More than 8 billion tons of plastic have been produced by humans since 1950. Only 9% of the plastic was recycled and more than half of them went straight to landfill. Plastic pollution can be reduced out to 80% over the next 20 years based on the recent study. This can be achieved if all the solutions were implemented such as waste management or recycling improvement.

Plastic pollution issues in Malaysia

In Malaysia, over 30,000 tonnes of plastic waste have been reportedly dumped into the sea every year. According to Soon, L. W. (2022), Malaysians are still taking the issues lightly and most of consumers are prefer to use plastic bags rather than reusable bags. This indicates that Malaysians would choose convenience rather than consider the impacts of plastic on the environment. In fact, Malaysia is listed in the top 10 countries that release the most plastic into the ocean in 2021. Malaysia have only 8 years left to achieve it goals in the Roadmap Towards Zero Single-use Plastics 2018-2030. However, will we able to achieve it with the current habits and practices of our consumers?

Causes of plastic pollution

 Plastic has been known as the most polluting substances in the world. There are several contributors to these issues today. Firstly, plastic is overused. As the population growth rate is increasing, the demand for the plastic is increasing too due to the durability and affordability of the materials. In addition, 40% of the plastic is used just once. Most of them will not be used again as they can be obtained easily. Besides that, peoples prefer to use plastic rather than recycle bag as it more convenience. Some people are still lack of awareness regarding the plastic pollution issues. Hence, it is important to address these issues.