Each year, an estimated 18 billion pounds of plastic waste enters the world’s ocean from coastal regions. That is approximately the equivalent to five grocery bags of plastic waste per square foot of the planet’s entire coastline. Plastic waste is causing harm to the ocean’s creatures; from coral reefs smothered in bags, to turtles gagging on straws, and to whales and seabirds who starve to death feasting on waste instead of their normal diets.
Coastlines, rivers, bays, marshes, lakes, and streams are all
subject to careless pollution by humans that will eventually make its way into
the ocean. Working together we can prevent this by organizing community
cleanups of our waterways and educate our local community about the harms of
plastic pollution.
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| Image from Choose Falls Church. |