The Issue
So... What's the Problem with Plastic?
By A. Vernon
Plastic Fast Facts
1. A paper published in 2015 estimated that there are 15 to 51 trillion floating particles of microplastic (plastic particles smaller than 200 mm) in the ocean.
2. A 2015 study showed that 8 wastewater treatment plants in San Francisco released an average of 490,000 particles of microplastic per day into the Bay.
3. In a study conducted from 2007 to 2011 on Northern Fulmars in the North Sea, 95% of the birds contained an average of .38 grams of plastic ("The Problem With Marine Debris", 2016).
4. Approximately 8 million metric tons of plastic waste are put into the ocean every year, and this number is predicted to increase.
5. Every year, China releases as much as 3.5 million metric tons of plastic, and the U.S. releases as much as 110,000 metric tons into the ocean each year (Schwartz, 2015).
6. Plastic degrades in 500-1,000 years.
7. Forty percent of the earth's surface is made up of plastic gyres.
8. Many animal species are affected by plastic pollution. About 44 % of seabird species, 22 % of cetaceans, all sea turtle species, and many fish species have been found with plastic on or in them.
9. There is enough plastic discarded every year to circle around the earth four times.
10. One hundred thousand marine mammals are killed each year from plastic in the ocean, as are one million sea birds (Hasselberger, 2014).
Trivia Question: who is affected by plastic in the ocean?
Answer: All organisms on Earth!
Quiz Question: Who does plastic oceans affect?