As Dustin Hoffman was told in "The Graduate", the future is plastics. Well maybe not. Plastics are a disaster for the environment. as can be seen by many recent stories. One example is Henderson Island in the Pacific. It has become an island of plastic. I am sure there are probably many more like it. We know about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch where the plastic is being accumulated by the oceanic gyres. This is also probably occurring in the other oceans. We must stop doing this to the environment.
A recent study points out some alarming facts.
- 8.3 billion metric tons of plastic have been produced since the 1950s--half of it made since 2004
- 12 billion metric tons will accumulate in landfills or in the environment by 2050.
- five million to 13 million metric tons of plastic enter the ocean each year.
- about 6.3 billion metric tons of plastic have been thrown away since 1950.
- About 12 percent of that has been incinerated, which is the only way to permanently dispose of plastic;
- 9 percent has been recycled, which only delays final disposal;
- 60 percent — about 4.9 billion metric tons — is in landfills or scattered in the environment.
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