Have you ever been to a marine area, such as a canal, bay, or beach, and seen particles of plastic floating somewhere nearby? Have you ever wondered how they ended up there in the first place? Well, it is actually not a complicated process, but it is a form of pollution caused by human behavior with dangerous environmental impacts on marine life.
According to National Geographic, pollution is “The introduction of harmful materials or substances into the environment.” There are different types of pollution, but let us focus on marine plastic pollution. As stated by National Geographic, marine pollution is “a combination of chemicals and trash, most of which comes from land sources, and is washed or blown into the ocean.” There are multiple causes of this problem, such as poor handling of waste, littering, and failing to use biodegradable or reusable products.
According to theoceancleanup, a non-governmental organization which helps clean up the world’s oceans, studies over the years have revealed that the North Pacific Ocean contains the most plastic and debris than any other ocean in the world. Primarily, this is due to the accumulation of 1.6 million square kilometers of piled-up garbage, plastic, and waste in the middle of the sea. This is known notoriously as “The Great Pacific Garbage Patch.” Putting it into perspective, “the patch has an area three times the size of France and twice the size of Texas,” says theoceancleanup. It may seem unfathomable, but it is true; some items found in the Patch appear to have production dates all the way back to the 1960s and 1970s — more than half a century ago.
Unfortunately, marine life often mistakes plastic for food, consuming high amounts each year, with deadly consequences. Studies done by The Center for Biological Diversity, a nonprofit environmental organization based in Tucson, Arizona, show that “fish in the North Pacific ingest 12,000 to 24,000 tons of plastic each year.” Studies done by Earth.org, an environmental awareness website, shows that about 100,000 marine animals are killed from consuming plastic each year, along with the staggering number of approximately one million seabirds dying from the same cause.
The problem may look insurmountable, but even so, there are ways to help resolve it, most of which are very feasible. Using reusable items is a very common environmentally-friendly practice. Reusable water bottles, shopping bags, and cups are just some of the many reusable items that could be used.
Helping clean up at local beaches, lakes, and ponds is another great way to do your part to protect our environment. You can do this by picking up your own trash, not leaving behind any items that could make it out to the water, or picking up any trash other people left. Upcycling is also a common practice that could put plastic waste to good use. According to recyclops.com, upcycling is the process of “taking plastic or any other recyclable material and turning it into something new without sending it through the recycling process.”
Instead of throwing away your next large plastic water bottle, think of the herb garden you could make instead! For reference, recyclops.com has multiple projects you could create, each under ten steps.
Remember, no matter how small the piece of plastic or trash you dispose of properly in nearby trash cans, you are still making a bigger difference than you could ever imagine! If everyone steps in and does their part to clean up litter and trash in our marine ecosystems, we are working towards the reachable goal of plastic-free oceans. So, next time you see a piece of plastic floating in water, ask yourself: If not you to keep our environments clean and protect our marine life, then who?
