If no one picks up loose bags, they’ll find a way to the oceans. Some rights reserved by Julian Stallabrass.

Contributed by Heidi Weston

Our planet has a population of over 7.5 billion people , and as a result we dump a massive 2.12  billion tonnes of waste per year. This is partly because 99% of the stuff we buy gets binned within 6 months of purchasing – this isn’t including food, human, electronic and medical waste either.

This waste ends up in a variety of different locations; landfill sites, dumps, and worst of all the ocean. Plastic waste, if not recycled or secured in landfills, will eventually wind up there. If it continues at its current rate, in 10 years time there could be over 80 million tonnes of plastic floating in our seas – and that figure will continue to increase if no real action is taken soon. To put that into perspective, take a look at the infographic below that shows just how much waste that really is.

Ocean garbage patches

It is estimated that up to 267 marine speciesare affected by plastic pollution within the Pacific Garbage Patch alone. Too many other smaller garbage patches also exist in our oceans.

The plastic in the oceans is being transported all around the globe with currents. Imagine remote beaches on small Pacific islands, British coves and even Arctic ice covered in plastic.

Plastic is not biodegradable, but photodegradable. That is, it does not break down into other substances, but breaks into smaller and smaller pieces. Consider the sea life food chain: seaweed, zooplankton, small fish, large carnivorous fish, squid and finally sharks and dolphins – now there is plastic of all shapes and sizes affecting this food chain and even ending up back on our plates.

If that has shocked you as much as it shocked us, you’re now most likely looking for ways to reduce your plastic usage. Here are a few ways you can help our oceans:

• Refuse plastic bags; take reusable ones to the store.
• Reuse whatever plastic bags you accumulate despite your efforts.
• Recycle all of your rubbish. You can’t put plastic bags with the rest of your recycling, so find stores that will take them back.
• Stop using plastic straws. They can easily get stuck in the mouths, noses, and stomachs of larger marine life.
• Give up gum – Gum is made of a synthetic rubber aka plastic
• Purchase products in boxes not plastic bottles. Cardboard decomposes, so it is far better for our environment.
• Eat fresh produce that doesn’t come in plastic cartons and boxes.
• Support river and beach clean ups.
• Avoid microbeads in your face and handwashes, that is, if they haven’t been banned in your country already).
• Spread the word about organisations that are addressing plastic pollution.

So, next time you get a straw in your drink or get offered a plastic bag while doing your weekly food shop, think about our ocean. The following infographic comes courtesy of Eco2 Greetings and shows just how much of a difference you could make to our planet.

Editor’s note: See also earlier posts How ocean pollution affects humans, How to rid the oceans of plastic: Ocean Cleanup Project, and How to tackle the danger of plastic bags in the environment.