Animals that live in the ocean get tangled up in all the trash being wasted and may even ingest it. Plastic in the ocean is problematic and a major health concern for marine wildlife. The reduction of waste by packaging can be vastly eliminated by simply reducing single use plastics. Finding a way to eliminate the use of plastic that is not totally recyclable would be beneficial to our damaged ecosystem. Disposing of such items that are tossed away incorrectly ultimately lead to increased amounts of plastic in the oceans today. The reduction of plastic wrapping and packaging would help the environment tremendously. As a citizen on the planet, it is very important to reduce the amount of pollution in the ocean.
Let us focus on a few facts; Eight million tons of plastic go into our oceans every single year. It is estimated that there is about 5.25 trillion pieces of waste in our oceans. Furthermore, the ocean environment is in immediate danger from lack of human intervention. The aim at reducing oceanic pollution should be a top priority for human beings. The oceans ecosystem are in immediate danger, due to chemical pollution in the water from plastic waste being disposed of carelessly. There are several ways to eliminate or at the very least drastically reduce our use of plastic waste. One is to completely stop buying water. In an effort to do our part, we can reuse water bottles and built in water filters. Another easy solution is cooking at home more often. It sounds so simple but makes all the difference. Cooking from home has many health benefits as well as eliminating the use of take out containers that end up in the ocean. Another option could be to bring your own food storage containers when eating out at a restaurant. Recycling is the best solution in reducing the amount of waste going into our oceans. Recycling at home and at work as well as, participating in neighborhood cleanups could reduce the amount of waste that ends up in the ocean.
Creatively, you can make a backpack out of recycled plastic bottles. If you made more backpacks out of all those plastic bottles being wasted in the ocean, we could vastly reduce and play our part in saving the ocean. In an effort to improve the environmental scenery, park benches are made out of plastic. There are so many creative ways to recycle. Reusing coffee creamer containers in the kitchen for snacks. It not only will help the environment but will save space in the cupboards. In addition, to being creative; turning a milk carton into a garden scooper. It is an easy way to garden your plants while recycling.
Simply following the leader in recycling would be effective in helping reduce plastic waste in the ocean. If more people recycled, we could all encourage one another to do better in saving the ocean. Humans have caused a threat to a great source of life. Furthermore, managing to create a positive change in the way we use and recycle plastic can help build a healthier future for the ocean. We must play our part to eliminate the plastic waste in the ocean before there is more plastic than fish thus affecting the food supply for millions of people. Plastic is everywhere. Plastic pollution is in the water we drink. Plastic is in the air that we breathe. We must do better to improve the environment we live in.
Essay by: Jennifer Holyfield
Brookline College
