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Plastic \u2013 a material of daily use that at first sight seems harmless. The plastics have become a material present in almost every aspect of our life. From computers and smartphones, through bottles of water and soft drinks and even in our toothpaste we can find this common material. So, it\u2019s not surprising that, like in many of the other things that humans consume, a part of those plastics that we use every day ends up in the Oceans.<\/p>\n
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The University of Georgia together with\u00a0 the University of California conducted a study about plastic pollution in 2010. Te conclusions of this study were:<\/p>\n
There are 192 countries located along an oceanic coast. In 2010, the 192 countries in total generated 275 million metric tons of plastic waste. According to the researchers\u2019 calculations, 5 to 13 million metric tons of plastic came to our oceans during that year, and most of that waste comes from people who live just over 30 miles from the coast. \u201cOur estimate of 8 million metric tons in the oceans in 2010 is equivalent to five plastic-filled supermarket bags per foot of coastline in the world,\u201d said study author Jenna Jambeck, environmental engineer at the University of Georgia.<\/p>\n
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It is estimated that each year plastics kill 1.5 million animals. And in this, we have no excuse. The contribution of plastic to the oceans is the 100% fault of the human being. How does this affect the ocean ecosystem?<\/p>\n
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As it\u2019s commonly known, plastic is not biodegradable, it takes about 100 years to disappear, in average. Needless to say, the effects of marine pollution caused by plastic are immeasurable.<\/strong><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.0.9″]<\/p>\n The plastic interrupts the entire biogeographic cycle and causes problems for the entire marine ecosystem. Several marine species are on the verge of extinction due to this type of ocean pollution. Plastic threatens the total existence of various forms of marine life, from smaller fish to large mammals and amphibians, and also to birds that depend on oceanic life forms for their food needs.<\/p>\n The consumption of plastic by sea creatures causes severe digestive problems.<\/p>\n Plastic includes toxic chemical agents. One of those toxic substances is Bisphenol A. This compound pollutes ocean waters causing an increased ocean spill.<\/p>\n Loose plastic nets used for fishing and plastic boxes cause oceanic debris by drowning life forms or becoming entangled in precious reefs, causing them to break.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.0.9″]<\/p>\n 1 \u2013<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>Avoid the abusive use of any type of plastic bottles. Water bottles represent one of the main problems of waste worldwide, since these are not always fully recyclable. For example, you can buy 10l bottles and use a bottle type that exist for athletes and fill that bottle of the cans<\/p>\n 2 \u2013<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>Forget plastic straws. It sounds silly, but the plastic straws are totally dispensable. Just out of habit, we use a lot of straws for nothing, when we can simply drink from the glass without problems. If you do not know the damage that a simple plastic straw can cause to the environment, I advise you to watch this video where a sea turtle will tell you:<\/p>\nWHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP?<\/h4>\n