The Plastic Problem

Plastic bottles are one of the worst side-effects of human existence upon this planet.

The Plastic Problem

Firstly, the production of plastic bottles requires the use of petrochemical plants which turn fracked gas into plastic. This process is costly as it uses the limited resource of petroleum, and also damages the environment. Plastic bottles are already a world-wide crisis, and the problem is only expected to get worse with oil corporations planning to increase plastic production by up to 40%. This results in even further emission of toxic air pollutants and additional plastic bottles that end up in our oceans. Another problem lies in the molecular composition of plastic, its incredibly durable nature has prompted researchers to claim that every single piece of plastic ever produced still exists in some form on our planet.

Our Oceans

The situation has gotten so bad that all five of Earth’s oceans are flooded with massive island “patches” of plastic bottle and plastic waste. The largest one of these being the Great Pacific Garbage Patch located north-west of Hawaii. Researchers claim there is not one square mile of ocean anywhere on the planet that does not contain at least one piece of a water bottle. This staggering claim really puts into perspective the negative aspects of plastic bottles, and continues to highlight our important mission at Hi20. Also, fish consume an estimated 18-24 thousand tons of plastic each year. This causes injury, death, or permanent damage. Furthermore, the plastic eventually leeches into the body of the fish, which will eventually be eaten by humans affecting our diet and well being as well. Large endangered marine mammals also eat and most dangerously get cut and tangled up in the plastic waste from bottles, resulting in needless deaths and permanent, irreversible damage to a species.