It is almost funny how I have not written about this topic sooner, as it is something that is very close to my heart, and that I have been concerned about for years.
Marine litter is a global problem, so even though (for my Norwegian readers) we live in a country with fairly good recycling methods for plastic, it is something we need to be very considerate about.
To start with the facts;
- Each year 300 million tonnes of plastic is produced
- Of these 300 million tonnes - 8 million ends up in the ocean
- That equals 5 lorry-trucks dumping plastic in the sea, every minute all year around
- If this continues, there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050, according to World Economic Forum
- We also know that 80% of all the plastic that ends up in the ocean originates from land-based sources
So, what can we do about it? :)
Luckily, there are several things we can do to help aid the problem, and specially if you live in a high consumption society, like Norway, your contribution will really make a difference.
First; this is how long plastic products keep on lasting in the sea:
To combat this, here is a handy trick you can remember - Refuse, Reuse, Reduce.
Refuse - plastic that will only be used once, like a plastic straw
Reuse - plastic bottles and fill them with tap water, in stead of buying a new one every time
Reduce - the amount of plastic you consume.
There is an even longer list of 10 good steps you can take if you follow this link.
I will write a new post soon on what happens when the plastic is broken down to micro plastic/micro beads, and also how we can prevent that from spreading as well :)