11 Intriguing facts about plastic pollution you may know

KARACHI: Plastic pollution is the collection of plastic objects and particles (e.g. plastic bottles, and bags) in the Earth’s environment that negatively affects wildlife, wildlife habitat, and humans.

Plastic takes a long time to decompose and can filter toxic chemicals in our soil and water, which can have an impact on human health.

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According to a study, about 8 million tonnes of plastics are deliberately dumped into the oceans globally.

Here are some eleven interesting facts about plastic you should know:

1. 160,000 plastic bags are used globally every second.

2. Since 1950, around 8.3 billion tons of plastic have been produced worldwide.

3. A single plastic cup takes around 50 to 80 years to decompose.

4. Enough plastic is thrown away each year to circle the earth four times.

5. The packaging is the largest end-use market segment accounting for just over 40 percent of total plastic usage.

6. 73 percent of beach litter worldwide is plastic.

7. A million plastic bottles are bought around the world every minute.

8. Only 1 to 3 percent of plastic bags are recycled worldwide.

9. Plastic is killing more than 1.1 million seabirds and animals every year.

10. The average person eats 70,000 microplastics each year.

11. Our bodies can absorb plastic chemicals.

Plastic is not an inherently good object, as it is composed of major toxic pollutants that have the potential to cause great harm to the environment in the form of air, water, and land pollution.

In addition, it has started to impact the natural ecosystem negatively while creating problems for wildlife and the human population such as the killing of plant life and posing hazards to animals.

There are some ways to prevent plastic pollution:

Stop using plastic bottles.

Use a reusable produce bag.

Purchase food in a reusable bag or container.

Reuse containers for storing leftovers or shopping in bulk.

Use matches instead of disposable plastic lighters.

Avoid buying frozen foods because their packaging is mostly plastic.

Environmental pollution has become a vile threat to humans and wildlife globally.

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Pakistan is fighting a rising tide of plastic waste, including an estimated 55 billion plastic bags each year.