Plastic Pollution and Waste

Study Notes

The world produces enough plastic each year to build 50 Pyramids of Giza, equivalent to over 350 million tons.
Most plastic ends up in landfills, but around eight million tons flow into oceans annually.

The largest garbage patch in the world, located in the Pacific Ocean, contains approximately 1.8 trillion individual plastic pieces.
The patch weighs around 80,000 tons, equivalent to the weight of three Statues of Liberty.
Half of the patch consists of plastic fishing nets, lines, and ropes, while the other half is made up of hard plastics and films like water bottles and plastic wrap.
The patch covers an area twice the size of Texas, and if one were to walk at 5 km/h, it would take 121 days to cover the entire area.

Plastic fishing lines take around 600 years to break down and eventually become microplastics.
Microplastics can be ingested by sea animals and, ultimately, humans who consume those animals.
Researchers have found ingested microplastics in every species of sea turtle, nearly 60% of whale species, and almost 60% of sea birds.

The amount of plastic in oceans is expected to outweigh all the world's fish by 2050.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch has been growing exponentially for nearly 70 years, and more plastic is pouring into the world's oceans daily.

The world produces approximately 350 million tons of plastic annually, equivalent to building 50 Pyramids of Giza.
Most plastic waste ends up in landfills, but around eight million tons flow into oceans every year.

The largest garbage patch in the world, located in the Pacific Ocean, contains around 1.8 trillion individual plastic pieces.
The patch weighs around 80,000 tons, equivalent to the weight of three Statues of Liberty.
Half of the patch consists of plastic fishing nets, lines, and ropes, while the other half is made up of hard plastics and films like water bottles and plastic wrap.
The patch covers an area twice the size of Texas, and it would take 121 days to cover the entire area at a walking pace of 5 km/h.

Plastic fishing lines take around 600 years to break down and eventually become microplastics.
Microplastics can be ingested by sea animals and, ultimately, humans who consume those animals.
Researchers have found ingested microplastics in every species of sea turtle, nearly 60% of whale species, and almost 60% of sea birds.

The amount of plastic in oceans is expected to outweigh all the world's fish by 2050.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch has been growing exponentially for nearly 70 years, with more plastic pouring into the world's oceans daily.

The world produces approximately 350 million tons of plastic annually, equivalent to building 50 Pyramids of Giza.
Most plastic waste ends up in landfills, but around eight million tons flow into oceans every year.

The largest garbage patch in the world, located in the Pacific Ocean, contains around 1.8 trillion individual plastic pieces.
The patch weighs around 80,000 tons, equivalent to the weight of three Statues of Liberty.
Half of the patch consists of plastic fishing nets, lines, and ropes, while the other half is made up of hard plastics and films like water bottles and plastic wrap.
The patch covers an area twice the size of Texas, and it would take 121 days to cover the entire area at a walking pace of 5 km/h.

Plastic fishing lines take around 600 years to break down and eventually become microplastics.
Microplastics can be ingested by sea animals and, ultimately, humans who consume those animals.
Researchers have found ingested microplastics in every species of sea turtle, nearly 60% of whale species, and almost 60% of sea birds.

The amount of plastic in oceans is expected to outweigh all the world's fish by 2050.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch has been growing exponentially for nearly 70 years, with more plastic pouring into the world's oceans daily.