in the environment?
A) It is a biodegradable material so it eventually disintegrates.
B) It never fully goes away; it just breaks into little pieces.
C) There is no such thing as plastic waste; all plastic is recycled.
Answer: B. This was found to be true by Plastics at SEA (Sea Education Association) in its 2012 North Pacific expedition, a 36-day nautical research journey through the North Pacific down to the Hawaiian islands. The team was studying plastic pollution in the ocean and found that of the 66,077 pieces of plastic collected in samples, 95% were a few millimeters in size.
Why is plastic dangerous for marine life?
A) They mistake if for food and cannot digest it.
B) They can get tangled in it, which hinders their ability to swim.
C) Bacteria on plastic can give coral diseases.
D) All of above
Answer: D. Plastic tends to float, and bobbing on the surface can lead it to be mistaken for other marine life. Plastic bags are often mistaken for jellyfish by leatherback turtles and consumed. Marine life also can get tangled in nets, cords and other plastic debris, which hinders their ability to swim and in some cases can be a severe choking hazard.
How many tons of plastic are dumped in our oceans every year?
A) 1 million
B) 8 million
C) 20 million
D) 50 million
Answer: B. According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, at least 8 million tons of plastic are dumped into oceans each year. That’s the equivalent of dumping one garbage truck full of plastic into the ocean every minute.
How many marine species are harmed by plastic pollution?
A) 52
B) 693
C) 1,326
D) 5,489
Answer: B. A 2015 Plymouth University study compiled reports from around the world and found evidence of 44,000 animals becoming entangled in or swallowing plastic debris, accounting for 693 marine species. At least 17% are listed as threatened or near threatened.
What percentage of its plastic does the U.S. recycle?
A) 9%
B) 35%
C) 50%
D) 75%
Answer: A. As of 2019, about 8.3 billion metric tons of plastic have been produced in the U.S., and of that, less than 9% has been recycled.
What percentage of U.S. crude oil consumption does plastic production account for?
A) 1%
B) 5%
C) 30%
Answer: B. About 5% of total petroleum used in the U.S. goes toward plastic production, approximately equivalent to 330 million barrels of oil a year.
On average, how long is a plastic bag used by a person before being thrown away?
A) 12 minutes
B) 1 hour
C) 1 day
D) 1 week
Answer: A. According to the 5 Gyres Institute, 12 minutes is the average working life of a plastic bag before it is thrown away. Globally, 1 million plastic bags are used per minute and only 1% are recycled. Most make their way to the ocean, where they can take up to 20 years to decompose.
By what year do scientists predict plastic will outweigh fish in the ocean, pound for pound?
A) 2025
B) 2050
C) 2250
D) 3000
Answer: B. A report done by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation found there are more than 150 million tons of plastic in the oceans today. That is about 1 ton of plastic for every 3 tons of fish. Current trends will have plastic outweighing fish in the ocean by 2050.
Sources: Ourworldindata.org, Earthday.org, Science.org, Science Advances Magazine, United Nations, recyclecoach.com, nature.com
