A seagull picks a plastic crisp packet from the sea

Plastic pollution

How long does plastic "live" for?

Plastic pollution is any plastic that ends up in the environment – from bottles and bags to less obvious sources like teabags and clothes.

In the past 100 years humans have produced (and used) a lot of plastic. It's cheap, strong, light and versatile, but all of it eventually ends up in the ground, in the air, and in the sea – which is where marine animals like albatross, dolphins and turtles ingest it.

Our plastic waste has invaded the highest mountains and deepest oceans. No one knows exactly how long it will take to disappear, but it's at least hundreds of years.

The unaltered stomach contents of a dead albatross chick include plastic marine debris fed the chick by its parents
Underwater image of plastic pollution in the ocean

How does plastic harm the environment?

Plastic sticks around in the environment for ages, threatening wildlife and spreading toxins. Plastic also contributes to global warming.

Almost all plastics are made from chemicals that come from the production of planet-warming fuels (gas, oil and even coal).

Our reliance on plastic therefore prolongs our demand for these dirty fuels.

Burning plastics in incinerators also releases climate-wrecking gases and toxic air pollution.

How is plastic made?
Underwater image of plastic pollution in the ocean
Close-up of a woman's hand and mouth as she eats a dressed mussel from its shell

Plastic in the food chain

Scientists have detected tiny plastics (smaller than 5mm) in salt, beer, seafood and human stools.

These microplastics break off bigger plastic items, or come from products like car tyres and cosmetics. They even wash off synthetic clothes.

Once they enter our rivers, soils and oceans, they can get into the food chain. As of yet, the impacts on our health are unknown.

Are microfibres in our food chain?
Close-up of a woman's hand and mouth as she eats a dressed mussel from its shell

Zero waste solution: several tote bags containing groceries

What does a zero-waste world look like?
Published:  10 May 2022    |      3 minute read
Over recent years the scale of plastic pollution and its chokehold on nature has floated to the top of people’s environmental priorities but remains low on the government’s agenda. Instead of putting the onus on individuals to buy plastic-free products, what if we lived in a world free from unnecessary plastic? And what would it take to get there?
Sustainable living
Plastics
Male mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) with neck grown through a piece of plastic litter

What is Friends of the Earth doing?

There are ways to avoid pointless plastics (keep scrolling for ideas below).

But all our best efforts are in danger of being undermined. Businesses are set to churn out more plastics, making our reliance on them even harder to avoid.

We need the government to make sure big businesses are for the accountable for the damage they cause to the environment, whether that's through churning out plastic or contributing to deforestation.

Sign the petition
Male mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) with neck grown through a piece of plastic litter
Plastic pollution on a beach

How much plastic is in the ocean?

The total amount of plastic entering the marine environment is over 12m tonnes a year – according to a report by Eunomia in 2016. For comparison, a double-decker bus weighs about 12 tonnes.

Sea creatures can get tangled in plastic or mistake it for food, and the effects are often fatal. Harmful chemicals linked to plastic have been found in species from plankton to dolphins.

Plastic pollution on a beach
Alternatives to plastic include these soap nuts for washing laundry – soap nuts spilling from textile bag on wooden background

What is the best alternative to plastic?

The best alternative to single-use plastic is something that you can use over and over again – or something that can be easily recycled or composted.

But it isn't always easy to know when you're buying plastic. It can be present in crisp packets, coffee cups and even teabags.

So we've come up with a list of really good alternatives to plastic.

Best alternatives to plastic
Alternatives to plastic include these soap nuts for washing laundry – soap nuts spilling from textile bag on wooden background