The heart-breaking video of the sea turtle with a straw stuck in his nose went viral and helped launch the anti-plastic-straw movement. Recent estimates suggest there are plastic bottles every mile of the UK coastline. Americans use an estimated 50 billion plastic water bottles a year. A plastic bottle can last for years in the marine environment.
More than billion plastic bottles were sold in across the world, up from around billion a decade ago. Less than half of the bottles bought in were recycled.
Many plastic bottles used around the world are for drinking water, with China being the most responsible for the surge in demand over recent years. Along with this, major drinks companies such as Coca Cola produce the highest numbers of plastic bottles; analysis from Greenpeace estimates they produce over billion plastic bottles a year.
Bottles can last for years, they will be ingested by marine life and as these plastics break down they will create thousands of floating microplastics, which are life-threatening to fish and mammals. The biggest polluting country in the world is China.
The US was ranked in the Top The Nile and the Niger in Africa are the other two. Two-thirds of plastic pollution comes from litter being washed down rivers and drains, left on beaches, or being dropped in towns or cities. Plastic enters our oceans by poor management at landfills, illegal dumping, being washed down rivers and drains and litter being left on beaches, in towns and cities.
Where we are all contributing to the plastic problem, the country contributing the most to plastic in our oceans is China, producing 8. We have produced over million tonnes of plastic — this is set to double by The lack of oxygen in dead zones causes marine life to migrate to new areas — disrupting the balance of marine life in other parts. The impact of this plastic waste on the environment is set to become irreparable if we continue at the current rate.
Marine environments are becoming dead zones due to toxin pollution. In these areas, the oxygen is depleting, killing aquatic plants in these zones. This, in turn, causes marine life to migrate to new parts of the ocean, which disrupts the entire ecosystem. Combine this with the chemicals released from producing plastic, means we are vastly influencing the toxicity of our air and ecosystem, which inevitably leads to health issues of wildlife and humans.
Microplastic can be found in tap water, beer and salt. How does ocean plastic affect humans? Although the full extent of the impact is not yet known, what we do know is that these microplastics are full of toxic chemicals, which are bad for our health. Chemicals found in plastics such as BPA and phthalates have been found in humans and these affect hormones and cause issues with fertility and reproduction.
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Science The controversial sale of 'Big John,' the world's largest Triceratops. Science Coronavirus Coverage How antivirals may change the course of the pandemic. Beyond this broad distinction, the sources of ocean plastic can become slightly more complicated. It can be confusing to think that even litter from inland towns and cities is a source of ocean plastic.
The crucial thing here is that the sea is downhill from all water sources, so litter entering rivers or waterways can quite easily reach the ocean. Take a plastic bottle in a town as an example. The bottle is put in a rubbish bin on the street, it blows from the trash can into the street and then into a storm drain, and from here it can enter a river and be carried out to the sea.
This all shows us that when we throw items "away", there really is no such thing. Looking further at plastic waste from land-based sources, research by the Ocean Conservancy and McKinsey highlighted that plastic leakage in five countries studied could broadly be split into two types: uncollected and collected waste. Uncollected waste e. This could be due to the waste management system having insufficient controls in place or from storing waste in unfit locations, such as too close to waterways.
This study is just one example from around the world — ocean plastic is truly a global issue. The findings highlight that a crucial first step in managing plastic waste is establishing effective collection methods on land. For example, in a deposit return scheme , in which a refundable deposit is added to the price of a beverage, an empty bottle is no longer waste — it has a monetary value to be redeemed.
It is a simple, but effective shift in thinking: from waste, to value. But microplastics also include bits of what were once larger items. Microfibers, shed from synthetic clothing or fishing nets, are another problematic form of microplastic. These fibers, beads, and microplastic fragments can all absorb harmful pollutants like pesticides, dyes, and flame retardants, only to later release them in the ocean.
Think about all the plastic items you use every day. Can you count them all? Look around you. How many plastic things can you see? Being more aware of how and why you use the plastics that you do is the first step to reducing plastic use. Volunteer to pick up marine litter in your local community. Find a cleanup near you! Commonly found Plastics include cigarette butts, food wrappers, beverage bottles, straws, cups and plates, bottle caps, and single-use bags.
How to help? Reduce, reuse, recycle.
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