BRENT: Humans have long been disposing of waste into the ocean, which in turn, negatively affects marine life and the environment as a whole.
The gravity of this problem is all the more highlighted in a new study that reveals the amount of plastic trash that goes into the world’s waters.
For a new study published in the journal Science on Feb. 13, University of Georgia assistant engineering professor Jenna Jambeck and colleagues looked at the densities of coastal population, plastic consumption and waste-handling practices, and were able to calculate that in 2010 countries have disposed of some 8 million tons of plastic in the ocean.
“Think of five bags filled with plastic for every foot of coastline in the world,” Jambeck said at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in California, giving an idea of the amount of plastic being thrown into the ocean per year.
What’s worse is that the amount of plastic that is being thrown into the waters is on track to increase by 10 times in the next decade unless the world could come up with a feasible way to improve the collection and management of garbage.
Many consumer goods notably use plastic products, and the production of plastic has steadily increased since it was placed into widespread use 50 years ago. In 2012, 288 million tons of plastic were produced worldwide.
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