Too Much Plastic
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Since 1950, it is estimated that 9 billion tons of plastic has been produced.
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Only 9 to 12 percent has been recycled.
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Americans throw away 100 billion plastic grocery bags EVERY YEAR! A plastic bag takes up to 1,000 years to break up.
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Americans use 500 million plastic drinking straws EVERY DAY!
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The majority of plastic waste ends up in oceans at the rate of 9 million tons every year.
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Plastic bags tend to float on the surface and can be mistaken for jellyfish which is a food staple for turtles and other marine life.
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Larger pieces of plastic also floats on the surface and can be mistaken as food.
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Plastic does NOT biodegrade - it never goes away! It only breaks up into microplastics.
What Are Microplastics?
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By 2050 scientists predict plastic will outweigh fish in the ocean pound for pound.
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Sarasota lacks the facilities to recycle polystyrene and has no commercial composting facility nearby.
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Medical studies are indicating serious health risks associated with plastics and polystyrene exposure. Refer to Tab; “Avoid Plastic and Polystyrene for your health”
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While recycling plastic waste items is a better option than sending them to the landfill, the best option is NOT to generate them at all!