Plastics penetrated to the mother's womb, to human blood!

On the occasion of June 5, World Environment Day, the TEMA Foundation drew attention to the dimensions of plastic pollution in the world and in Türkiye, emphasising that measures should be taken as soon as possible. Stating that microplastics have penetrated to the stomach of many fish species, the Foundation reminded that only 9 percent of the approximately 8 billion tons of plastic produced to date can be recycled.

This year's theme of World Environment Day, which is observed with a different theme on 5 June every year by the United Nations (UN) in order to increase environmental awareness, was determined as "Beat plastic pollution".

1.6 million square kilometres of plastic heap in the Pacific Ocean!

The plastic heap in the Pacific Ocean, which is called the 7th continent today and formed by human influence, has an area of 1.6 million square kilometres. Ms. Deniz Ataç, Chairperson of Board of Directors of the TEMA Foundation, drew attention to this heap and said, “This plastic mountain, which is almost twice the size of Türkiye, reveals the dimensions of the plastic pollution problem of our world. Plastic pollution, which reaches from land and rivers to the seas and from there to the oceans, primarily harms animal and plant species in the marine ecosystem. As a result of research, we now know that many fish species have microplastics in their stomachs. Moreover, there is evidence of microplastics in the unborn foetus, in the placenta of a newborn baby, in human blood and lungs."

“8.3 million tons of plastics have been produced”

Ms. Ataç mentioned the causes of plastic pollution, which causes serious problems on both the environment and the health of all living things, and said, “There is a widespread belief that plastics are recycled. However, given the available data, it seems that the recycling is not enough. Between 1950 and 2015, humanity produced about 8.3 billion tons of plastic in the world; 6.3 billion tons, or 76% of them, turned into plastic waste. Only 9% of this plastic waste could be recycled. Given the fact that Türkiye is the country that imports the most waste from Europe, the pollution created by non-recyclable plastics becomes questionable.”

“It harms human health by inhalation”

Underlining that the preferred disposal method for non-recyclable plastics is mostly incineration, Ms. Ataç said, “As a result of this process, both carbon dioxide gas that causes climate change and harmful chemicals are released. For example, it is known that 2.9 tons of carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere as a result of burning 1 ton of plastic.”

Ms. Ataç stated that other chemicals that are released harm the life of living things through inhalation, and made suggestions to prevent plastic pollution by saying, "It permeates into the soil, plants, surface waters and underground waters and harms human and animal health through the food chain."

“Single-use plastics should be banned”

Emphasising the need to take action as soon as possible in order to tackle plastic pollution, Ms. Ataç said, "Rather than a human and consumption-oriented lifestyle, through the recognition that humans are a part of nature, like all other living things, the production of items with low carbon footprint should be increased which will not oblige individuals to use plastic, will not cause environmental pollution and will reduce waste generation. Single-use plastics should be banned. Local governments and policy makers have a greater role to play in this regard. In addition to these, for the health of our planet, of course, consumption preferences should be changed by individuals. It is necessary to reduce consumption, develop reuse habits and separate waste at source before being sent for recycling.”

We are raising hope!                                                                           TEMA Foundation