Advocates Around the World Fight to Reduce Plastic Pollution (in Photos)

Ashley Hackett
June 2, 2018
Campaigns against single-use plastic waste are picking up steam.
A man dances on the runway during an eco-fashion show for recycled or biodegradable materials as part of the Fashion for Sustainable Future event in Kisumu, Kenya, on May 31st, 2018. Beat Plastic Pollution will be the theme of this year's World Environment Day on June 5th.

By the year 2050, there will be more plastic than fish in the world’s oceans, and plastic particles will make their way into our seafood as fish mistake them for algae and consume them. Forecasts like these are motivating activists and governments around the world to attempt to solve the “plastic problem.”

Many developing countries lack the infrastructure needed to effectively manage their waste. The problem has become so severe that Indonesia called the nation’s army in to help clean-up efforts when its rivers and canals were clogged with dense masses of bottles, bags, and other plastic packaging.

Relatively developed nations, though often not as severely affected by plastic waste as developing or island nations, are also starting to push for bans on plastic bags, straws, and other easily replaceable items.

This week, the European Commission launched a campaign to fight against single-use plastic waste, and fashion designers and models showed their ability to repurpose plastic and other materials at the “Fashion for Sustainable Future” event in Kisumu, Kenya.

A boy plays with a makeshift flagpole on a beach covered in plastic waste at a fishing village on the northern coast on May 31st, 2018, in Jakarta, Indonesia. Indonesia has been ranked the second biggest marine polluter in the world behind only China, with reports showing that the country produces 187.2 million tons of plastic waste each year.
A boy plays with a makeshift flagpole on a beach covered in plastic waste at a fishing village on the northern coast on May 31st, 2018, in Jakarta, Indonesia. Indonesia has been ranked the second biggest marine polluter in the world behind only China, with reports showing that the country produces 187.2 million tons of plastic waste each year. 

(Photo: Ed Wray/Getty Images)

European Commission First Vice President Frans Timmermans gives a joint press with his vice president on legislative measures to fight against single-use plastic waste at the European Union headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on May 28th, 2018.
European Commission First Vice President Frans Timmermans gives a joint press with his vice president on legislative measures to fight against single-use plastic waste at the European Union headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on May 28th, 2018.

(Photo: John Thys/AFP/Getty Images)

A picture taken on May 24th, 2018, in Sieversdorf, Germany, shows a woman drinking with a plastic straw.
A picture taken on May 24th, 2018, in Sieversdorf, Germany, shows a woman drinking with a plastic straw.

(Photo: Patrick Pleul/AFP/Getty Images)

A plastic fork lies on a beach along the Spree River in the city center on May 29th, 2018, in Berlin, Germany. Europe is struggling to combat plastics pollution in its waterways and seas. It recently announced it will seek to ban the use of certain common plastic items, including plastic cutlery, straws, plates, swabs, and fishing gear.
A plastic fork lies on a beach along the Spree River in the city center on May 29th, 2018, in Berlin, Germany. Europe is struggling to combat plastics pollution in its waterways and seas. It recently announced it will seek to ban the use of certain common plastic items, including plastic cutlery, straws, plates, swabs, and fishing gear.

(Photo: Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

A participant takes part in a beach clean-up on Hong Kong's outlying Lamma island on May 27th, 2018. More than two thousand volunteers hit the beach on an outlying island of Hong Kong for a mass rubbish clean-up on May 27th as environment campaigners warned plastic is killing sea turtles and other wildlife.
A participant takes part in a beach clean-up on Hong Kong’s outlying Lamma island on May 27th, 2018. More than two thousand volunteers hit the beach on an outlying island of Hong Kong for a mass rubbish clean-up on May 27th as environment campaigners warned plastic is killing sea turtles and other wildlife.

(Photo: Anthony Wallace/AFP/Getty Images)

A man dances on the runway during an eco-fashion show for recycled or biodegradable materials as part of the Fashion for Sustainable Future event in Kisumu, Kenya, on May 31st, 2018. Beat Plastic Pollution will be the theme of this year's World Environment Day on June 5th.
A man dances on the runway during an eco-fashion show for recycled or biodegradable materials as part of the Fashion for Sustainable Future event in Kisumu, Kenya, on May 31st, 2018. Beat Plastic Pollution will be the theme of this year’s World Environment Day on June 5th.

(Photo: Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images)

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