The World Economic Forum reports that each year about 300 million tons of plastic is being produced and half of it comes from single use packages, such as takeaway cups, food wrappers and grocery bags.

What's worse is that roughly eight tons of plastic gets in our seas and oceans every year, where it could be eaten by fish that can end up on a plate later on.

The amount of plastic waste that makes its way in waters around the world is growing every year, and if we don't stop this, by 2025 we could be faced with a terrifying 17 million tons of plastic in seas and oceans annually.

The Global Plastic Innovation Network, a program launched by the Global Plastic Action Partnership and UpLink, aims to find innovators who can come up with solutions to the plastic waste situation.

The Global Plastic Innovation Network is financially supported by Government funding from the UK's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and Global Affairs Canada.

Eight companies are already making a difference with regards of plastic waste and have come up with new ideas to fight plastic pollution.

One of them is Plastic Fischer, a company that has developed plastic collection systems for rivers, some of which already operate in Bali and their solution is easy to implement around the world thanks to the low-tech system.

Diwama is a company that provides a hardware and software solution for waste-sorting facilities. Its system uses AI-based image recognition software that aims to assist in sorting waste and in optimizing waste management.

Waste Bazaar is another innovator that operates in Nigeria and provides waste collection and recycling services. The company uses a mobile phone application that enables users to connect to the nearest recycling station and get "green credits" for any recyclable waste they bring in.

Another innovation comes from TONTOTON, a company that is working on a system in which communities from Vietnam and Cambodia earn their livelihood while they clean their own environment of plastic and other waste.