Plastic Pollution in the Ocean

Plastic that never goes away

Plastic is everywhere — in bottles, bags, toys, straws and food wrappers. It is light, cheap and useful. But plastic has a big problem: it does not rot away like an apple core or a leaf. A plastic bottle dropped today could still be around in hundreds of years, long after you are grown up.

Every year, millions of tonnes of plastic end up in the ocean. Much of it starts as litter on land. Wind blows it into streams, and rivers carry it all the way down to the sea. So a wrapper dropped far from any beach can still end up in the ocean.

How plastic hurts sea animals

Plastic in the sea is dangerous for the animals that live there.

• Eating it by mistake. A floating plastic bag looks just like a jellyfish — the favourite food of a sea turtle. When a turtle eats the bag, it can block its stomach and make it very sick. Seabirds often feed plastic pieces to their chicks, thinking it is food.
• Getting tangled. Old fishing nets, ropes and plastic rings can wrap around seals, dolphins and turtles, trapping them so they cannot swim or feed.

You can learn more about the creatures at risk in oceans and sea life.

Tiny plastic, big problem

Out at sea, sunlight and waves break large plastic into smaller and smaller pieces. The tiniest bits are called microplastics — some are smaller than a grain of rice. They are now found everywhere: in the deepest parts of the ocean, frozen in ice, and even inside fish.

Because microplastics are so small, sea animals swallow them easily. Tiny creatures eat the plastic, bigger animals eat those creatures, and the plastic moves up the food chain — sometimes all the way back to our own dinner plates.

What you can do

The good news is that everyone can help keep plastic out of the ocean.

• Use less single-use plastic. Choose a refillable water bottle instead of buying new ones. Say no to plastic straws and bags when you can.
• Recycle plastic properly so it can be made into something new instead of becoming litter. Learn how in recycling and reducing waste.
• Pick up litter safely, especially near rivers, parks and beaches, before it can blow into the water.
• Reuse containers and toys instead of throwing them away.

Try it yourself: a beach clean-up game

You don't need a real beach to practise being a plastic hero.

1. With an adult's help, gather some clean, dry plastic rubbish — bottle caps, wrappers, a yogurt pot.
2. Hide the pieces around a garden, room or park.
3. Set a timer for five minutes and see how many pieces of "plastic litter" you can collect, just like a beach clean-up.
4. Sort what you found: which pieces could be recycled, and which could be reused?

When you next see real litter near water, you will know why it matters to pick it up. Every piece you stop is a piece that never reaches a turtle, a dolphin or a fish.