Plastic Pollution
Since 1950, 8.3 billion tons of plastic has been produced. Of this, 6.3 billion tons has become waste. Plastic’s incredible durability renders waste disposal reliant on natural degradation (ultraviolet radiation, wind, etc) insufficient. As a result, tons of plastic items with nowhere to go but already inundated landfills enter the environment where the effects can be catastrophically damaging as they break down into harmful microplastics and choke natural flora, fauna, and humans.
Plastic Lifetime
Waste Management
70% of plastic waste becomes municipal solid waste (MSW), ultimately to reside in landfill sites. This non-biodegradable waste, with lifetimes of up to 1000 years, decreases the lifetimes of landfills, decreasing potential revenue and creating a need to sell MSW to other countries. Countries buying US MSW often possess lenient waste management regulations leading to MSW-derived environmental pollution.