Did you know that most of the garbage in the ocean is plastic?
According to a recent study by Nature Sustainability, 14% of trash in the ocean consists of single-use plastic bags and 12% plastic bottles. Food containers, wrappers, and plastic caps can all be found bobbing around in the water too!
Plastic doesn’t biodegrade in the water; it just breaks down into smaller pieces called microplastics. There is even a place in the Pacific Ocean called the Pacific Trash Vortex, which is just a big pile of plastic that spins around and around.
Phew, it’s making us dizzy just thinking about it!
Microplastics are really dangerous. Wildlife like fish, birds and turtles can mistake microplastics for food, causing them to suffocate. Microplastic can also get into our water supply, contaminating it and causing illness.
So, what can we do to stop plastic polluting our oceans and rivers?
The main thing is to start taking small steps to stop as much plastic as possible from going to landfill. When plastics are sent to landfill, they are so lightweight that they can blow away, and end up in the rivers, seas and oceans.
Stopping products going down the drain helps too. Even little things like flushing cotton buds down the toilets and washing synthetic fibres in the washing machine can contribute to ocean pollution.
Let’s take small steps together to help turn this tide!