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A green sea turtle swims near a plastic bag

A green sea turtle swims near a plastic bag. Turtles often mistake plastic bags for their normal prey of jellyfish, with deadly results

Photograph: Norbert Wu/Getty Images

 

  The Plastic Plague  

 The Facts:

  • The world produces 200 million tonnes of plastic a year. Half of this is used for disposable plastic packaging, and less than 3% of this is recycled.

  • Globally over 1.2 trillion plastic bags are used annually. That’s about 300 bags for each adult on the planet and over one million bags being used per minute.

  • On average a plastic bag is used for 12 minutes before being thrown away. The same bag will then take decades to break down in landfill.

  • Plastic production uses 8% of the world’s oil production.

  • The UK produces 2.8 million tonnes of plastic each year – this figure is rising by 2% every year.

  • Nearly 90% of floating marine litter is plastic, causing injury and fatality to thousands of birds and mammals each year.

What you can do:

  • SAY NO TO PLASTIC! Buy a few reusable ‘bags for life’ for your shopping. Look out for Leighton Buzzard’s very own ‘I love LB’ cotton bags.

  • Recycle any plastic bags at your nearest supermarket.

  • Be aware of excess packaging – buy concentrated, refillable and bigger-value packs.

  • Buy fruit and vegetables loose and support  the market and local farm shops at the same time.

  • Tesco in Royston have stopped displaying plastic bags at the till; ask your local Tesco and other shops do the same.

  • Friends of the Earth supports a tax on plastic bags to help reduce litter & pollution.

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