By 2050, There Could be more Plastic than Fish in our Oceans
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last 30 years, you know our oceans are in trouble. Everywhere from Canada to Australia, we are seeing changes in our environment related to ocean pollution. Canada’s endangered species living on its coasts are facing extinction, noise created from ships are impacting the killer whale population in fatal ways, and, above all else, plastic’s becoming ever-more present in small lakes and oceans across the world.
It’s been widely publicized that by 2050, we expect to see more plastic than fish in our oceans. Conservation research today shows us this is a growing problem with no definitive solution in sight. Unfortunately, it will be a long time before human beings have to pay for what our species is doing to the world’s oceans. Instead, it’s going to be environments like coastal habitants being destroyed. Killer whales and belugas are likely to run extinct. Hundreds of aquatic species who accidentally consume micro-plastics are also at risk of extinction. This is not even beginning to address climate change which is heating up our oceans and which is a direct threat to biodiversity.
The time to get serious about ocean pollution has long past us. Now, we are in the late stages of watching our oceans become something they were never meant to be. It’s going to take significant effort to conserve what we are left with today, if we are even able to do that. Despite the many issues surrounding the presence of plastic in our oceans, it is imperative we do what’s possible to combat this issue. Some governments, non-profits, and conservation organizations coming together is not enough. This needs to be made high priority, if we are serious about protecting the ocean for future generations. Plastics have a role in our world however they absolutely warrant proper disposal, waste processing, and recycling.
The extent of the damage done is unbelievable, if you’ve seen any of the pictures published online. There are kilometres upon kilometres of plastics swirling in our oceans, gathering more plastics and spreading out. Every day, we use plastics and we don’t give second-thought to damage we could be doing. Baby bottles, laptops, automobile dashboards, and eyeglasses exemplify how much plastic is in our lives. The ubiquity is understandable. Come disposal time though, less than 9 percent of plastic is recycled and 8.8 million tons of plastic enter our oceans annually. Accumulatively, that means in one decade, 88 million tons of plastic is dumped into oceans. That’s huge!
Although the majority of the ocean’s plastics are believed to enter in from countries in development, every stakeholder has a role to play. Even in Toronto, we see plastics in our lakes and water, and that has nothing to do with a developing nation. As the world builds its environmental infrastructure, regulation regarding plastic pollution must follow. As staggering as plastic pollution may be as something to fix, we believe it’s accomplishable when working together.
As a Toronto waste management company, we believe in doing our part to protect the environment and minimize the plastic wastes that ends up in our oceans. If you need waste management or recycling in the GTA, we would love to help. As complex as waste processing can be, we can help to establish a plan to ensure your business minimizes its environmental footprint. Contact Core Mini Bins today.
