Bits of plastic will outweigh all fish in the oceans by 2050, study warns

Plastic rubbish will outweigh fish in the oceans by 2050 unless the world takes drastic action to recycle the material, a report has warned.

An overwhelming 95 per cent of plastic packaging worth US$80-120 billion a year is lost to the economy after a single use, said the global study by a foundation fronted by yachtswoman Ellen MacArthur, which promotes recycling in the economy.

The study, which drew on multiple sources, proposed setting up a new system to slash the leaking of plastics into nature, especially the oceans, and to find alternatives to crude oil and natural gas as the raw material of plastic production. The study as released on Tuesday on the opening day of the annual gathering of the rich and powerful in the Swiss ski resort of Davos.

At least eight million tonnes of plastics find their way into the ocean every year - equal to one garbage truckful every minute, said the report by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, which included analysis by the McKinsey Centre for Business and Environment.

“If no action is taken, this is expected to increase to two per minute by 2030 and four per minute by 2050,” it said, with packaging estimated to represent the largest share of the pollution.

Available research estimates that there are more than 150 million tonnes of plastics in the ocean today.

“In a business-as-usual scenario, the ocean is expected to contain one tonne of plastic for every three tonnes of fish by 2025, and by 2050, more plastics than fish,” it said.