Karin Bornett
In 2018, a total of 61,8 million tons of plastic were used in Europe. That goes out of one Report of the European Environment Agency EEA emerged. In 2020 this number will in all likelihood be significantly higher.
“The pandemic resulted in a sudden surge in global demand for personal protective equipment such as masks, gloves, dresses and packaged hand sanitizer. (…) The World Health Organization estimates that 89 million medical masks were needed worldwide every month, along with 76 million
Examination gloves and 1,6 million sets of protective goggles ”, the authors of the report summarize the WHO figures. The expanded take-away range of restaurants, which are mostly given away with disposable tableware, and the increase in online orders, both of which are due to the lockdowns, will also weigh on the plastic balance in 2020.
According to the EEA report, the global average consumption of plastics is 45 kg per person per year. Western Europeans use around three times as much - around 136 kg per person, according to the report, citing the source Plastics Insight, 2016.
According to the report, three ways out of the plastic jungle should lead in the future: the smarter use of plastics, the promotion of the circular economy and the use of renewable raw materials.
Photo by Emin BAYCAN on Unsplash
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