Affects of Plastic Pollution

Tourism

While plastic pollution is bad because of moral and aesthetic reasons, the impacts are more serious than that. The plastic congregates covering the shores of most beaches and coastlines. Coastal areas are known for their desired location to the ocean where people like to go and vacation or buy houses. Some hot spots feeling the effects of plastic pollution include the Bahamas, Bali, and the Dominican Republic. These destinations rely on their clear blue water and beautiful sandy beaches to attract tourists. In Tahiti for example, tourism is the leading economic driver and employer for the native people. Without tourism, the majority of people would lose their jobs. Plastic pollution has caused tourism to decrease in many of these places and natives are fighting it and preserve their economy. The highest plastic producers are China with 59.8 million tons per year, the United States with 37.83 million tons per year, and Germany with 14.48 million tons per year. The island destinations have to pay for the fault of other country's waste. In general, island nations emit the least plastic and emissions but suffer the most from their impacts.

Animals

In addition to tourism, the effects of plastic waste on wildlife is very grave. Globally, it is estimated that over 100 million marine animals are killed each year by plastic waste. Like many other marine animals, sea turtles mistake plastic waste for a viable food source, sometimes causing blockages in their digestive system. The species most affected in addition to turtles include seals and sea lions, seabirds, fish, whales, and dolphins. When cutting open whales found on beach shores, they are often filled with plastic waste. The issue isn’t just big plastic objects, but also the small ones. Plastic never disappears, it just breaks down to smaller and smaller pieces. These pieces smaller than 5 millimeters are called microplastics and they will forever be in the ocean. According to a 2017 UN report, there are more than 51 trillion microplastic particles in the sea, more than 500 times the number of stars in the Milky Way. Ingested microplastic particles can physically damage organs, immune function, and prevent growth and reproduction. It is bad that fish are suffering from micro plastics, but humans and all animals higher in the food chain then have micro plastics too.

Taking Action

Personally

Although the plastic situation may seem daunting, it is not too late to act and there are so many things you can do to help. You individually have a lot of power. We have to take responsibility and think about ourselves as contributing to the greater good rather than what's convenient for us. In your, every day lives you can choose to follow the 3 Rs of sustainability. We know these as reduce, reuse, recycle. Reduce means to reduce the amount of plastic you buy in the first place. This is the most important of the 3 Rs because it cuts the plastic right away and the other 2 steps. Some ways you can reduce your plastic intake is by bringing a reusable water bottle, utensils, and bags with you. You can also say no to plastic straws and do less take out. A good Instagram account that shows a lot of ways you can reduce your waste it @thezerowasteguide. Also, it is important to reuse any plastic you have. If you have plastic utensils and containers, you can keep them and wash them when you pack lunch again. Also, you can use plastic containers to hold other things like paintbrushes, art supplies, flowers, or store food in the fridge. You can get creative with reusing plastic and create art projects too. Lastly, we all know about recycling. Materials including plastic, glass, metals, and paper can be recycled. Even if the recycling bin is a few extra feet away, make sure you do your part in helping the planet. Another way you can help is by backing up organizations that are cleaning the oceans and beaches. One great organization is 4Ocean. For every $20 bracelet you buy, the company pulls out 1 pound of plastic waste from the ocean. To date, 4Ocean has cleared 1 million pounds of trash from the ocean.

Locally

In addition to your strides, you can also get involved in your local communities efforts. One fun and easy way to help is by joining one of the many beach cleanup groups in Fairfield county, getting involved with a high school club, or starting your cleanup with some friends. Some great groups that do beach cleanups in the are include Save the Sound, Surf Rider Foundation, Darien Environmental Group, and the Mystic Aquarium. At the high school, the Eco-club and National Honors Society have been doing beach cleanups too.