Approximately 500 billion plastic bags are produced each year and the UN Environment Program estimates that there are 46,000 pieces of plastic litter in every square mile of ocean. But there’s good news from the Great White North. For his science fair project, 16 year-old Daniel Burd of Waterloo, Ottawa figured out how to biodegrade plastic bags faster. Much faster — as in three months vs. one thousand years. Oh Canada, how about taking on the Pacific Garbage Island? [via Morgan Maher @ Reality Sandwich]