There will be more plastic than fish in the worldsoceans by

2050 unless more recycling takes place. That is what a new report from
the World EconomicForum and Ellen MacArthur Foundation warns.

If the current trend continues,

the report said, oceanswill contain one ton of plastic for every three tons offish in 2025.

By 2050, plastics will weigh more than fish, the reportsaid.

The problem is
that each year at least 8 million tonsof plastics end up in oceans around the world.

The report said this is

the same as dumping thecontents of one garbage truck into the ocean everyminute.

Not all plastic ends up in the ocean because someonethrows a plastic bottle into the water.

Plastic containers and other trash thrown onto streetsand sidewalks often are swept into oc
eans.
Thedebris travels from storm drains during rain storms,said the environmental group Marine
Defenders.

Some end up in gyres. A gyre is a big whirlpool thattraps and moves the plastic in circles.

Unlike other types of trash in the ocean, the plastic never bio-degrades.
That means it does not break down.

There is a way to slow the amount of plastics going into the oceans --
people can recycle more. That is a major recommendation of the report by
the World Economic Forum and Ellen MacArthur Foundation.

The reports authors say that currently only about 14 percent of plastics arerecycled.

It said research in Europe shows as much as

53 percent of plastic could berecycled using available technology.

The report says that another solution is using less plastic for packagingproducts. But that is
not likely to happen, the reports authors say.
Given plastic packagings many benefits, both the likelihood and desirabilityof an across-
the-board drastic reduction in the volume of plastic packagingused is clearly low,
the report said.

But the authors note reducing the use of plastics should be tried wherepossible.

For decades, scientists warned that plastics are killing fish.

The NaturalResources Defense Council said research
shows that fish are dying fromchoking after eating plastics. Another cause of death is
that plastics causeintestinal blockage and starvation, the environmental group said.