In a world swamped by plastic waste there's a tonne for every single one of us

More than 9 billion tonnes of plastic has been produced since 1950, and almost all of it is still around.

Bad diet: This seabird was a victim of plastic pollution. 

A new study that tracked the global manufacture and distribution of plastics since they became widespread after World War II found that only two billion tonnes of that plastic is still in use.

A small amount is eliminated in incinerators, leaving seven billion tonnes  stuck on Earth as garbage in landfills, recycled rubbish or pollution in the environment, including the deep oceans, where it's been discovered in the mouths of whales and the bellies of dead seabirds that mistook it for food.

Read the story in today’s Melbourne Age by Darryl Fears - “In a world swamped by plastic waste there's a tonne for every single one of us.”