25/10/2021
20 facts about the dangers of plastic
Plastic begins to decompose only after 450 years, and the process is completed in another 50-80 years. At the current rate of production of plastic products, the Earth will be covered with plastic even before the first plastic items begin to decompose.
From 1976 to 2006, per capita consumption of bottled water in the United States increased from 6 liters to 107 liters.
Plastic bottles account for 40% of all plastic waste.
On average, 90% of the cost of bottled water is the cost of a plastic bottle.
On average, every resident of a developed country buys at least 150 plastic bottles of water a year, regardless of the alternative.
It takes 571 barrels of oil to produce a billion plastic bottles.
It only takes 25 recycled plastic bottles to make a men's jacket.
In Europe, only 2.5% of the total weight of plastic is recycled.
About 150 tons of plastic waste, including packaging, bottles and fishing nets, end up in the ocean every year.
The number of animals dying in the ocean due to plastic waste is estimated at millions per year.
Large garbage patches or islands form in the oceans. Currently, there are five such spots: two in the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean and one in the Indian.
Over 13 billion plastic bottles are produced worldwide every year.
The United States is the most active in plastic recycling. In the past few years, the volume of recycled plastic has tripled, and this figure continues to grow.
The United States recycles 27% of the country's plastic consumption, the highest in the world.
The energy from one recycled plastic bottle is enough for a 60-watt light bulb to shine for 6 hours.
Recycling plastics can save up to 2/3 of the energy required to produce plastics from raw materials.
Four out of five bottles in the US are made of plastic. In other countries, the figure is much higher.
About 90% of consumers reuse plastic bags, mainly as garbage bags.
Storing and shipping water in plastic bottles is the most popular but least energy efficient method in the world.
In a number of states, the use of plastic bottles is prohibited. In particular, these are Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Ireland and China.
