How plastic really affects the environment
16th January 2019
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It’s common knowledge by now that our excessive usage of plastic is having a terrible effect on the environment (and if it isn’t for you, where have you been for the past few years?!)

Plastic Waste/Image Credit: RitaE on Pixabay
Plastic is kind of hard to avoid in today’s world – it’s inexpensive, convenient and makes our lives a whole lot easier. But if we’re to protect and conserve the world we live in, we must take the time to educate ourselves on where exactly this plastic is going to end up after we finish using it. Why is plastic so bad for the environment? Plastic isn’t biodegradable, which is the main reason it’s so harmful – it doesn’t decompose, it just stays how it is. Yes, it breaks down into smaller pieces, but it doesn’t disappear. Which means that when it isn’t recycled, it eventually ends up in the oceans. You know, that giant blue thing that's home to millions of animals and plants? According to a 2018 study in the journal Science Advances, only 9% of global plastic waste of the 6,300 metric tonnes produced has been recycled. The rest has accumulated in landfills and the ocean, where innocent marine animals die everyday because of our carelessness. Still not convinced? Let’s move on then! In the Ocean You’ve probably seen the countless photographs of marine animals that have unfortunately died due to strangling or consumption of plastic, so it’s not rocket science as to how dangerous an impact this can have on the environment.

Marine debris-laden beach in Hawaii/ Image Credit: NOAA Marine Debris Program on Flickr
According The Guardian, 'one refuse truck's-worth of plastic is dumped into the sea every minute'. In 2017, Blue Planet 2 aired a whole epsiode dedicated to the effects of plastic on our oceans. James Honeybourne, who helped produce the programme, warned that micropastics ''could be contributing to high levels of contamination in large predators''.
He said that more investigative work needed to be done into the effects of these particles as they "are now so pervasive in the ocean and are consumed by a vast number of sea creatures".
On Land 79% of plastic waste ends up in the oceans and on our land - whether that be in overflowing landfills or as litter in our streets, our plastic waste remains, practically taunting us and our stupidity.
Behold thy Landfill/Image Credit: Justin Ritchie on Flickr
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