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| A boy from Ivory Coast looks at plastic bottles floating on the Ebrie lagoon in the city of Abidjan, Ivory Coast, 28 May 2018. Plastic pollution has reached epidemic proportion. According to an Ellen MacArthur Foundation report there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish by 2050. Africa is one of the most affected continents due to its extensive coastline and underdeveloped waste systems allowing plastic waste to easily enter the ocean. The rapid growth of plastic production in the three biggest areas the European Union, China and the US particularly in single-use plastics is recognised as one of the greatest risks facing the environment and mankind. Efforts at recycling and plastic waste education are on the rise on the African continent with many programs being initiated by youth groups who view the problem as the biggest environmental challenge facing the new generation. EPA |
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| A picture taken on June 2, 2018, shows people scavenging at a dumping site in Mogadishu, Somalia. On June 5, 2018 the United Nations mark the World Environment Day which plastic pollution is the main theme this year. AFP |
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| This picture taken on May 16, 2018 shows a block of compressed plastic bottles at a plastic waste centre on the outskirts of Beijing. About eight million tonnes of plastic waste are dumped into the world's oceans every year - the equivalent of one garbage truck of plastic being tipped into the sea every minute... of every day. Over half comes from five Asian countries: China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, according to a 2015 study in Science journal. AFP |
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| This file photo taken on June 08, 2017 shows a sphere made out of plastic bags that simulates the contaminated earth during the launching of the 'Zero Percent Plastic' ecological campaign to reduce the use of plastic bags in Chile, in Santiago. The UN urged on June 04, 2018 to take steps against the use of plastic bags, as part of a global challenge to reduce the increasing pollution of the oceans. AFP |
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| Gulls fly around plastic waste at a landfill site in Cape Town, South Africa, 30 May 2018. Plastic pollution has reached epidemic proportion. EPA |
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| A general view shows plastic littering a landfill on the outskirts of Bamako, Mali, on June 2, 2018. AFP |
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| This picture taken on May 18, 2018 shows a woman gathering shells in a coastal forest littered with plastic waste stuck in branches after being washed up by rising coastal tide in Thanh Hoa province, around 150 km south of Hanoi. AFP |
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| A Bangladeshi man carries a sack loaded with plastic, as a woman dries plastic strips on a tin roof in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Monday, June 4, 2018. The theme for this year's World Environment Day, marked on June 5, is 'Beat Plastic Pollution.' AP |
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| illiam Spehekhang, 23, (L) and Mandela Daka, 21, (R) wait outside a re-cycling collection point in Newtown Johannesburg on June 2, 2018. 'Reclaimers' who gather waste from various areas, separate it and transport it on trolleys to recycling plants in the city. On June 5, 2018 the United Nations mark the World Environment Day which plastic pollution is the main theme this year. AFP |
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| Reclaimer Anthony Matuli, 39, pulls his trolly of plastic through the streets of Newtown, Johannesburg on June 2, 2018. AFP |
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| Plastic waste is dumped in an abandoned building in downtown Johannesburg on June 2, 2018. AFP |
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| A billboard portraiting a man, surfing a wave made out of plastic bags and bottles, to denounce ocean's pollution is pictured in Santiago on the eve of the World Environment Day, on June 4, 2018. AFP |
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| A grey mullet is shown next to microplastic found in Hong Kong waters during a Greenpeace news conference in Hong Kong, China, April 23, 2018. Reuters |
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| Volunteers from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) hold placards as they pose with a model of a cow during an event urging people to stop usage of plastic, ahead of World Environment Day in Kolkata, India, June 4, 2018.Reuters |
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| A combination photo shows Audrey Gan (C), 31, her husband Leow Yee Shiang, 30, and their three-year-old son Kyler (top) and one week's worth of plastic waste they have collected, in Singapore, May 21, 2018. 'We started being more aware of the waste generated by our household when it was highlighted to us in our Buddhist teachings...that all this plastic waste is harming other beings on earth,' said Audrey. 'We try to curb our desire to shop for new and unnecessary items. If we are really craving for a drink of bubble tea, we bring our own containers to avoid the plastic cup and straw they come in. I use a cloth diaper for Kyler once he reaches home, but we use at least one disposable a day because we haven't figured out how to avoid leaks with cloth diapers overnight.' Reuters |
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| A combination photo shows Eri Sato (R) with her husband Tatsuya and three-month-old daughter Sara (top) and one week's worth of plastic waste they have collected, in Yokohama, Japan, May 23, 2018. 'I think there's no escaping plastic waste. I see it on the streets, in the mountains, underwater. It's literally everywhere,' Eri said. 'In our family, we try to reduce our carbon footprint wherever we can. We're very conscious of the impacts our choices can have on the environment. First, we try to reduce consumption of plastics. This mentality is applied to both daily groceries, clothing, and many other products. When we have to consume, we try to keep it minimal. Recycling is generally the last option for us, and definitely not the first,' she added. 'Instead of the disposable plastic bottles, we've switched to reusable bottles. We've also gone to shampoo bars instead of bottled shampoo. Our toothbrush is made from bamboo and we use reusable shopping bags whenever we can.' Reuters |
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| A combination photo shows the Compas Ponce family (top) and one week's worth of plastic waste they have collected, in Arriate, southern Spain, May 29, 2018. 'We separate plastics, glasses, paper, cardboard, waste oils and organic wastes,' said Vicente Compas. 'Our use of plastic decreases every day, we are more aware of the care of the planet, our home.' Reuters |
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| A combination photo shows Alexander Raduenz (2nd L) along with his partner Berit and his children Zoe and Yuna (top) and one week's worth of plastic waste they have collected, in Berlin, Germany, May 28, 2018. 'We try to lower our carbon footprint as much as possible. We are pretty much aware of the impact plastic has on our environment,' said Alexander. 'If alternatives to plastic are available, we are using them instead.' Reuters |
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| A volunteer picks up plastics during a garbage collection, ahead of World Environment Day on La Costilla Beach, on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean in Rota, Spain June 2, 2018. Reuters |
