More and more consumers and citizens are joining the green conscience and even though some (like our Twitter user Donald Trump) insist that there is no problem with the environment, we are at the door of a catastrophe and we are each responsible.
Since mass production of plastics began, in the 1950s, humans have generated 8.3 billion metric tons of non-degradable plastic waste. Of that huge amount, only 9% is recycled. The majority end up without treatment in sanitary fillings or in the environment. According to a new study on the production of that synthetic material, its use and final destination, if we continue at that rate, By 2050 there will be more than 12 billion tons of plastic waste.
Most plastics are not biodegradable, so the plastic waste we are generating will accompany us for centuries and even millennia.
An example of our planet’s tragic situation was shown a few days ago on La Sexta. Journalist Jalis de la Serna traveled to Thilafushi, the Maldives’ landfill island, to learn how they collect the tons of plastic they receive. He describes their experience: “It was one of the most uncomfortable moments we have ever had to endure.”
To improve our planet and ensure a better world for our children, big companies have a mission and more and more are joining green initiatives. Demanding manufacturers cardboard boxes and recyclable materials Instead of plastics, it has become more and more normal for companies that want to follow this initiative. A packaging that identifies the brand doesn't have to be an important footprint on the planet.
“There are areas where plastic is indispensable, especially in products made to last,” says SEA researcher and co-author of a University of Georgia study, Kara Lavender. “But I think we need to reflect on our extensive use of plastics and ask ourselves when using these materials does or does not make sense,” she adds. The researchers behind the study project that by 2050 humans will have produced more than 34,000 tonnes of plastic, and at least a third will end up in landfill or the sea.
