Illustration of the sea filled with plastic (Photo by BBC BLUE PLANET)
Source: Detikcom Date: 3 July 2020
Plastic packaging waste has always been a global issue. The DKI Jakarta Provincial Government has banned the use of disposable plastic bags starting from July 1, for the sake of a better environment.
Why for a better environment? Because in fact, Indonesia is the second-largest producer of plastic waste in the world after China.
To love the environment more, here are five facts of plastic packaging that you need to know before using it:
1. China is the world’s largest producer of plastic waste
Data from the Earth Policy Institute explains that the use of plastic packaging increased in 2015 and has exceeded 1 trillion worldwide. China is the largest users in the world.
Imagine, the country of 1.3 billion people uses 3 billion plastic packages every day. While Indonesia produces around 187.2 million tons per day.
2. One Indonesian uses 700 plastic packages per year
This fact was validated by Greeneration, a non-governmental organization that made it a journal in 2015. One Indonesian discards 700 plastic packages annually.
Also, the top 3, namely, China-Indonesia-Philippines, are considered to have similarities as they are both densely populated in urban areas and bordered directly by the sea.
3. There are 2 million plastic bags used every minute
The whole world uses plastic packaging in everyday life. According to the Earth Policy Institute, there are 2 million plastic packages that are used every minute throughout the world.
4. Only one in 200 plastic packages can be decomposed
Plastic packaging uses polyethylene or polymer as the main ingredient. This makes plastic waste very difficult to decompose.
For one plastic bag, it takes a minimum of 10-20 years to decompose. While plastic bottles need a longer duration of 450-500 years.
5. In 2050 the sea is filled with plastic, not fish
Beautiful seas are now starting to be polluted by the presence of plastic waste. How about the future?
A study predicts that there will be more plastic than fish in the sea by 2050. This study mirrors the data on waste production in 2016 which reached 311 million tons. This number will be expected to double in 20 years and quadruple in 2050 if not properly controlled.
As we know, there are so many marine tourism objects that were beautiful but then damaged because of garbage. Even plastic waste already exists in the deepest trenches of Mariana.
Source link: https://travel.detik.com/travel-news/d-5078082/5-fakta-kemasan-plastik-yang-harus-kamu-tahu
