Plastic pollution has become one of the most pressing environmental issues today. As plastic production has increased dramatically over the past few decades, so too has the amount of plastic waste entering our natural environments.

Plastic now litters beaches, floats in oceans, clogs waterways, and pollutes landscapes all over the world. This is harmful to wildlife and humans alike. In this essay, I will discuss the impacts of plastic pollution and why it is an important issue that needs more attention, especially among youth like myself. Taking steps to reduce our plastic use can go a long way in reducing plastic waste and improving the health of our planet.

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Essay on Plastic Pollution (200 Words)

Plastic pollution is a major problem in our world today. Plastic takes hundreds of years to break down in the environment so when plastic trash ends up in the oceans, forests, and landfills, it sticks around for a very long time. Every year over 300 million tons of plastic is produced and much of it ends up as pollution. There are a few main ways plastic pollution impacts the environment.

First, plastic harms wildlife. Animals can get tangled up in plastic which can injure or kill them. Many animals also mistake plastic for food and eat it, which can make them sick and starve them if the plastic fills up their stomach. Sea turtles especially are impacted by plastic pollution in the oceans. Studies have found plastic in over half of sea turtles.

Plastic also pollutes our waterways and oceans. Tiny pieces of plastic less than 5mm big are called microplastics. These microplastics float in the ocean and are also found in lakes and rivers. They absorb harmful chemicals and can end up in the seafood we eat. Plastic pollutes beaches and makes natural environments look trashy.

Finally, plastic pollution impacts human health. Chemicals added to plastics can leak into food and water, causing harm. People also breathe in plastic particles in the air. One big way students can reduce plastic pollution is by refusing single-use plastics such as bags, straws, bottles, and packaging. We can make a difference through the choices we make each day!

Essay on Plastic Pollution (500 Words)

Introduction

Plastic pollution has become a major environmental issue around the world. As plastic production and consumption have rapidly increased over the past several decades, we are now faced with the effects of all that plastic ending up in the natural environment. Plastics are slow to decompose yet are heavily used in single-use items. This has resulted in a massive amount of plastic waste accumulating in landfills, rivers, oceans and landscapes everywhere. Plastic pollution is extremely harmful to wildlife as well as human health. In this essay, we will take a closer look at the sources and effects of plastic pollution and what can be done to start reducing this problem.

Sources of Plastic Pollution

A major source of plastic pollution comes from single-use plastic products and packaging. Items like plastic bags, water bottles, straws, plastic cutlery and food packaging are often used once and then thrown away. Even though some of these plastics are recyclable, a lot of it ends up as trash due to low recycling rates globally. Each year over 300 million tons of plastic is produced worldwide and much of it is not recycled. Plastics that are not properly disposed of end up polluting environments on land and water.

Another huge source of plastic pollution comes from microplastics which are tiny plastic fragments less than 5mm in size. Microplastics come from larger plastics breaking down into smaller and smaller pieces. They also come from microfibers shed from synthetic fabrics and microbeads found in some cosmetic products. These microplastics easily find their way from landfills and sewage systems into oceans, lakes and rivers. Microplastics are dangerous because aquatic life mistake them for food. They also accumulate harmful chemicals and toxins on their surfaces.

Effects of Plastic Pollution

Plastic pollution has many detrimental effects on the natural environment. In marine environments, sea turtles, whales, fish and seabirds frequently become entangled in plastic debris which can injure or kill them. Plastic provides a surface for some barnacles, algae and bacteria to grow on which allows them to spread farther and outcompete native marine species. Floating plastic also provides a means for invasive species to travel long distances and colonize new habitats.

On land, plastic bags and other trash can choke and suffocate wildlife like mammals and birds. Animals are also known to ingest plastic they find outdoors which fills up their stomach, reducing their appetite and ability to feed properly. Over 700 marine and land species are known to be impacted by plastic pollution through ingestion and entanglement.Plastic pollution also has many negative impacts on human health. Chemicals in plastics like BPA can leach from containers into foods and drinks. People also breathe in and inadvertently consume microplastics in the air, water and food. Public health can be affected by plastic pollution through the increased spread of bacteria and disease vectors. There are also many economic impacts from plastic pollution through damage to marine ecosystems and losses in fisheries and tourism.

Conclusion

It is clear that plastic pollution is a major threat to the natural environment as well as human health. Producing less plastic overall, improving recycling systems and properly disposing of waste can help significantly reduce plastic pollution. We can also help by reducing usage of single-use plastics and plastic packaging as consumers. It is important that more people understand both the causes and effects of plastic pollution so that greater public awareness leads to action to address this environmental issue.

Young people like myself have an important role to play in rejecting single-use plastics and pushing for change to protect the environment. With thoughtful individual actions and global-scale solutions, we can reduce plastic waste to keep ecosystems and communities thriving now and in the future.

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