20/09/2025
Plastic surrounds us
Plastic has found its way to every corner of the Earth, from the highest altitudes and the poles to the deepest oceans. The global consumption of plastic is still increasing, and even set to accelerate. Half of the plastic that currently exist has been produced since year 2000, and by 2050 this is set to double.
It is estimated that only 9 percent of the plastic that has ever been produced has been recycled and 12 percent has been incinerated. The UN Environment Programme has estimated that between 19 to 23 tonnes of plastic is released into the ocean each year.
Plastic particles
Plastic particles can be found in the digestive tract of seabirds, marine mammals, turtles, fish, and spineless animals. When the plastic enters their intestines and stomach, it can cause a false feeling of being full and block their systems from taking up the nutrition that they need to survive.
Chemicals
When the plastic is small enough, so called nano plastic, scientists believe that the plastic can enter the blood circulation and be stored in bodily tissue of both animals and humans. Several types of chemicals that is added to plastic to make it either hard or soft can also affects both animals and humans' health negatively.
This is why we needed World Cleanup Day to become an official UN-day. We need to be reminded every year that this is a man-made problem, and for man-made problems we need to have man-made solutions. We need platforms where awareness can be raised on these solutions and knowledge shared between countries.
G.R.I.D
Arendal