Most humans use plastic every day. From the bottle, we use to hold our water, to the containers we pack our lunch in, to the transportation we ride in to get to school, to the shoes on our feet. Plastic provides humans with a lot of conveniences, but what exactly does it do to the planet? Plastic is a massive problem for our environment. Here are five reasons why plastic is a growing problem.

1: Plastic hurts the animals

Plastic that isn’t recycled and disposed of properly often ends up in landfills and eventually our oceans. This thrown-out plastic can get stuck on animals. For example, a Sea Turtle can get plastic straws stuck in its nose and seals can get plastic wrapped around their necks which leads to injury and even death for the animals.

2: Most plastics aren’t biodegradable

Most plastic isn’t biodegradable, meaning it doesn’t break down or decompose. So plastic will stay in the environment for a long time, longer than many of us are even alive.

3: Destroys eco-systems

Plastic destroys ecosystems, killing animals and plants like coral.

A study shows the disease chance for coral reefs increases from 4% to 89% when plastic is present. Plastic also blocks out the sunlight causing many plants reliant on light to die out.

4: Plastic takes up space

Around the world, humans produce 380 million tons of plastic waste annually. That number is hard to even imagine, it’s about 95 tons of plastic bottles, containers, and cups.

Conclusion:

Plastic is a huge environmental problem for the world. Plastic floods the oceans, kills animals, and ruins ecosystems. Plastic also isn’t biodegradable and it stays in the environment for some time before being destroyed

More information is available here: https://www.worldwildlife.org/magazine/issues/fall-2019/articles/plastic-in-the-ocean