By the year 2050, there will be more plastic waste in the world's seas than fish, according a report by Ellen MacArthur Foundation and published by the World Economic Forum on Tuesday.
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More plastic than fish in the world's oceans by 2050 -Report
The report said each year, at least 8 million tonnes of plastics leak into the ocean – which is equivalent to dumping the contents of one garbage truck into the ocean every minute.
"The ocean is expected to contain 1 tonne of plastic for every 3 tonnes of fish by 2025, and by 2050, more plastics than fish," according to the report.
Dianna Cohen, CEO of the Plastic Pollution Coalition, told Al Jazeera in an interview that "One of the biggest problems [to] focus on is single use and disposable plastic."
"There is no system in place that helps take these [plastic] materials back [after use]," Cohen said. "It impacts the entire ecosystem in the ocean.
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"If you come from a country that gets its primary livelihood or protein source from the ocean, then the fish you may count on to eat is ingesting plastic, getting entangled in it, and dying from having stomachs full of it," he added.
According to the report, plastics production has surged over the past 50 years, from 15 million tonnes in 1964 to 311 million tonnes in 2014, and is expected to double again over the next 20 years,as plastics come to serve increasingly many applications.
The report also added that only five percent of plastics are efficiently recycled .
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