Last night's BBC documentary Drowning in Plastic has reignited the public conversation around plastic pollution, as viewers' heartstrings were torn after watching a seal pup, with its neck sliced open by a plastic fishing net, gasping for breath.

The issue first captured the public's imagination in 2017 when Blue Planet II showed the devastating impact of humans on the world’s seas. Both the Blue Planet II series and last night's episode, presented by Liz Bonnin, highlighted the tragic impact this waste is having on marine life, with whales seen to be dying from toxic levels of plastic-related pollution.

The scenes are dire - and the cold hard facts aren't much better. From how much plastic waste we're leaving among to to how long it will outlive us, here is what you need to know.

There are 6.3 billion tonnes of plastic waste on Earth

Even though plastic has around been around for the last 60-70 years, the material has dominated the way in which we conduct our lives, taking a crucial role in everything from clothing, cooking, engineering and product design.

Because of this, the rate at which we are producing plastics has accelerated; there is now billions of tonnes of plastic on Earth.

A report in Science Magazine estimates that 8.3bn tonnes of plastic has been produced to date. Of this, 6.3bn tonnes of plastic is now waste – a majority of which, some 79 per cent, is in landfill or the natural environment.