Plastic Pollution

Plastic Pollution is something that has affected our Earth in many different ways.

Ways that plastic affects our Earth:

• Chemicals – Chlorinated plastic can give off chemicals that eventually sink into the ground and sometimes into water sources. Animals or humans that drink from these sources (groundwater, rivers, lakes, etc.) can be very harmed by these chemicals.
• Ocean – When plastic is dumped in the ocean, it can have a huge impact on the sea creatures living there. This plastic is sometimes ingested by sea creatures, and can even suffocate them, which can lead to the death of many fish, sharks, etc.

Facts

• Since the 1950s, about 18.2 trillion pounds of plastic has been produced.
• About 14 billion pounds of plastic are dumped in the ocean each year.
• It is projected that by 2050, 99% of sea birds will have consumed plastic.

What you can do to help

• The 3 Rs – Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. For example, you could go shopping, and get a few plastic bags, then reuse them a few times, then recycle them.
• Make sure you put all recyclables in the recycling can, and all trash products in the trash can.

Where I got these facts from

• https://americanlifestylemag.com/life-culture/health/trash-vs-recycle-do-you-know-when-to-trash-it/
• https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/plastic-how-planet-earth-environment-oceans-wildlife-recycling-landfill-artificial-a7972226.html
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastic_pollution