Plastic pollution is becoming a major threat in the world. The ‘Break Free from Plastic’ movement, which works on this pollution globally, has released a report. It has been said that 2 companies making cold drinks are most responsible for generating plastic waste in the world.
The whole world is troubled by pollution. A lot of efforts are being made at the world level to reduce pollution, but still no solution is coming out. Plastic is a big factor of pollution. Do you know, the companies manufacturing cold drinks are the most responsible for spreading plastic pollution globally. These companies are Coca-Cola and PepsiCo. Both companies have been ranked as the world’s leading plastic polluters for the fourth year in a row. This ranking has been released by ‘Break Free from Plastic’.
Organization works against plastic pollution
‘Break Free from Plastic’ works as a movement for the reduction of single use plastic globally and for a permanent solution to this pollution crisis. As per the rankings, Unilever, Nestle, Procter & Gamble, Mondelez International, Philip Morris International, Danone, Mars and Colgate-Palmolive are some of the other brands, which are among the top polluters of 2021.
Plastic waste increased 30 times in half a century
The report said that global plastic production increased from 20 million metric tons in 1966 to 381 million metric tons (MMT) in 2015, a 20-fold increase in half a century. Joan Green, senior policy advisor at Tearfund, says companies have focused on recycling and pilot projects, but that’s not good enough. Companies need to work on this to reduce their dependence on single-use packaging. He said that we are asking companies to collect the items sold by them. Coca-Cola is already working on this globally, but we want to see them do it in every country.
93 percent garbage is thrown in the open
According to the World Bank, in low-income countries, about 93 percent of garbage is burned or dumped on roads, open spaces or waterways, which clogs drains and causes flooding. It also helps in the spread of waterborne diseases. The report said that initially the focus on ocean waste was only on ships and sea-based ventures, but now it has been learned that plastic waste spread on land can reach the sea through rivers and streams.
Marine species also threatened
Research has shown that about a thousand species living in the ocean are affected by plastic, which again becomes a threat to humans through food items. The report says that around 8 MMT of plastic waste is generated in the world every year, which is equivalent to dumping a truck of plastic waste into the sea every minute. If this situation continues, the amount of plastic released into the ocean could reach 53 MMT every year by 2030, which is about half the total weight of fish caught annually. One of the reasons for this is that plastic is being collected on a large scale in the municipal waste. Due to this, recycling standards have not been made especially since the 1980s, as a result of which plastic waste is being filled in large quantities at the landfill site.
Developed countries have to take action
The report has suggested several avenues to overcome this crisis. One of these is to reduce the production of raw plastic, but for this a policy will have to be made at the national level. Actions can be taken by the governments of developed countries in other recommendations. For example, instead of dumping domestic waste, a fixed place should be made for it. Improving waste capture technology will stop plastic from entering waterways, preventing large amounts of waste from going directly into the ocean. Judith Enck, president of the NGO Beyond Plastics, said that this is the most comprehensive and harmful report on plastic pollution ever published. This is an indication of the danger to plastics in the ocean as to how cleaning up litter is not going to save the ocean. It is important that policy makers and business leaders read this report and take action. Christy Levitt, director of Oceana’s plastic campaign, said that America’s role in the plastic pollution crisis cannot be ignored any longer. Plastic pollution is one of the biggest environmental threats facing our oceans and our world today.
