We need to end our use of plastics for the sake of the planet and human's health, writes the director of Earth Day's end plastic initiatives Aidan Charron.

Plastics have become ubiquitous in our lives, they are everywhere and unavoidable but it hasn't always been like that. They are relatively new materials and while they do have some benefits, they are overused! Why the hell do we need to wrap a peeled orange in a clamshell container" Who does that benefit"
This has to stop. We need to end plastics for the sake of human and planetary health. This is why we are demanding a 60 per reduction in the production of all plastics by 2040.
Production of plastic is twice as high as 20 years ago with no sign of slowing down Like smoking and lead in the 20th century, we know so little about the over 15,000 chemicals that can make up plastics and regard them as harmless. Of those chemicals, over 4,200 are hazardous, while only 980 are regulated and the vast majority of the other 11,000 or so are just not studied or regulated at all.
Our use of plastics is still increasing, with production of plastic twice as high as 20 years ago with no sign of slowing down. If we continue at our current trends, plastic use will triple from current levels in less than 40 years.

Read: Is a plastic-free future possible"

We don't have the technology or ability to handle the waste we currently have, so what will happen in 2060 if we triple p...