Impact: The Plastic Crisis
How it All Started:
We support a local NGO called Oceana and will be donating $1 from every order to their #EndthePlasticDisaster campaign. They work exclusively on protecting and restoring the oceans on a global scale by conducting science-based policy campaigns, such as ending the shark fine trade, rebuilding depleted fish populations and protecting marine habitat. To date they protected 4 million square miles of ocean!
22 million kilograms of plastic enters the ocean every day, the rough equivalent of dumping a garbage truck full of plastic into the oceans every minute. This is devastating our planet. Whales, dolphins, sea turtles and other marine life are dying. The health of the ocean is in peril. Though Canada committed to banning single-use plastics as early as 2021, action has not been taken.
Proposed legislation in California would commit to 75% reduction in plastic waste by 2030, and phase out most single-use packaging.
“Currently, less than 10% of the plastic sold in the US each year is recycled. Much of it ends up in landfills, some of it is burned, and millions of tons of plastic ends up in the ocean. A recent Guardian investigation revealed that cities around the country are no longer recycling many types of plastic dropped into recycling bins, partly because of China’s ban on importing plastic waste from the US.”
– The Guardian
To make matters worse, the volume of plastic waste is expected to increase four times by 2050. North America is part of the problem but can also be part of the solution. North Americans want a future with plastic-free choices.