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Eco-artist Maria Nissan decided to take action against single-use plastic and raise awareness about environmental issues through her incredible art.

The artist from the United States of Iraqi origin first visited Amman, Jordan, three years ago and fell in love. However, she began to feel “frustration and anger” at the piles of garbage that she would see on the streets and in nature.

“Despite the beauty of the city, walking its streets can be a journey filled with all kinds of trash,” the 35-year-old artist said.

That’s when she decided to take action through her art. One of Nissan’s most well-known murals is on the side of a building in Amman. The mural is made of more than 2,000 plastic bottles, almost 1,000 shopping bags, and over 150 hookah pipe hoses.

 

The plastic problem in Jordan is growing. Jordanians use 3 billion plastic bags every year, and only seven percent of the country’s solid waste load of 2.2 million tonnes is recycled, according to the UN Development Program.

Nissan is calling on Jordanians to keep the country beautiful. She urges people everywhere to avoid purchasing plastic products and shop with reusable bags. She also believes that Jordan should adopt a tax on single-use plastics.

“Art made of plastic is a concrete and powerful way to raise concerns on environmental issues that affect Jordanians, their children, their communities and natural environments in the kingdom,” she said.

Nissan’s work has been featured in 12 shoes in Jordan, Italy, and Greece. To see more of her amazing artwork, check out her Instagram @marianissanart.

“The consequences of single-use plastic Pollution are often delayed, and therefore it is difficult to have people feel accountable and responsible for their own acts,” she said.

Globally, we produce 300 million tons of plastic every year, 78 percent of which is NOT reclaimed or recycled. Around  8.8 million tons of plastic get dumped into the oceans every year! 700 marine animals are faced with extinction due to the threat that plastic poses to them in the form of entanglement, Pollution, and ingestion. 50 percent of sea turtles have plastic in their stomachs. By 2050, 99 percent of all seabird species will have ingested plastic waste. According to a study by the World Economic Forum, there will be one tonne of plastic for every three tonnes of fish by 2025, and if things go on business as usual, there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish by 2050.

Read more about how companies like Facebook, Tupperware, Google, Dove,  Budweiser, Carlsberg, and FIJI Water are working towards reducing plastic Pollution. Places around the world like Tel Aviv, California, Baltimore, Scotland, and many more are banning various single-use plastics, and others are coming up with creative ways to recycle and use plastic waste.

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!

To learn more about the impact of plastic waste, please read the articles below: 

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