More than 8.3 billion tons of plastics made

Another article on plastic that needs to be shared around the world. Stop using plastic, people!

This article is from Science Daily:

More than 8. 3 billion tons of plastics made: Most has now been discarded

Humans have created 8.3 billion metric tons of plastics since large-scale production of the synthetic materials began in the early 1950s, and most of it now resides in landfills or the natural environment, according to a study published in the journal Science Advances.

Led by a team of scientists from the University of Georgia, the University of California, Santa Barbara and Sea Education Association, the study is the first global analysis of the production, use and fate of all plastics ever made.

The researchers found that by 2015, humans had generated 8.3 billion metric tons of plastics, 6.3 billion tons of which had already become waste. Of that waste total, only 9 percent was recycled, 12 percent was incinerated and 79 percent accumulated in landfills or the natural environment.
If current trends continue, roughly 12 billion metric tons of plastic waste will be in landfills or the natural environment by 2050. Twelve billion metric tons is about 35,000 times as heavy as the Empire State Building.

"Most plastics don't biodegrade in any meaningful sense, so the plastic waste humans have generated could be with us for hundreds or even thousands of years," said Jenna Jambeck, study co-author and associate professor of engineering at UGA. "Our estimates underscore the need to think critically about the materials we use and our waste management practices."

The scientists compiled production statistics for resins, fibers and additives from a variety of industry sources and synthesized them according to type and consuming sector.

Global production of plastics increased from 2 million metric tons in 1950 to over 400 million metric tons in 2015, according to the study, outgrowing most other human-made materials. Notable exceptions are materials that are used extensively in the construction sector, such as steel and cement.
But while steel and cement are used primarily for construction, plastics' largest market is packaging, and most of those products are used once and discarded.

"Roughly half of all the steel we make goes into construction, so it will have decades of use -- plastic is the opposite," said Roland Geyer, lead author of the paper and associate professor in UCSB's Bren School of Environmental Science and Management. "Half of all plastics become waste after four or fewer years of use."

And the pace of plastic production shows no signs of slowing. Of the total amount of plastics produced from 1950 to 2015, roughly half was produced in just the last 13 years.


Read the full article here: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/07/170719140939.htm

'Ditch plastic straws'

Here's a great article on reducing plastic waste:

'Ditch plastic straws' – experts and campaigners on how to cut plastic waste 

Lily Cole helps launch charity T-shirts made using recycled plastic to

draw attention to the 15m plastic water bottles used each day in the UK.

Photograph: Dave M. Benett

Marks & Spencer has redesigned and repackaged more than 140 best-selling products to cut plastic use, saving 75 tonnes of packaging a year in the process.

But are retailers and manufacturers doing enough? What more could and should they be doing? We asked a range of packaging experts and campaigners. Here’s what they said.


 

Lily Cole: ‘Ditch single-use plastic water bottles’

Companies should be proactively designing solutions to reduce plastic waste. Single-use plastic water bottles are perhaps the most damning culprit when there are so many alternatives readily available. I recently supported Brita’s #SwapForGood campaign, committing to avoiding single-use plastic water bottles and carrying around a reusable bottle instead.

Read the full article here:  https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2017/jul/30/retailers-manufacturers-reduce-plastic-use-waste-lily-cole-ellen-macarthur

An Iceberg has broken off Antarctica ice shelf

If you haven't heard the news yet, here it is. Read it and weep. Weep for the Earth, that is.

Here's the gist of the article by USA Today:

What happens now that the iceberg has broken off Antarctica ice shelf?

A giant iceberg nearly the size of Delaware has broken off an Antarctic ice shelf.
Scientists have closely watched the growing crack in the ice shelf over the past few months.
Swansea University professor Adrian Luckman, a scientist with Project MIDAS, answered many of the burning questions about the newly created iceberg.

How is the iceberg tracked?

It is being tracked by many types of satellite data. As for actual photos taken by scientists aboard a survey plane, that won't occur until October, when the Antarctic spring is underway.


Read the full article here: https://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2017/02/02/antarctica-ice-shelf-q-and-a/97406348/