Plastic Waste
A new study puts a number on the amount
of plastic the planet has manufactured in the roughly 65 years we've been
cranking it out: 9 billion tons. If you're struggling to
visualize that weight, the BBC helps out: That's as heavy as 25,000 Empire
State Buildings or 1 billion elephants. This study was made by the University
of California.
In 2014, 24% of plastic waste was
incinerated and 18% recycled. But the long view isn't pretty: When looking at
all plastics made through 2015, only 12% had been burned and 9% recycled,
meaning 79% of plastic waste was left sitting in landfills or other locations
(like in our oceans).
The US recycling rate, meanwhile, is
behind that of Europe (30%) and even China (25%). In the case of packaging, the
"end of [plastics'] useful lifetimes" comes in less than a year; for
building and construction, it's decades.
Contamination has reached exaggerated
limits and is growing in a way that does not have a brake. What position do
governments have to take with this? We should be more aware that pollution is a
real problem that needs to be resolved before it is too late.
If we take a look on how many posts we've done about contamination, pollution, and global warming, we can clearly see that is a topic that concernes us. The amount of plastic waste we produce is unbelievable. We HAVE to make a change about this, and switch the way we live our daily routine. Maybe, if we introduce recycling in our day to day basis, the problem we are suffering right now will decline until it disappears.
ReplyDeleteI think most of the people don't really understand all the destruction that pollution brings because many of them don't even know what pollution means so I think the best way to solve this problem is teaching about it and creating environmental awareness in schools.
ReplyDeleteI think the same mane. It would be convenient for schools to teach the environment and how we should take care of it in a much deeper way so that society is educated that we need to help our environment to make our care and the planet.
ReplyDeleteWe need to start thinking about the big problem that cause all this plastic in the enviorment, we are changing the health of animals and humans, we are killing for nothing, this needs to be solved as soon as possible because many espiecies are disappearing. I´m very worried and hopefully many grupos of people are creating some type of progam that helps to solved this
ReplyDeleteWe have to change the way we treat the environment as we have done so much damage in a short time but I think that despite all the damage we have done, it is still not too late to do the right thing. The best we can do now it is to create awareness and hope that people help save the environment.
ReplyDeleteThis is something that we as humans need to change in our habits, we need to start thinking about our planet and the damage we are making. We also need to start teaching others and start educating them, because if we want to change something that is making damage in our planet the first thing we need to start doing is teaching and make others think what could happen in a near future.
ReplyDeleteI think that it is quite impressive that the human has invented so many ways to make life easier but not a way to handle garbage in an effecitve non-polluting way. If i had lives maybe 20 years ago I would've thought that by the year 2017 we would have probably artiffitialy evolved some kind of bacteria to make the process of decompositin faster; But it seems that that won't be happening anytime soon.
ReplyDeleteThese numbers are alarming!! Humans must do something before its too late. We are on time to do the right thing because if we don't, the consecuences will not be only for animals and for the environment, humans will be affected too.
ReplyDeleteLately the subject of pollution has destroyed the world. Has divided countries, caused several deaths and has been destroying villages and we do nothing. The real question is ... when will we realize we have to do something? Or better, when we have something
ReplyDeleteHave you realized it yet, Laurita? Maybe the change can begin with yourself... :o)
DeleteIt is really hard to make concious this problem to every person because it doesent really affects them now and directly. Also it is really hard for a person to recycle if he doesent have the facilities to do so.
ReplyDeleteMesures must be taken to fomment this to happen and people shoul have consecuences that helps this issue to be solved.
This is a huge problem we need to solve right now.
ReplyDeleteWe need to start thinking about our planet and the damage we are making. Today just 9% of waste is recycled, we must do something about it and increased this number. Maybe, like Mane said, teaching in schools about REcycle, REduce and REuse.
That's terrible !, and worst of all, is that most of the companies that are responsible for this, do not care and continue to pollute as if it does not affect anyone, and they become the innocent in front of the news. If we do not start to become aware, the next generations will be covered in garbage.
ReplyDelete