As most of us know, Earth Day is quickly approaching. This April 22nd, will be the 50th anniversary celebrating Earth Day. Since Earth Day is so close, I decided to talk about the issue of plastic pollution. I chose plastic pollution because it has a major negative impact on the planet, especially for marine animals. Below I listed facts about the issue.

•  About 8 million tons of plastic waste leak into the oceans from coastal nations each year.
•  Millions of animals are killed by plastics every year.
• Almost 700 species are known to have been affected by plastic pollution.
• Most marine animal deaths are caused by entanglement in plastics, or of starvation, because the marine animal’s stomachs were full of plastics which reduces hunger.
•  Over 100 marine species have been found with microplastics in them. These include the fish that humans will eventualy eat.
•  Sometimes the plastic passing through an animal’s digestive system, can block digestive tracks or pierce organs.

Even though plastics are a part of everyday life, there are some things we can do to lower the amount of plastic pollution. You could use ceramic plates instead of plastics ones, and use metal utensils instead of plastic ones. Make sure you throw your trash away in a trash can, so it doesn’t get swept into a body of water. Use reusable grocery bags instead of the plastic ones, and lastly, use reusable container to carry food in.

I got my information from National Geographic.