Day: July 22, 2022

General

The Dangers of Plastics: How They’re Harming Our Planet

Plastic is one of the most commonly used materials in the world. It’s cheap, versatile, and easy to produce. However, many people don’t know that Plastic is incredibly harmful to our planet. Plastic takes centuries to decompose, and it’s polluting our oceans and harming marine life. There are 6 ways continuous plastic usage will destroy our world, and here’s how we can reduce our reliance on it.

Killing Our Marine Animals

We share this beautiful planet with a lot of God’s beautiful creations, including an abundance of marine life. Unfortunately, a lot of that marine life is being killed because of plastics. Every year, around 100,000 marine animals are killed by plastic pollution. This is because they either mistake it for food and eat it, or they become entangled in it and suffocate or drown. Either way, it’s a tragic death that could have been prevented.

How?

Reducing our reliance on plastic is the only way to save our marine animals. We can do this by using reusable shopping bags, carrying a water bottle with us instead of buying bottled water, and avoiding single-use plastics whenever possible.

Ruining Our Water Quality

While it’s devastating that marine animals are being killed by plastic pollution, it’s not just them that are being affected. Plastic pollution is also harming the quality of our water. In fact, 90% of the world’s drinking water is contaminated with microplastics. Microplastics are tiny pieces of plastic that come from things like microbeads (found in face wash and toothpaste) and plastic bottles that have been broken down over time. These microplastics are harmful to our health as they can contain toxins that can leach into our water supply. They can also absorb other pollutants in the water, which can then be consumed by marine life and eventually end up back on our plates.

What Can We Do?

Again, the only way to reduce the pollution caused by Plastic is to reduce our reliance on it. This means using reusable water bottles, avoiding microbeads and single-use plastics, and recycling any plastic that we do use. Not only will this help to reduce the pollution caused by plastic, but it will also help to preserve our water quality for future generations.

Pilling Up Waste

Plastic pollution isn’t just harming our environment; it’s also causing a massive waste build-up. In fact, it’s estimated that by 2050 there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish. This is because we currently produce over 300 million tons of plastic yearly, and less than half of that is recycled. The rest ends up in landfills or in the ocean. This build-up of plastic waste is not only unsightly, but it’s also extremely harmful to the environment. Plastic waste decomposes and releases toxins into the soil and water, which plants and animals can absorb. This can cause a whole host of health problems, including cancer.

What Should We Do About It?

The best way to reduce the amount of plastic waste is to recycle …