There are lots of small ways you can make a big impact. Stop using disposable plastics. Support a baggage tax or ban. It goes without saying, but when using single-use (and other) plastics that can be recycled, always be sure to recycle them.
Currently, only 9% of plastic is recycled worldwide. Recycling helps keep plastics out of the ocean and reduces the amount of “new plastic” in circulation. If you need help finding a place to recycle plastic waste near you, check out the Earth911 recycling directory. It's also important to check with your local recycling center about the types of plastic they accept.
Box 844Ross, CA 94957 Shipments %26 General Inquiries 1-800-326-7491.Improve wastewater management by developing and building sustainable wastewater infrastructure for the 3 billion people who do not have access to controlled waste disposal facilities. Untreated wastewater contains a number of contaminants such as pathogens, plastics and chemicals. It can pose a serious risk to human and environmental health due to exposure to toxic substances, vectorborne diseases and eutrophication. The easiest and most direct way to limit plastic waste in the ocean is to reduce the use of single-use plastics.
Single-use plastics include plastic bags, water bottles, straws, glasses, utensils, dry cleaning bags, takeaway containers, and any other plastic item that is used once and then discarded. These seven ideas are only superficial to finding ways in which you can help address the growing problem of plastic pollution in the oceans. The plastics industry is using COVID-19 to take advantage of people's fears about sanitation and hygiene to interfere with legislation that prohibits or regulates the use of single-use plastic bags. Internationally, hundreds of organizations and companies are calling on the United Nations to enact a global treaty on plastics that establishes global rules and regulations that reduce plastic pollution.
This means that there is an opportunity to take advantage of the attention given to plastic pollution to address multiple ocean pollutants at once. We also need legislation that reduces plastic production, improves waste management and holds plastic producers accountable for the waste they generate. Discarded plastic fishing lines entangle turtles and seabirds, and pieces of plastic of all sizes drown and clog the stomachs of creatures that mistake them for food, from tiny zooplankton to whales. In addition, legislation that limits, taxes, or prohibits unnecessary single-use plastic items, such as plastic bags, takeaway containers and bottles, has been successfully enacted in many parts of the world, and you can also support the adoption of such policies in your community.
If your neighborhood or city has a recycling warehouse or accepts plastics for recycling as part of your weekly garbage collection, recycle all of your plastic. We can all do something to help solve the problem of plastic pollution, and millions of people around the world are already taking steps to reduce the use of plastic. For example, improving wastewater management on a large scale in a city or region can reduce the entry of plastic into the ocean and, at the same time, reduce nutrient pollution, which in turn improves the health of fisheries and coral reefs. According to data from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), of the more than 300 million tons of plastic produced annually, at least 14 million tons end up in the ocean.
Help remove plastics from the ocean and prevent them from getting there in the first place by participating in or organizing a clean-up of your local beach or waterway. The world has responded with countless initiatives, campaigns and agreements to ban plastic straws and bags; 127 countries have introduced laws to regulate plastic bags. .
Leave a Comment