Plastic pollution is a critical global issue, with current projections indicating that by mid-century, plastic in the oceans could outweigh fish. This reality is compounded by the fact that all plastic ever made still exists in some form, contaminating ecosystems and even human bodies through microplastics. The UK's Everyday Plastic initiative revealed staggering amounts of plastic waste, with individuals encouraged to reflect on and reduce their single-use plastic consumption. The author's journey to eliminate such plastics for a month serves as a personal exploration of the challenges surrounding this pervasive problem.
The scale of plastic pollution is so terrifying, I mostly try to avoid thinking about it, but some facts stop me in my tracks.
If production continues at its current rate, by the middle of this century there will be more plastic in the sea than fish.
In its 2024 Big Plastic Count, Everyday Plastic got almost 225,000 people to count their plastic waste for a week; the final tally was over 4.6m pieces.
Going through my house and tallying all the single-use plastics I consume was an eye-opening experience, revealing my privilege and the misconceptions I held.
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