Plastic water bottles are incredibly pervasive in modern society, and for a while were even regarded as a fashion accessory. The world is starting to wake up to their dangers, but they are still a scourge on our environment. If you’re still buying disposable plastic water bottles, it’s time to switch to a glass or stainless steel alternative. Here are ten reasons why:
1. An incredible one million plastic bottles are purchased around the world every minute. [source]
2. That number will jump by another 21% by 2021 [source]
3. An average plastic bottle will take four hundred years to decompose [source]
4. 43% of plastic bottles used in the UK are not recycled. That’s over 5.5 billion bottles that don’t end up being recycled. [source]
5. An estimated 700,000 plastic drinks bottles are littered every single day in the UK [source]
6. Around 12.2 million tonnes of plastic waste ends up in our marine environment every year from around the world. [source]
7. About 80% of litter in our seas and oceans comes from land. The litter is often blown into our rivers where it is taken out to sea. [source]
8. Plastic in the ocean breaks down into microplastics. These microplastics are ingested by marine life, where it travels up the food chain, and is eventually ingested by humans. [source]
9. It is estimated that the average seafood consumer in the UK will be ingesting about 11,000 plastic particles every year already. It is estimated that the average seafood consumer ingests around 11,000 plastic particles every year in the UK. [source]
10. It has been forecast that plastic pollution will double in the next 20 years, and quadruple by 2050. [source]
