It was in September 2009 that Chris Jordan arrived at Midway Atoll. The scene he found was terrible. The Pacific island was covered in dead albatrossesA type of very large seabird..

Thousands had met their end by eating plastic: in many cases, everyday objects such as toothbrushes and bottle tops. As a photographer, he felt the need to take pictures that "honoured the depth of this environmental tragedy."

The response to his photos was enormous. Tens of thousands of emails arrived from people wanting to help save the birds.

But the battle against plastic pollution is huge. Back then it was estimated¹ that eight million tonnes of plastic waste a year went into the ocean. That is the weight of 650,000 double-decker buses.

In the years since, plastic production has increased. It is expected to more than double by 2040.²

But what can we do to cut down on it? In an article for the BBC, Kelly Oakes says: "A world entirely without plastic is unrealistic."

This is because we use it in everything from buildings to furniture and carpets.

For healthcare, the loss would be "devastating". In hospitals, it is used for everything from gloves and syringes to surgical instruments.

Then there is the packaging which protects food on its way to the supermarket. Without it, some fruit and vegetables "might end up left in fields, unpicked", says Oakes.

In some cases, using plastic is better for to the planet than the alternatives. Growing vegetables in polytunnelsA polythene-covered frame under which plants are grown outdoors. means that farmers do not have to use up so much water.

Glass bottles can be endlessly recycled. But they weigh up to 20 times more than plastic ones. That means more carbon emissions when they are transported.

For clothes, cotton is a natural alternative to syntheticAn artificial substance or material. It is made by humans using chemical processes, rather than occurring naturally.  fabrics. But growing it involves huge amounts of water and insecticides.

Yes: There are many natural alternatives - bamboo for toothbrushes, for instance. And since scientists were clever enough to invent plastic, they could surely come up with a less damaging version.  

No: It is essential to our modern way of life - nobody is going to invent a wooden phone or TV. The best we can do is reduce our use of it, for example by shortening supply chains for food.

Or... The obvious first step is to get rid of single-use plastic, which is responsible for most of the world's plastic pollution. Kenya has led the way by making it a crime to use plastic bags.