Stacking up the rubbish

300 Tons millionof plastic produced globally each year 12 per cent Amount which is recycled Five trillion Number of pieces of microplastic in ocean, with one rubbish truck load added each minute 11,000 Number of pieces of microplastic ingested by average person each year from seafood 780,000 Pieces of microplastic average person will ingest per year by the end of the century if trends continue 8.5 billion Number of plastic bags used in English supermarkets annually before 5p charge 6 billion Estimated number of bags removed from circulation annually at last count, an 80 per cent reduction 12 minutes Useful lifespan of average plastic bag