KEEP BELLE ISLE BEAUTIFUL
For decades, Belle Isle has played a significant role in the lives of Detroiters; truly woven into the tapestry of life for residents of the City of Detroit
and many in the State of Michigan.
The popular urban island park welcomes four million visitors annually, which leads to substantial environmental consequences. As a result, litter is in abundance and dramatically pollutes its local and regional waters.
Keep Belle Isle Beautiful was created in 2017 as Belle Isle Park’s first
and only anti-litter initiative to
Through this initiative, we work together with the communities and
corporations to act locally while thinking globally and to connect our
behaviors in the Great Lakes region to the worldwide concern of
single-use plastic pollution and marine litter.
Belle Isle Conservancy and Keep Belle Isle Beautiful is
a proud member of the Detroit River Coalition.
HOW DOES PLASTIC AFFECT OUR HEALTH?
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In 1974, global plastic consumption per year was 4.4 pounds per capita. Today, this has increased to about 95 pounds — and this number is still set to increase. If plastic consumption increases at its current rate, according to National Geographic, by 2050 there will be 12 billion metric tons of plastic in landfills. It is said that by 2050, there will be more plastic in our world’s oceans than fish.
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91% of plastic ever produced has not been recycled and still exists today
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According to National Geographic, 73% of all beach litter is plastic. The litter includes filters from cigarette butts, bottles, bottle caps, food wrappers, grocery bags, and polystyrene containers.
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The average time that a plastic bag is used for is 12 minutes.
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Plastic bags are used one time for an estimated 12 minutes and then take up to a thousand years to decompose.
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Over the past 50 years, world plastic production has doubled.