Beth Howell: The solution to plastic pollution: a circular economy

“As it stands, around half of all global plastic waste is single-use — meaning it’s only used for a few minutes before being thrown in the trash.
This process of consuming raw materials and discarding products at the end of their use is part of what’s called the linear economy. It’s referred to as ‘linear’ because products have a beginning (being created), a middle (being used), and an end (being thrown away). 
Instead of continuing with this linear system, we need to switch to a circular economy — a system where existing products and materials are reused and reintroduced into the buying cycle for as long as possible. This way, we reduce our reliance on new materials extracted from the planet and utilize waste, instead of dumping it. “