It’s bad. That’s the truth, and there’s no way to sugar coat it. Mass production of plastics only began around 60 years ago and in that time, some 8.3 billion tonnes of plastic have been produced. Of that, around 6.3 billion metric tonnes still exist today as plastic waste – and only around 9% has been recycled. That means that around 5 billion tonnes of plastic have made it into landfill or oceans – mostly petro-based, which can take hundreds or even thousands of years to break down. A study published in Nature Communications even suggests that the amount of plastic in the Atlantic Ocean could be 10 times as bad as we originally thought.

If we don’t take steps toward solving this problem, the environmental debt will be carried by our children. The time to change our habits is now, and everyone has a role to play in solving this problem – government, industry, and individual. It will not be easy, but if we all play our part, we can get there together. A complex problem requires a multifaceted solution, and Anchor Earth is committed to providing you with information to help you make better choices for yourself, for your customers, and for all Earthlings.

Author: Saul Freedman