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A new study found that 20 companies are responsible for half the world’s plastic waste, NPR reported. Released by the Minderoo Foundation, the report outlines the companies responsible for plastic and subsequent greenhouse gas emissions.

Source: TRT World Now/YouTube

The report’s“Plastic Waste Makers Index” features Exxon Mobil, Dow Chemical Co., and Sinopec. Of the 130 million metrics tons of single-use plastics thrown away, Exxon Mobil is responsible for 5.9 million metric tons, with Dow and Sinopec responsible for 5.6 and 5.3 million, respectively.

“An environmental catastrophe beckons: much of the resulting single-use plastic waste will end up as Pollution in developing countries with poor waste management systems,” according to the report.

Single-use plastic items include bottles, bags, and food packaging. 98% of these materials are made from “virgin” feedstocks, instead of recycled materials.

“The trajectories of the climate crisis and the plastic waste crisis are strikingly similar — and increasingly intertwined,” former Vice President Al Gore said in a statement that was released alongside the report. “Since most plastic is made from oil and gas — especially fracked gas — the production and consumption of plastic are becoming a significant driver of the climate crisis, already producing greenhouse gas emissions on the same scale as a large country and causing the emission of other harmful toxins from plastics facilities into nearby communities — disproportionately harming people of color and those in low-income communities,” he wrote.

Sign this petition to demand that Biden and Congress work together to save our oceans, our marine animals, and our Earth by banning single-use plastics throughout the entire United States!

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Read more about recycling and waste in One Green Planet. Check out these articles:

There are products you may be using or habits you may have that contribute to plastic Pollution. Learn more about how the use of Teabags, Cotton Swabs, Laundry, Contact Lenses, Glitter, and Sheet Masks pollute our oceans so you can make more informed decisions going forward. There are also numerous simple actions and switches that can help cut plastic out of our lives including, making your own cosmetics, shampoo, toothpaste, soap, household cleaners, using mason jars, reusable bags/bottles/straws, and avoiding microbeads! 

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