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 not by natural causes, but by eating plastic - everyday objects such as toothbrushes and bottle tops. As a photographer, he felt impelled to find images that "honoured the depth of this environmental tragedy."

The response to his pictures was enormous. "There was a huge amount of ocean activism that popped up all over the world all at once," he says: "non-profitsTax-exempt organisations that provide a social benefit. cleaning up beaches and [campaigning for] legislation around plastics, education in schools, legal work around the toxicityBeing poisonous.. It has been amazing to see."

The battle, though, is an enormous one. Back then it was estimated¹ that eight million tonnes of plastic waste a year went into the ocean: equivalent to 650,000 double-decker buses. In the years since, plastic production has increased - and it is expected to more than double by 2040.²

Recycling might seem to be a solution, but experts say this is a mirageAn optical effect where you see something that is not really there.. In her book Year of No Garbage, Eve O Schaub describes trying to buy only recyclable things. But she was defeated by plastic: many types simply could not be recycled.

The only answer seems to be to cut down on our use of plastic. But how far is that possible?

Because we use it in everything from buildings to carpets, "A world entirely without plastic is unrealistic," argues Kelly Oakes in an article for the BBC.

For healthcare, the loss would be "devastating." In hospitals, it is used for everything from gloves and syringes to surgical instruments. During the pandemic, the world depended on plastic for masks and respiratorsA device worn over the mouth that stops you from inhaling toxic fumes..

Then there is the packaging used to protect and preserve food on its way to the supermarket. Without it, highly perishableLikely to go bad or decay quickly. goods like berries "might end up left in fields, unpicked."

Broccoli wrapped in plastic can last an extra week in the fridge. Even tins of tomatoes and beans rely on an inner coating of plastic.

In some cases, using plastic can even be better for the environment than alternatives. Growing vegetables in polytunnelsA polythene-covered frame under which plants are grown outdoors. helps save water and reduces the need for weedkillers.

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

In clothing, cotton is a natural and biodegradableCapable of being decomposed by bacteria or other living organisms. 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.

According to sustainability expert Dr Sharon George, the answer is to work out which plastics are vital and which we can do without. In some parts of the world, the only safe drinking water comes in plastic bottles - but if the water supply were improved, the bottles could be dispensed with.

"We're too quick to buy something cheap and disposable," she says. "We ought to be making things so they are compatible, and there's more standardisation, so things can be swapped and mended."

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.

Albatrosses - A type of very large seabird.

Non-profits - Tax-exempt organisations that provide a social benefit.

Toxicity - Being poisonous.

Mirage - An optical effect where you see something that is not really there.

Respirators - A device worn over the mouth that stops you from inhaling toxic fumes.

Perishable - Likely to go bad or decay quickly.

Polytunnels - A polythene-covered frame under which plants are grown outdoors.

Biodegradable - Capable of being decomposed by bacteria or other living organisms.

Synthetic - An artificial substance or material. It is made by humans using chemical processes, rather than occurring naturally.