The last estimate was in 1975, when a National Academy of Sciences study hazarded a guess that about 0.1% of global plastic production sweeps out to sea annually. Australia alone uses 6.9 billion plastic bags a year of which 3.6 billion are plastic shopping bags. They include straws, light-weight plastic bags, some food packaging, disposable utensils and beverage containers. Plastic is cheap, lightweight, strong and malleable. Single-use plastic packaging for food and drink is a particularly common part of the problem. How does it get there? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368 . But sweet wrappers can't, along with film lids, bread bags, bubble wrap, and plastic toys. Experts are now even warning plastic waste is now finding its way into the human food chain. Although it doesn't decompose into natural substances like soil, it will break down into tiny particles that make their way into the food and water supply. Between 4.8 and 12.7 million tonnes of plastic enter the ocean each year, according to figures published in the journal Science in 2015. Six decades after its commercialization, the plastic is wreaking environmental havoc across the globe by clogging drainage systems, choking rivers and accumulating in the ocean. There are three main ways the plastic we use every day … The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. And it's estimated about 130,000 tonnes of Australian plastic ends up in waterways and oceans each year. The scientists figured roughly 15% to 40% of that littered or dumped plastic enters the ocean each year. Nearly all solid clear plastic can be recycled, while some dark plastics can also be with the right technology. Once in the ocean, plastic decomposes very slowly, breaking down in to tiny pieces known as micro plastics that can be incredibly damaging to sea life. Just 44.9 per cent of 2.26million tonnes of plastic waste was recycled in 2016 – almost half the rate for paper and cardboard. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. Worryingly, fish-eating Brits risk consuming up to 11,000 tiny fragments every year according to a recent Belgian study. Up to 80 percent of ocean plastic pollution enters the ocean … "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. With production increasing, that’s set to rise. Scientists have shown that up to 12 million tonnes of plastic is entering our oceans every year – that’s a rubbish truck full every minute. Big ocean feeders like whales scoop up plastic along with the plankton that they eat. We are producing over 300 million tons of plastic every year, 50% of which is for single-use purposes – utilized for just a few moments, but on the planet for at least several hundred years. about 4 million to 12 million metric tons of plastic washed offshore in 2010 alone, scientists still don’t know where more than 99% of ocean plastic debris, Atom smasher unearths surprises hidden with 2000-year-old mummy, Magnetic spray transforms inanimate objects into minirobots, Fires can kindle biodiversity, sparking new approaches to conservation, Amid the cheering, some vaccines face questions, New challenges emerge for planned human challenge trials, Federal hospital data system falters at tracking pandemic, Scientists fear no-deal Brexit as deadline looms, American Association for the Advancement of Science. Single-use plastics don't break down naturally and are found in items that are only used once before they are thrown away or recycled. © 2020 American Association for the Advancement of Science. According to Waste Management, only 1 percent of plastic bags are returned for recycling. But how much of it is actually in the sea, and what can be recycled? Where is it coming from? These plastics come in many different forms. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. Some escapes from landfill sites, blows into a river and ends up in the sea, while other sources are dumped by careless holidaymakers on the beach. Every year, 8 million metric tons of plastics enter our ocean on top of the estimated 150 million metric tons that currently circulate our marine environments. 80% of plastic in our oceans is from land sources – but what does that really mean? 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