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Plastic, to the modern-day consumer, is seen as a useful, cheap and easy material and indispensable to daily life, whether it be in the home, work or leisure. Not only has plastic helped shape the manufacturing industry into what it is today, but its uses have filtered into all aspects of society, replacing materials such as wood, stone, leather and ceramic due to its ease of manufacture, low cost versatility, and imperviousness to water. However, what many people don’t realise is the extent of the danger plastic poses to the environment, and the detrimental ripple effects that plastic pollution can have in our oceans and subsequently the diverse wildlife which calls the ocean their home.
Due to plastic’s cheapness and ease of use, our society has developed a ‘disposable’ lifestyle, which has led to an estimated 50% of plastics being used once, then thrown away. This has led to an abundance of used plastic products being thrown away which cannot be recycled, and therefore are either thrown into oceans by consumers, or dumped into a land fill to be potentially consumed by animals who have no idea of plastics toxicity to their bodies.
While it is not always clear to see the consequences of plastic pollution in our oceans to the wildlife, the few stories which have reached the news have been horrific, ranging from a sperm whale being found on the Mediterranean coast, having died from ingesting 26 plastic items, to a study showing that 70 % of dolphins stranded on beaches have ingested some sort of debris.
And it isn’t just the animals which have been impacted plastic pollution. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch not only kills sea life, but it also disturbs marine food webs, due to garbage collecting on the surface of the ocean and blocking sunlight. It is estimated to be between 0.4-8% of the size of the Pacific ocean. This prevents marine plants like plankton and algae from photosynthesising, and since these plants are some of the main autotrophs in the marine food web, the rest of the web is immediately threatened.
However, as much as humans have damaged the environment with plastics, there have also been measures, especially in Britain to combat this crisis. The introduction of the 5p charge on plastic shopping bags in large stores in England has resulted in a drop of 85% in single-use of plastic bags by shoppers, a significant achievement considering 7 billion plastic bags had been handed out by the 7 main stores the year prior to the charge.
So the next time you go to a supermarket or a shopping centre, bring a reusable bag or two with you instead of expecting to pay for one at the store, as every step you take in minimising your plastic pollution is a step towards saving our oceans.
By Manika Patel