Plastic has become an essential part of everyday life. It makes up almost everything we own. Things such as clothing, household appliances, storage containers, toys, and cars all contain plastic. Plastic has dominated the world and is destroying our environment. Production is rapidly increasing, with absolutely no regard for the consequences. In 2015, 448 million tons of plastic were produced. That number is expected to double by 2050.
Microplastics and Their Harm
One of the reasons that plastic is so harmful is because it isn’t biodegradable. This means that it can take hundreds of years for plastics to fully decompose. Instead, it breaks down into tiny pieces called microplastics. Microplastics range from 5 millimeters all the way down to microscopic. They are everywhere, including our air, drinking water, food, and ocean. They have been found all over the globe, from the very bottom of the Marianas trench to the top of Mt. Everest.
While not always harmful, these microplastics are causing considerable damage to marine life. Sometimes the pieces pass through marine life without any effect, but they can also block organisms’ digestive tracts and fill their stomachs. Microplastics have been found inside the stomachs of mussels, shrimp, and fish intended for human consumption. By eating aquatic life that may have microplastic in it, we are, in turn, ingesting plastic.
What Can We Do About It?
Since microplastics are so tiny, there is little we can do to clean them out of already polluted environments. That’s why we need to reduce the amount of plastic we are using so that more does not pollute the Earth. To prevent microplastics waste, try to cut down on disposable plastics in your everyday life. Try opting for metal water bottles, reusable shopping bags, metal straws, and reusable storage containers. If you can, avoid buying products that are packaged with plastic. If everyone does their part to reduce our plastic consumption, we will have considerably less waste ending up in our oceans.
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Image Source: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/326144
Emma L The Carbon Newsprint 6/25/2021
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