Plastic in Our Oceans

By: Shreeya Indap

Today's article

Plastic in our Oceans

Plastic is a normal thing in many people's lives. Yet, a lot of people don't realize that this trash is not getting disposed of where they think it is. 80% of the marine litter originates on land, and most of that is plastic! 
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Why is this bad?

Plastic kills. More than 100,000 animals die every year after ingesting or becoming entangled in plastic. It's also making coastal regions unpleasant for humans to live in! Not only that, this pollution also has huge costs for taxpayers and local governments that must clean this trash off of beaches and streets. NRDC reported that the annual costs for preventing litter from becoming pollution is $428 million per year. 

What can you do?

​1. Use less plastic! There are many easy ways to cut plastic out of your life, like using reusable bags or buying plastic made of recycled material.

2. Recycle. If you have to use plastic, make sure you recycle! Each piece you recycle is one less in the ocean. 

3. Take responsibility. Spread the word on using less plastic and set goals on how much you want to reduce your usage.