The UN Environment Program estimates the plastic debris causes the deaths of 1,000,000 seabirds and 100,000 mammals every year. The entire ocean contains an average of 46,000 pieces of floating plastic per square mile.
While it’s long been known that our oceans and their natural habitats are severely affected by plastics, truly feasible and cost-competitive alternatives to oil-based plastics have only surfaced in the last 5 years. Technology has allowed us to develop biodegradable materials that aim to eliminate the negative and disruptive effects of plastics in everyday life.
An article focusing on Australian impacts can be found here.
Tags: Bioplastics, Disposal, Innovation, Oil Dependence, Resources, Waste