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Effects of plastic in the ocean
Three negative externalities that arise from plastic bags
Effects of plastic in the ocean
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Millions of plastic bags are given out to consumers by supermarkets and stores to carry their goods in. They are also cheap, light, durable, easy to carry and in many cases, free. The most commonly used shopping bag is made of High Density Polyethylene (HDPE). This type is used in the majority of supermarkets and stores. After these bags are used, they often end up in landfills or as litter, roughly only three percent of plastic bags is actually recycled per year (Planet Ark, 2011). The materials used in making plastic bags make them non-biodegradable. According to the science dictionary, 2011 refers to “these materials cannot be decomposed into environmentally safe waste materials by the action of soil bacteria.” These harmful substances are toxic and take approximately four hundred years to break down, or in this case photo-degrade; which is how plastics made from (HDPE) break down. Since they are not biodegradable, they remain in the environment and are absorbed in soil or water (Indian Centre for Plastics in the Environment, 2010). This essay will discuss the various harmful effects of plastic bags, and demonstrate the risks that these bags impose on humans, animals and the environment. It will also discuss a series of suggested solutions that could help reduce plastic bag usage.
Although plastic bags appear to be fragile and light, their negative environmental effect is devastating. Plastic bags may cause large amounts of pollution in every step of their limited life cycle, from the extraction of raw materials, production, transportation, and recycling or disposal. Plastic bags can be defined as the most damaging form of environmental pollution. They can have a damaging effect on marine animals and wildlife in addition to the aesthetic effects on beaches, parks, and trees. Plastic bags are potentially one of the main causes of death to marine animals (Harbor keepers,2008). Up to one hundred thousand marine animals or more die each year from eating plastic bags which are mistaken for food. This can result in blocking the animal’s intestines and possibly lead to the animal’s death. Another possible situation is that wildlife, such as birds, can get tangled in plastic bags causing choking and immobility, which may eventually lead to death. (Senior, 2008) and (Citizen Campaign, 2010). In other situations, after plastic bags photo degrade they remain toxic and could be eaten by fish, shellfish or any other marine life and survive this allows the toxins to enter our food chain through bioaccumulation (Puget Soundkeeper Alliance, 2011).
Plastic bags are harmful to our environment specifically towards animals. Thousands and thousands or plastic bags are found in the ocean, Using source C we see that plastic bags ranks at number four for kinds of debris found by the Coastal Cleanup. We also see that there is a variety of plastic items also mixed into the list, such as, caps, plastic bottles, straws, and containers. This much plastic polluting our oceans causes birds causes birds to mistake it for food lying about, as we can see one of the repercussions of plastic bags in source F . In source B a University of British Columbia found that 93 percent of dead seabirds had bellies full of plastic and even one bird had 454 pieces of plastic in its stomach. Plastic isn't only just dangerous to seabird it's
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is the largest garbage dump in the world. According to estimates made by experts, the patch holds approximately three and a half million tons of garbage. Majority of this garbage is made of plastic. This waste is a threatening problem to the patch’s surrounding wildlife. Many animals are caught in the floating pieces of trash and it is the cause of the deaths of about one million birds and about one hundred thousand other sea animals. Due to the oceans nature and constant moving currents, the trash is also constantly moving. Therefore the size of the patch never stays the exact same. However, scientists believe it be approximately two times the size of Texas. The plastic is mostly broken down from larger materials into small pieces. The patch has been referred to as one scientist as a, “plastic soup”. This garbage poses such a threat mainly because it does not biodegrade. These plastics will be in the ocean essentially forever. Many plastics also contain chemicals, and absorb other chemicals and pollutants they become exposed to. These newly absorbed toxins are then leaked and distributed back into the ocean over time. The chemicals can directly enter the bodies of the animals which consume them. A study was being conducted by scientists of the fish that inhabit the area around the patch. What the researchers found inside the belly of one fish (that was no larger in size than that of a finger), was eighty four small fragments of plastic. It does not take scientists to recognize the impact of this problem, Zach Gold, who is sixteen, is from Santa Monica California. Zach enjoys s...
