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00:00 These volunteers in the streets of Lagos in Nigeria are collecting bags, bottles and packaging
00:06 of all kinds.
00:07 The initiative was set up to mark the UN's International Mother Earth Day.
00:11 The aim in 2024 is to draw attention to plastic pollution.
00:15 "We don't have to wait for days like the World Earth Day for us to become more conscious
00:21 of our environment.
00:22 This planet is all we have and if we don't put our hands together for us to ensure a
00:27 sustainable future, no one else will."
00:31 Ingesting tiny plastic particles is linked to a wide range of health problems including
00:36 an increased risk of cancer, lower fertility and lung disease.
00:42 Plastic is also a danger to nature.
00:44 In Phuket in Thailand, these divers are searching for and removing plastic fishing nets.
00:51 "We constantly collect discarded fishing gear.
00:57 We have a big scuba diving community.
00:59 We have many government sectors working on this clean-up drive.
01:03 However, even though there is a collection of waste, there is no uniform data collection."
01:12 A lack of strategy at local and global level is hindering efforts.
01:17 Another campaigner, president of the advocacy group "Beyond Plastics in the United States"
01:22 says every individual effort counts.
01:25 "Only 5 to 6 percent of plastics are recyclable in the United States.
01:31 So your key tip is to try to avoid plastic wherever you can."
01:35 Five trillion plastic bags are used worldwide every year.
01:39 Half of all plastic produced is designed for single-use purposes.
01:45 The task to rein it in is huge.