Research conducted within the scope of pollution has revealed that 91% of plastics, which are produced for the consumer, are not recycled. Scientists, who deal with the pollution issue caused by plastics, were frankly horrified. This finding also gives rise to the question of where these used plastics are disappearing to. Caroline Power brought visual proof in the form of shocking pictures, which show the Caribbean full of plastic waste.
The problem with plastic needs to be resolved immediately
Jenna Jambeck, a University of Georgia environmental engineer, who specializes in studying plastic waste that is found in oceans, says:
“We all knew there was a rapid and extreme increase in plastic production from 1950 until now, but actually quantifying the cumulative number for all plastic ever made was quite shocking.”
In addition, she urges all consumers to immediately start solving this problem. Everyone should take personal responsibility for this global problem. Every one of us should start thinking about the way we live our daily lives and the possibility to decrease the number of plastics that we use every day. The most common, every day plastic necessities include plastic bags, food packages or plastic bottles.
Jambeck has also urged everyone to conduct a simple experiment – have everyone separate and store all plastic waste that they consume in one week. This is the only way to see the quantity of single-use plastic packages that we use on a regular basis and the amount of useless plastic waste that we produce.
Plastics are also released from clothes
Recently, the University of Florida has conducted a study, which showed that plastics are for example, also released from clothes. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) funded a two-year study, which focused on indentifying sources that cause micro-plastics accumulating in the Gulf of Mexico. This study revealed that over 80% of micro-plastics that are found in oceans are really micro-fibres that are released from synthetic clothes.
Whenever you wash clothes made from synthetic material, micro-fibres, which are microscopic plastic fibres, are released into natural water sources. Further research has proven that micro-fibres are responsible for 85% of global coastal pollution.
So, if we think about it, plastic pollution not only deals with plastic packages but also about synthetic clothes, which greatly contributes to environmental pollution. If we want to prevent the release of micro-fibres into the water, it is necessary to wear clothes made of natural material, such as wool, cotton, hemp or bamboo.
Images: Caroline Power, facebook.com/caroline.power3/posts/10155101848243861
Source: themindunleashed.com/2017/10/shocking-sea-of-plastic-and-styrofoam-captured-in-pictures-from-caribbean.html
