Every year, the world produces 300 million tons of plastic – eight million tons of which goes into our oceans.
More than 40% of our plastic trash falls under the single-use plastic umbrella – that is, plastic designed to be used just once. Sometimes this plastic is used for minutes before being discarded, but it stays in our environment for hundreds of years.
As single-use plastics decompose, they release toxic chemicals that our damage natural habitat and harm marine animals. Of all the plastic created, only 9% of it has been recycled. And by 2050, the UN predicts that there will be more plastic than fish in our oceans.
On June 8 this year, CNN is asking students around the world to celebrate World Oceans Day with a Zero Plastic Lunch – a lunch with no single-use plastic components. The best efforts will feature on CNN’s live blog.