Plastic

Plastic pollution is killing our planet! It’s choking our oceans, poisoning our food and water supply, and wreaking havoc on the health and well-being of humans and wildlife worldwide.

• 8.3 BILLION Tons of plastic has been produced since plastic was introduced in the 1950s. The amount of plastic produced in a year is roughly the same as the entire weight of humanity.
• Virtually every piece of plastic that was ever made still exists in some shape or form (with the exception of the small amount that has been incinerated).
• 91% of plastic waste isn’t recycled. And since most plastics don’t biodegrade in any meaningful sense, all that plastic waste could exist for hundreds or even thousands of years.
• 500 MILLION plastic straws are used EVERY DAY in America. That’s enough to circle the Earth twice.
• Nearly TWO MILLION single-use plastic bags are distributed worldwide every minute.
• 100 BILLION plastic bags are used by Americans every year. Tied together, they would reach around the Earth’s equator 773 times!
• ONE MILLION plastic bottles are bought EVERY MINUTE around the world — and that number will top half a TRILLION by 2021. Less than half of those bottles end up getting recycled.
• 8 MILLION TONS of plastic winds up in our oceans each year. That’s enough trash to cover every foot of coastline around the world with five full trash bags of plastic.
• If plastic production isn’t curbed, plastic pollution will outweigh fish pound for pound by 2050.