Plastic is the #1 pollutant in our oceans. Single use plastics are not recycled, and consequently are dumped or burned. Single use plastics harm marine life. Sea creatures who eat or encounter the plastic can get sick and die after ingesting it. Some animals are poisoned, some are asphyxiated, and some are trapped and unable to swim or evade predators. Plastic does not decompose easily, lasting between 500-1,000 years before decomposing fully. The plastic in our oceans have nowhere to go except to be eaten by sea creatures, or potentially harm them in some other way. Many countries depend on fishing or other forms of sea food to feed their populations. With rising plastic levels in our oceans, we have begun to see greater and greater concentrations of micro plastics in our sea food. These can be harmful to humans, or anything else that eats the sea food. Plastic has evolved into a massive problem, and as a result, we may begin to see lower yields for fishing and sea food harvesting, as well as reduced health of humans and animals who eat sea foods.
Plastic also pollutes our beaches. In the United States, plastic has become the most common beach trash item. This makes it unappealing for beach goers to use those beaches. The rising amounts of plastic on our beaches is a clear indication that there is a plastic pollution problem in our oceans.
Plastic Pollution
