Plastics are the most common  litter item found on Clean Up Australia Day. Plastics persist in the environment for hundreds of years, turning our  streets and waterways into unsightly and unhygienic rubbish dumps and endangering local wildlife.

Plastic in the environment
What are plastics?
Plastics were first invented in 1860, but have only been widely used in the last 30 years.  They are light, durable, mouldable, hygienic and economic, making them suitable for a wide variety of applications including food and product packaging, car manufacturing, agriculture and housing products. Plastics are made up of long chain molecules called polymers.  Polymers are made when naturally occurring substances such as coal, natural gas and oil are transformed into other substances with completely different properties. These polymers can then be made into granules, powders and liquids, becoming the raw materials for plastic products.

Plastic production worldwide now exceeds 80 million tonnes a year, with Australia contributing almost 1.3 million tonnes to that total.

The impact of plastic on the environmental 

Natural resources
Plastics are made from natural resources such as crude oil, natural gas and coal.  Once depleted these resources cannot be replaced. Persistence in the environment Most plastic is not biodegradable and will persist in the environment for hundreds of years. For example, plastic film containers last for 20-30 years while plastic bottles can last indefinitely.

Plastic is also lightweight and moisture resistant which means it can float easily in air and water, often travelling long distances.

Landfill space:
Australians use more than 1.3 million tonnes of plastic every year. At current rates of waste disposal, it is expected that NSW will reach its present landfill capacity by 2010.

Greenhouse gases:

When oil, gas and coal are used in the production process they emit dangerous greenhouse gases. Landfills and plastic incineration also generate toxic emissions such as carbon dioxide and methane. These greenhouse gases contribute to worldwide climate change.

Marine life:
There are about 46,000 pieces of plastic floating in each square mile of our oceans.

Discarded plastic has even been found on uninhabited South Pacific islands.


It is estimated that plastic kills up to 1 million sea birds, 100,000 sea mammals and countless fish each year , with many getting entangled in plastic six-pack rings, plastic strapping and nylon ropes.
 

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