Environmental Impact of Plastic Pollution

Plastic Pollution

• 8 million metric tons of plastic trash enter the sea from land every year, equivalent to five plastic bags filled with trash for every foot of coastline in the world.
• Plastic trash flows into ocean circulation, dispersing everywhere and concentrating in huge swathes in global currents.
• Plastic breaks down into smaller pieces, is ingested by species across the marine world, and sinks to the bottom of the sea.

Solutions to Plastic Pollution

• To solve the plastic packaging problem, we need to rethink the entire system from linear (take, make, dispose) to a circular economy where plastic can be recovered and fed back into the economy as a valuable material.
• The ultimate goal is to design an economy where plastic packaging never becomes waste, requiring every player in the chain to change their ways.

Marine Pollution

• Marine pollution comes in many forms, including industrial, agricultural, and urban waste.
• This waste fuels explosions of algae, robbing marine ecosystems of oxygen and creating dead zones.
• There are already over 400 dead zones across the globe.

Nutrient Pollution

• Nutrient pollution from agriculture can be managed through changes in major contributing systems.
• Soil health is critical for water quality, and improving soil organic matter is key to holding onto nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen.
• Organic matter keeps nutrients from leaching out of the soil, benefiting both farmers and water quality.

Changing Agricultural Practices

• For farmers to change their systems is tricky and requires a lot of work and learning new processes and practices.
• Improving soil health and reducing nutrient pollution require effective and sustained efforts from farmers and consumers alike.

Plastic Pollution

• 8 million metric tons of plastic waste enter the ocean every year, equivalent to 5 plastic bags filled with trash for every foot of coastline globally.
• Plastic trash enters ocean circulation, dispersing globally and concentrating in huge areas in global currents.
• Plastic breaks down into smaller pieces, is ingested by marine species, and sinks to the ocean floor.

Solutions to Plastic Pollution

• A circular economy is needed to recover and reuse plastic, replacing the linear "take, make, dispose" approach.
• The ultimate goal is to design an economy where plastic packaging never becomes waste, requiring changes from all players in the chain.

Marine Pollution

• Marine pollution comes from industrial, agricultural, and urban waste.
• This waste fuels algae growth, depleting marine ecosystems of oxygen and creating dead zones.
• There are over 400 dead zones globally.

Nutrient Pollution

• Nutrient pollution from agriculture can be managed through changes in major contributing systems.
• Soil health is critical for water quality, and improving soil organic matter helps retain nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen.
• Organic matter prevents nutrient leaching from soil, benefiting farmers and water quality.

Changing Agricultural Practices

• Farmers need to change their systems, requiring significant work and learning new processes and practices.
• Improving soil health and reducing nutrient pollution require sustained efforts from farmers and consumers alike.