The millions of tons of plastic waste that we throw into the oceans every year have caused an ecological catastrophe, but they also pose a threat to the plants and animals that live on earth, including us. 11Onze’s agent, Mònica Cornudella, makes us reflect on the problem and possible solutions.

From the Arctic to the Antarctic, the world is sinking under the weight of billions of tonnes of accumulated plastic pollution that we find all over the planet. This is persistent waste, which can take hundreds of years to disappear, and threatens the livelihoods of many animal species.

As Cornudella explains: “The situation is dramatic, 500 million tonnes of plastic were produced during 2020, 900% more than in 1980”. The global production of plastics has skyrocketed in recent decades. Even so, only a minority of these plastics are recycled, and many end up decomposing into microplastics. “Small plastic pellets, no more than 5 mm thick, that pass through the filters of wastewater treatment plants and end up in the sea,” says Cornudella.

But how can we solve this problem? What can each of us do to do our bit to stop this from getting much worse? To find out more, watch the video below.

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