18th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Natural World
Single-use plastics: The Garbage Culture

As humans we ingest 2,000 microparticles of plastic, approximately 5 grams of plastic every week: the equivalent of a bank card. With every load of clothes we wash, 700,000 plastic fibers are released into the marine environment. The impact of our life model is unsustainable and is quickly killing us; in few generations nothing will matter. We must change our life style immediately. The most effective recycling is that of not generating any waste, consuming local products and developing greater awareness that our actions create a brutal impact on nature and by default, on ourselves. The European Union has agreed to prohibit single-use plastic (excluding plastic bottles) as of 2021. Such as plates, cutlery, straws and cotton swabs, with exceptions for medical or scientific use.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 10.2020
Date Uploaded: 11.2020
Photo Location: Barcelona, Spain
Camera: NIKON D800
Copyright: © Sergi Escribano