Ocean Plastic Pollution

When plastics were introduced, they replaced glass, metal, paper and wood in many applications.That’s because plastic is a miracle. It’s cheap, light, can be formed into millions of products, and is incredibly durable.But these big benefits have led to a very big problem. Plastic pollution is now everywhere. And because it’s so durable, it’s not going away.Plastic pollution starts with us, mostly with single use plastics – bottles, cups, straws and bags, used once then discarded. Single use plastics make up half of all plastic waste.Very little is recycled. The plastic that doesn’t go to landfills may be shipped to other countries, or scattered as litter, and eventually gets washed into rivers and oceans, where it stays.There’s now a spinning garbage patch of plastic in the Pacific Ocean the size of Alaska!Nearly all sea turtles and large ocean mammals, like whales, have plastic waste stuck in their digestive systems.Nearly all seabirds, too. Small bits of plastic, which they mistake for prey, can eventually fill their stomachs, killing them.Plastic pollution is in all of us too. It breaks down into tiny particles called microplastics, which get into our water supply and food.But each of us can do something about it – starting by avoiding single use plastics.We caused the plastic pollution problem; it’s up to us to fix it.