Let's beat plastic pollution for World Environment Day 2023

The world is being inundated by plastic. More than 400 million tonnes of plastic is produced every year, half of which is designed to be used only once. Of that, less than 10 per cent is recycled. An estimated 19-23 million tonnes end up in lakes, rivers and seas. Today, plastic clogs our landfills, leaches into the ocean and is combusted into toxic smoke, making it one of the gravest threats to the planet.

Not only that, what is less known is that microplastics find their way into the food we eat, the water we drink and even the air we breathe. Many plastic products contain hazardous additives, which may pose a threat to our health.

The good news is that we have science and solutions to tackle the problem –and a lot is already happening. What is needed most now is a surge of public and political pressure to scale up and speed actions from governments, companies and other stakeholders to solve this crisis. This underscores the importance of this World Environment Day mobilising action from every corner of the world.

Individual and community actions underpin the systemic change required to transition to a less plastic-dependent economy, meaning everyone, you included, can play a role!

GET INVOLVED!

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) suggests three options for getting involved:

• This beat plastic pollution practical guide provides some helpful tips on how we can all be part of the global movement to solve the plastic pollution crisis.
• Register your event or activity and share it with the world.
• Inspire change through social media. Access and share these multilingual social media cards and videos.

Join us for the 2023 #WorldEnvironmentDay celebrations because we can #BeatPlasticPollution!