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The Far-reaching Effects of Plastic Pollution
The Far-reaching Effects of Plastic Pollution
It’s not always easy to get our heads around the fact that plastic pollution is a global problem. That’s because, when we say global, we don’t just mean certain areas of each continent – we really do mean the entire globe.
There isn’t a single type of environment that hasn’t been affected by plastic pollution in some way, and in this article, we will be exploring three of the most prominent ones.
Oceans
When it comes to plastic pollution, our oceans take the brunt of the hit. Millions and millions of kilograms of plastic can be found in convergences which make up around 40% of the world’s oceans. If the amount of plastic which enters our oceans continues to rise at its current rate, by 2050 – plastic is expected to outweigh all of the fish in the sea.
But it’s not the mere presence of plastic which is an issue – it has a direct and deadly effect on marine life. Thousands of seabirds, turtles, seals and other marine mammals are killed each year after ingesting plastic. Some are killed after becoming entangled in it.
Here are some quick-fire facts:
- Fish in the North Pacific ingest 12,00 to 24,000 tonnes of plastic each year
- Sea turtles can mistake floating plastic bags for jellyfish
- Research indicates over half of the world’s sea turtle population has ingested plastic
- Plastic ingestion reduces the storage volume of the stomach, causing starvation
- It’s estimated that 60% of all seabird species have eaten plastic, with that number predicted to rise to 99% by 2050
Rivers
Of course, plastic isn’t usually just dumped directly into our oceans, it flows there through the global riverine system. It’s estimated that around 1.2 and 2.4 million tonnes of plastic currently flows through that system to our oceans each year.
Most of the top 20 polluting rivers were located in Asia and accounted for more than two thirds of the global annual input. However, rivers from Africa, South and Central America and Europe all contribute.
Islands
When plastic isn’t swirling in convergences in our oceans, it can get washed up on far-flung shores. A mind-boggling example of this is Henderson Island, which lies halfway between New Zealand and Chile. It’s one of the most remote locations on Earth.
Despite this, if you were to travel there, you would find objects from Russia, the United States, China, Japan and Europe. It’s all waste – and most of it is plastic. It was swept across global seas until it was pulled into the South Pacific gyre, a circular ocean current that functions a bit like a conveyor belt. The current passively collects discarded rubbish and deposits it on Henderson Island’s shore. It receives around 3,500 pieces a day.
At Brown Recycling, we can help find solutions to recycle various grades of recyclable plastics, in order to prevent further plastic pollution. Also, any lower quality or problematic grades of plastic will still be diverted from landfill by being processed into energy-from-waste fuel at our facility.
Got any burning questions?
You can ask us a question online using our contact form. Simply provide your name, email (purely for confirmation purposes) and the details of your enquiry, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
What our clients say about us
“We are hugely grateful to Brown Recycling for their help on DIY SOS: The Big Build in Stoke. Dave and the team went above and beyond to clear the site and then bring in other suppliers who also supported this great cause. Thanks to the generosity of countless suppliers and volunteers, Stoke now has a community centre that will support its residents for many years to come.”
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Excellent service on a recent Hazardous waste removal from one of our sites. Paddy and Stacey wasted no time in arranging for our waste to be removed in surprisingly quick turnaround. 10/10...
1 week ago -
Hired a skip to clear a huge pile of garden waste. Arrived on time, picked up bang on time, dead easy to book and pay. Courteous, helpful drivers. Job done! just as it should be, without drama. Highly...
1 month ago -
Very professional service and the customer service team are very helpful and knowledgeable. We have been working with browns and using their services for a number of years and cannot fault it. Very co...
1 month ago -
Terry was very efficient. We will use brown for skips again...
2 months ago -
Had problems with getting the skip into our drive but Browns persisted and 3 trucks later the 3rd driver got the job done. Incredible service from a very professional and competent company. Special me...
2 months ago -
Really efficient service, competitive price and they dropped off skip exactly where we asked them to. Easy to book a skip over the weekend using their online booking system. Very helpful when we nee...
3 months ago -
I ordered a skip at short notice and it arrived as requested. Having finished with it early Terry came and collected it very promptly which freed up the driveway. A Good service and reasonably priced....
3 months ago -
Brilliant service - I booked for the wrong date, but Browns were really helpful and changed the booking at the last minute....
3 months ago -
We chose Brown Recycling because out of the firms we rang the lady on the end of the phone knew exactly what we needed and was very helpful. ( Yes you can place a skip in a council paying car park) A...
4 months ago -
A big thanks to Phil, always helpful and polite when collecting cardboard, nothing too much trouble ....
5 months ago -
Christie has been great in providing us with a total review of our waste services on site. If you are looking at reviewing your waste service then I would highly recommend that you reach out to her as...
6 months ago -
really fast and a easy process. Thank you Christie...
6 months ago -
Christie has been most helpful and informative whilst booking a new service for plastic and general waste recycling. Would recommend :)...
6 months ago -
Christie was very helpful, she managed the whole process very efficiently and met our expectations. We now have the service and commercial offering we need for our business waste. We would recommend...
9 months ago -
Quick and really reliable service.... was a pleasure dealing with Christie!!!...
9 months ago -
Requested amendment to current waste collection. Very helpful and was able to answer all queries and adapt to our requirements. Definitely recommend...
10 months ago -
We had a visit today from Mark and Andy dropping off our new waste bin. I would just like to acknowledge their outstanding customer service. They disposed of the built up waste that we had gathered si...
11 months ago -
Full marks to Andy and Mark. Went above and beyond today and would highly recommend them to anybody looking to recycle large quantities of waste. Professional, efficient and very approachable...
11 months ago -
First time using Browns, they were clear, efficient and got the job done. Will continue to use their services....
1 year ago -
New to sorting a bin service for our new business. Christie and Brown Recyling has been great with helping us select the right type of bin required as well as not overspending for the sake of it. He...
1 year ago -
Super easy to set up a long term skip hire, Christie made things nice and clear and the prices were good too! everything was ready to go really quick, highly recommend Browns...
1 year ago