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Happy #PlasticFreeJuly!
All this month we’ll be sharing different facts to show the scale of the plastic problem.
The UK’s biggest producer of plastic is in Scotland. Ineos in Grangemouth is not only the biggest in the UK, but one of the largest in Europe too.
All this month we’ll be sharing different facts to show the scale of the plastic problem.
The UK’s biggest producer of plastic is in Scotland. Ineos in Grangemouth is not only the biggest in the UK, but one of the largest in Europe too.
#PlasticFreeJuly Fact 3.
Plastic bags are used for an average of three minutes, but will take at least 500 years to break down. #PlasticBagFreeDay
Plastic bags are used for an average of three minutes, but will take at least 500 years to break down. #PlasticBagFreeDay
#PlasticFreeJuly Fact 4.
If we don't take action there will be more plastic in the sea than fish by 2050.
If we don't take action there will be more plastic in the sea than fish by 2050.
#PlasticFreeJuly Fact 6.
Around 3.5 billion toothbrushes are sold worldwide each year. Most of these will end up in landfills or polluting our environment.
Around 3.5 billion toothbrushes are sold worldwide each year. Most of these will end up in landfills or polluting our environment.
#PlasticFreeJuly Fact 7.
Over 90% of seabirds have swallowed plastics. That figure doesn't include all the birds which become entangled and injured by the plastic waste dumped in our oceans and on our beaches.
Over 90% of seabirds have swallowed plastics. That figure doesn't include all the birds which become entangled and injured by the plastic waste dumped in our oceans and on our beaches.
#PlasticFreeJuly Fact 8.
Plastic can be found everywhere. It has now been recorded in the deepest parts of the ocean and even falling out of the sky in the Arctic snow. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-49295051
Plastic can be found everywhere. It has now been recorded in the deepest parts of the ocean and even falling out of the sky in the Arctic snow. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-49295051
#PlasticFreeJuly Fact 9.
Humans have produced a staggering 8.3 billion metric tons of plastics since 1950!
Humans have produced a staggering 8.3 billion metric tons of plastics since 1950!
#PlasticFreeJuly Fact 10.
On average, people are thought to be ingesting around 5g of plastic each week. That's the equivalent weight of a credit card! https://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2019/06/11/average-person-swallows-plastic-equivalent-credit-card-every/
On average, people are thought to be ingesting around 5g of plastic each week. That's the equivalent weight of a credit card! https://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2019/06/11/average-person-swallows-plastic-equivalent-credit-card-every/
#PlasticFreeJuly Fact 12.
Scotland was the first country in the UK to ban plastic-stemmed cotton buds.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-50016878
Scotland was the first country in the UK to ban plastic-stemmed cotton buds.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-50016878
#PlasticFreeJuly Fact 13.
More than half a million tonnes of fishing gear is estimated to be lost or abandoned every year in the world's seas and oceans. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-50510666
More than half a million tonnes of fishing gear is estimated to be lost or abandoned every year in the world's seas and oceans. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-50510666
#PlasticFreeJuly Fact 15.
More than 200,000 tonnes of tiny plastic particles are blown from roads into the oceans every year! https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jul/14/car-tyres-are-major-source-of-ocean-microplastics-study
More than 200,000 tonnes of tiny plastic particles are blown from roads into the oceans every year! https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jul/14/car-tyres-are-major-source-of-ocean-microplastics-study
#PlasticFreeJuly Fact 16.
The plastic industry has produced 9 billion tonnes of plastic waste since 1950.
The plastic industry has produced 9 billion tonnes of plastic waste since 1950.
#PlasticFreeJuly Fact 17.
By 2050, virtually every seabird species on the planet will be eating plastic
By 2050, virtually every seabird species on the planet will be eating plastic
#PlasticFreeJuly Fact 18.
Around one million plastic beverage bottles are purchased every minute around the world!
Around one million plastic beverage bottles are purchased every minute around the world!
#PlasticFreeJuly Fact 20.
Most UK sharks have consumed plastics
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jul/22/most-uk-sharks-have-consumed-plastics-study-finds
Most UK sharks have consumed plastics
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jul/22/most-uk-sharks-have-consumed-plastics-study-finds
