Human have produced 8.3 billion tons of plastic. By 2050, there will be about 12 billion tons of plastic waste in the world.
According to a study in the Journal Progress in Science, since the early 1950s, 8.3 billion tons of plastics have been produced by humans, most of which have become waste, which can not be ignored because they are placed in landfills or scattered in the natural environment.
The team, led by researchers from the University of Georgia, the University of California, Santa Barbara and the Marine Education Association, first analyzed the production, use and ultimate fate of all plastic products worldwide. The researchers collected statistical data on the production of various industrial resins, fibers and additives, and integrated the data according to the type and use of products.
Millions of tons of plastic enter the oceans every year, polluting the seas, littering beaches and endangering wildlife. Plastic particles have been found in soils, in the atmosphere and even in the most remote regions of Earth, such as Antarctica. Microplastics are also eaten by fish and other sea creatures, where they enter the food chain.
Data show that global plastic production was 2 million tons in 1950 and increased to 400 million tons in 2015, which exceeded any man-made material except cement and steel.
Only 9% of the waste plastic products are recycled, another 12% are incinerated, and the remaining 79% are buried deep in landfills or accumulated in the natural environment. The pace of plastic production shows no signs of slowing down. According to current trends, there will be about 12 billion tons of plastic waste in the world by 2050.
The team found that there is no silver bullet solution to reducing global plastic pollution.Instead, change is needed across the whole supply chain, they said, from the manufacturing of plastics, to pre-consumption (known as upstream) and after use (recycling and reusing) to stop the spread of plastic pollution into the environment.
Post time: Nov-24-2022