Which means their obviously bad for the aquatic marine life environment & are cause many different forms of damage for them & us as one. On p.g. 23 of The New York Times upfront magazine “Birds,fish, sea turtles, & others are getting tangled in plastic bags or mistake them for food & choke”. Someone else might argue that they could the plastic bags in landfills instead of oceans. But that counter- argument is flawed because you’re just polluting by burning plastic which is bad on our part we’re not doing our part to support & taking care of the earth. Plastic in the ocean isn't just bad for plants & animals but for humans too because of the food chain some of us eat animals as a meat source such as aqua marine life like fish. If the fishermen catch fish that have been eating plastic then it's in our food supply if we eat that fish it's gonna be bad for us so many will end up getting sick from the plastic inside of the fish then what will we do our aqua marine food supply will go down the drain we couldn’t eat the fish since it's basically contaminated with plastic that we’re dumping there instead of trying to fix it & getting rid of plastic bags for good for the good of the earth. We’re causing damage towards the earth by dumping all that plastic into the ocean which damages our water supply it’ll poison us although we clean the water it depends on how big the plastic particles are, it’ll make us sick & sense it’s been lying in the oceans could bring in new pathogens &
Every year, an estimated 8 million tons of plastic waste enters our environment, severely polluting oceans, beaches, forests, and even the towns and cities we live in. In the ocean alone, it is believed that 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic pollutes the waters (“Plastic Statistics”, Ocean Crusaders).The majority of plastic pollution can be traced back to single-use items, such as grocery bags, bottles, and plastic packaging. According to United Nations Environment, “At the rate we are dumping items such as plastic bottles, bags and cups after a single use, by 2050 oceans will carry more plastic than fish…” (“UN Declares War on Ocean Plastic”, UN Environment). This pollution is a major problem and endangers not only the environment, but human
“In a 2006 report, Plastic Debris in the World’s Oceans, Greenpeace stated that at least 267 different species are known to have suffered from entanglement and ingestion of plastic debris.” (plastic-pollution.org, 2016) “The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration said that plastic debris kills an estimated 100,000 marine mammals annually, millions of birds and fishes.”(plastic-pollution.org,
Many waste and substances are being thrown into the ocean every year; the most common manmade item found is plastic. Every year, more than 5.3 million tons of plastic is thrown into the ocean. Plastic makes up for the death of almost more than 100,000 different types of sea creatures. Currently, EPA is working on solutions toward pollution. EPA partners with many countries to come to an agreement on what to do about ocean pollution. Pollution is a very important issue to resolve, especially in the ocean, because many things like plastic, chemicals, and other products are being thrown into the ocean which can harm many organisms and ecosystems in the ocean, whether if it is by an animal ingesting harmful waste or by strangling an animal to
With new technology and different resources that make human life easier, there are increased problems for the environment and wildlife. Plastic was a huge discovery and it has changed everyday life since then. Plastic has a low cost and has replaced many traditional products such as wood and glass. Because of their wide variety of uses, plastics are used throughout the entire world. This poses problems with how to safely dispose of plastics and the damage they cause when they are not disposed of properly.
It has been found at The University of British Columbia that “93 percent of beached northern fulmars had bellies full of plastic” (Source B). Birds and other animals have mistaken plastic for food, since they do not biodegrade, which has caused the deaths of many animals. Clearly there is evidence to support the claim that plastic is harmful to the environment and effects the lives of animals in many ways. In order to eliminate the number of deaths of birds and other animals, it is simply easier to find reusable bags of many sizes to use instead.
Therefore, with the information and research obtained it is acceptable to say that banning bags is a good idea overall. The banning of plastic bags will help the environment tremendously. According to statistics it takes an estimated 12 million barrels of oil to make as many bags as we use. Thousands of marine animals and more than 1 million birds die each year as a result of plastic bag pollution. It is said that even when plastic bags photo-degrade in landfill, the plastic never goes away, and that toxic particles can enter the food chain when unsuspecting animals ingest them. Yes, banning plastic bags seems like a great idea reading ...
The amount of plastic in the ocean is incredibly dangerous to the marine animals that inhabit it. For example, “Every minute [there] is the equivalent of a garbage truck full of plastic going into the ocean,” Samantha Raphelson (9). So when animals consume this plastic it messes up their insides and makes them sick, or kills them. For example “An autopsy found nearly 17 pounds of plastic inside the whale's belly,” Samantha Raphelson (2). Ocean pollution has caused many problems for everyone, and is the result of years of disposing trash and plastic into the ocean.
Using plastic bags are second nature to people in this day and age. Warner acknowledges, “Much to the dismay of the environmentally conscious citizens worldwide, the ubiquity of the free plastic carryout bag has bred nonchalant consumers who take this modern convenience for granted” (646). Although some people are conscious about the environment, people strive more for convenience and do not think about the impacts using bags have not only on the environment, but on themselves as well. If something is bad for the environment, it will alternatively be bad for humans as well. When plastic bags are exposed to the sun from being littered all around, the ultraviolet rays cause the substances of plastic bags to weaken. After the substances weaken, the substances become invisible to the naked eye. The substances that are no longer able to be seen are toxic to humans (Warner 649). As a result of plastic bags being littered around, animals consume plastic bags. This is negatively affects humans because animals are often consumed. When humans consume animals like, fish, there can be plastic in the fish’s belly, which then transfers to the humans and this poses a concern for human’s health. Humans are negatively affected by plastic bags because of the toxic chemicals in plastic bags, as well as, consuming animals with plastic in their
Our goal is to convince zoo visitors to start using reusable bags instead of plastic bags when they go shopping. Before I started volunteering to work at the bye to bags booth I already knew plastic bags were bad for the environment. However,
Garbage is another type of pollution in our oceans, and it can seriously harm marine animals. One of the worst culprits is plastic. Plastic garbage,which decomposes very slowly,is often mistaken for food by marine animals. Plastic bags can block an animal’s breathing passage. Toxic chemicals also cause serious pollution problems.
The marine animals consuming plastic can affect human health. Another example is shown in McDermott’s article, “Toxins build up in the tissues of the people who eat the contaminated fish and may lead to illnesses like cancer, reproductive disorders, birth defects, and other long-term health problems,” (McDermott, “Effects of Ocean Pollution on Marine Life”). While the marine animals are consuming harmful waste, humans are hunting the animals for food. Humans will them consume the marine animals, which can lead to illness from the harmful agents the animals were exposed to. These are just examples of plastics harmful effect on bodies of water and their