Statistics from the United Nations Environment Programme show that the world produces about 430 million tons of plastic each year, of which two-thirds are short-lived products that will soon become waste, that is, "disposable" plastic products. Of this part, less than 10% is recycled. It is estimated that 19 million to 23 million tons of plastic end up in lakes, rivers and oceans each year. In addition, about 4 million tons of plastic waste are exported from high-income countries to low- and middle-income countries each year, and these countries are unable to properly handle these plastic wastes due to limited infrastructure. Discarded or incinerated disposable plastics have seriously endangered human health and biodiversity, and have caused direct damage and impact on the entire ecosystem.

China has become the country with the largest production of plastic products, and its plastic production has increased from 21% in 2006 to 30% in 2018. In 2022, my country's plastic product production reached 77.716 million tons. From 2009 to 2022, the growth rate of domestic plastic product production remained at 4.33%, and the industry showed a sustained growth trend.

According to the National Report Hall website, my country's marine pollution monitoring area will reach 5.5 million hectares in 2022. The influence of human transformation of nature has led to the destruction of the marine environment. About 8 million tons of plastic flow into the ocean every year! This is equivalent to dumping 1,000 tons of plastic into the sea every hour!

White pollution is a vivid name for the phenomenon of waste plastics polluting the environment. It refers to the plastic products such as non-degradable packaging bags, agricultural mulch films, disposable tableware, plastic bottles, etc. made of high molecular compounds such as polystyrene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, etc., which are discarded as solid waste after use. They are thrown away randomly and are difficult to degrade, causing pollution to the ecological environment and landscape.

Land and Ocean

Plastic waste is difficult to decompose. Once it is discarded, it may remain in nature for 200 to 400 years, and some may even last up to 500 years. The residue in farmland affects crops, and the bacteria in the waste seeps into groundwater and pollutes the ocean! Every year, a large number of marine organisms die from eating plastic debris. According to statistics, at least 276 species of marine organisms have died from eating plastic waste.

Microplastics

The main component of white pollution is polyvinyl chloride, which will release microplastics. The diameter of MP is relatively small and it will enter the lungs with breathing. Long-term inhalation of plastic particles may damage the lungs. The human body cannot absorb large particles. These large plastic particles may be excreted with excrement, but small plastic particles can enter the blood. The liver is an organ for detoxification and detoxification. Small plastic particles become toxins and stay in the liver, which can increase the burden on the liver and may cause liver disease in the long run; plastic particles are easy to carry some bacteria and germs and cause bacterial infection.

Air pollution

Plastic pollution to the air mainly includes direct "white pollution" caused by wind blowing into the air, microplastics affect climate change, microplastics are widely present in the atmosphere, due to their small size and low density, they can be spread around the Earth by wind, and after burning, they produce a large amount of toxic gases to pollute the air. The residues are often the source of infectious diseases. The most important thing is that the large-scale use and disposal of white garbage will accelerate the development and processing of oil resources and seriously damage the ecological balance.