Plastic is slowly killing our planet. One of the most widely used products, plastic shopping bags are one of the most if not the most harmful products for our environment. Every year, plastic bags kill approximately 100,000 sea turtles and other marine animals. The creatures die either from strangulation or ingestion of the harmful materials. Plastic is slowly destroying the one earth we have to live on and we need to do something about it. Plastic bags aren’t the only harmful products that we use in our daily lives. Other plastic items like water bottles require large amounts of fuel to produce and transport from location to location. The fuel gets released into the atmosphere and pollutes the air we breathe. Also, most plastic water bottles end up in landfills where if they aren’t blown into the ocean, can take up to 450 years to decompose.
All hope, however, is not lost. There are many simple ways for us to reduce plastic waste without having to make big changes in our lives. One of the things we can do is switch from plastic water bottles to reusable ones. If you choose to switch to a reusable water bottle you could save the earth from an average of 156 plastic bottles a year. Another way to cut down on plastic use is to bring reusable bags to the grocery store. This can save tons of marine life from living in a polluted environment that is filled with plastic bags. Some people may argue that these options simply aren’t realistic for certain people. Whether they don’t have the budget to afford going plastic free or it’s simply an inconvenience there are still ways to contribute to the cause. You can start by recycling your plastic. Making the decision to throw that water bottle into the recycling bin instead of the trash makes a difference. There are so many ways for you to help save our planet. The size of your contribution can be small or big. Any effort helps to save our planet now and for generations to come.