DAILY DAWN news
An estimated 8 million tons of plastic waste enters the oceans every year. The situation is only going to aggravate by 2050 – a year where it is said that there will be more plastic in the oceans than fish.
In Pakistan, more than 3.3 million tonnes of plastic is wasted each year with most of it ending up in landfill sites, unmanaged dumps or strewn about land and water bodies across the country.
The pandemic exacerbated the plastic problem manifold; the use of protective clothing, usually made from disposable, single-use plastic, soared, panic buying caused by lockdowns around the world led to a surge in takeaway waste and paranoia of viral transmissions promoted throwaway culture of fast consuming goods.
The result?
Sea shores and streets laden with disposed face masks, used water bottles, spoons and other forms of non-biodegradable plastic waste.
