Plastic pollution

Ivy
Period 2
3/26/15

Effects on the environment.

Plastic creates toxic pollution at every stage of its existence:
manufacture, use, and disposal. Plastic is a material that the
Earth cannot digest. Every bit of plastic that has ever been
created still exists, including the small amount that has been
incinerated and has become toxic particulate matter.
When dumped in landfills, plastic materials interact with
water and form hazardous chemicals. If these compounds seep
down towards groundwater aquifers, they degrade the water
quality, leading to groundwater pollution.

Effects on human and animals.

Blockage

due to plastic accumulation may form shelters for the breeding of mosquitoes
and other harmful vectors insects, which might cause numerous diseases in humans.

Bio-accumulation

of plastic inside animals is one of the most recent effects of plastic

pollution. Over many years, the accumulated plastic releases harmful chemicals, and
breaks down into small pieces causing extreme discomfort to the animals. After their
death, the body might decompose but the plastic fragments may remain as a threat to
other animals.

Burning plastic leads to contamination of the atmosphere, due to the release of

poisonous chemicals, leading to air pollution. requires laborers, who are at the risk of
developing skin and respiratory problems due to inhalation of recycling toxic
chemicals.

Wind carries and deposits plastic from one place to another, increasing the land litter. It
also gets stuck on fences, trees, towers or buildings and any animal might get tangled
and suffocate to death.

Effects of plastic pollution

on marine life.
From the whale, sea lions, and birds to the
microscopic organisms called zooplankton,
plastic has been, and is, greatly affecting
marine life on shore and off shore. In a 2006
report, Plastic Debris in the Worlds Oceans,
Greenpeace stated that at least 267 different
animal species are known to have suffered
from entanglement and ingestion of plastic
debris. According to the National
Oceanographic and Atmospheric
Administration, plastic debris kills an
estimated 100,000 marine mammals
annually, as well as millions of birds and
fishes. One million sea birds and 100,000
marine mammals are killed annually from
plastic in our oceans.

10 Interesting facts about plastic pollution.

In the Los Angeles area alone, 10 metric tons of plastic fragments like grocery bags, straws
and soda bottlesare carried into the Pacific Ocean every day.

Over the last ten years we have produced more plastic than during the whole of the last century.

50 percent of the plastic we use, we use just once and throw away.

Enough plastic is thrown away each year to circle the earth 4 times

We currently recover only 5% of the plastics we produce.

The average American throws away approximately 185 pounds of plastic per year.

Plastic accounts for around 10 percent of the total waste we generate.

Americans throw away 35 billion plastic water bottles every year (source: Brita)

Plastic in the ocean breaks down into such son every mile of beach throughout the world.

Annually approximately 500 billion plastic bags are used worldwide. More than one million
bags are used every minute.

mall segments that pieces of plastic from a one liter bottle of plastic from a bottle could end up
It takes 500-1,000 years for plastic to degrade.

Some ways to rise above plastic

Spread the word. Talk to your family and friends about why it is important to reduce
plastic in our lives and the nasty impacts of plastic pollution.

Seek out alternatives.

Bring your to-go mug with you to the coffee shop, smoothie shop or restaurants that let
you use them, which is a great way to reduce lids, plastic cups and/or when it comes to
shopping bags and bottled water. Cloth bags and metal or glass reusable bottles are
available locally at great prices.

Go digital! No need plastic-lined cups.

Choose to reuse for plastic cds, dvds and jewel cases when you can buy your music and
videos online.

Volunteer at a beach cleanup.

RECYCLE
RESUSE
RECYCLE
REPURPOSE
REDUCE

Work cited.

22 Facts About Plastic Pollution (And 10 Things We Can Do About It)

EcoWatch."EcoWatch. N.p., 07 Apr. 2014. Web. 23 Mar. 2015.

Gaikwad, Amruta. "Effects of Plastic Pollution."Buzzle. Buzzle.com, n.d.

Web. 26 Mar. 2015.

"Google Images."Google Images. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2

"Plastic Pollution."Plastic Pollution. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2015.