It is crystal that coastal changes are rapidly reaching the point where they must get the care that is called for. Talking about the water resources of the earth, plastic has done a major damage to them in particular like creating dead zones, choking marine life to death, hindering the birth rate of amphibians and countless more. Its criticality is self-justified and there is no denial. Waste counts are escalating with every passing day & something needs to be done.
To add to the awareness, here are some facts about how the dumped plastic waste is treating your water bodies when you leave the waste untreated.
1. There is roughly around 8 million tons of plastic which enters the oceans each year. That’s similar to dumping a truck full of plastic every minute in any water body.
2. Much of the plastic trash and waste dumped into the ocean is released at least a hundred miles away from the land, but it still washes up on beaches and coastal areas. All the marine species are affected by these man-made materials released in water.
3. Most of the marine litter is plastic-based. Research has shown that 80% of the plastic in water bodies is land-based litters or improperly managed solid plastic waste. This litter can enter water bodies along with rainwater, or be blown from landfills and uncovered dump loads.
4. Microplastic particles are more in the ocean than there are stars in the Milky Way. Microplastics come from various sources, including from larger plastic dumps that degrade into smaller units. In addition to that, microbeads are very tiny pieces of manufactured polyethylene plastic that are added to health and cosmetics which can pass through the filtration panels and wind up in oceanic waters posing a major threat to marine life.
5. 420 million tons of plastic were produced in 2017. This much amount of the material which has no biodegradable value is going to cause a lot of pollution, and as we look at the pattern of dumping, Most of it is going to wind up in and around the oceans and seas.
6. More than 50 percent of sea turtles have consumed plastic. Those creatures who have a lifespan of 200-250 years, now have a potential threat of getting wiped out due to plastic consumption.
7. Traces of plastic is found as deep in the ocean as 11kms, which clearly shows that the synthetic fibers have contaminated the water bodies to such depths.
8. The amount of plastic in the world’s oceans could increase by a factor of 10 in the next decade which is the current speculation backed by extensive research, after considering all the factors like less production of plastic, reusing, recycling etc.
Looking at these facts, we can now imagine how the circumstances will be in the coming years. Adversities can be controlled and brought down with time if we take some measures to treat the current plastic waste and reduce the usage of it in future. Alternatives to plastic will greatly help us in doing so and we can make better decisions for a healthy and prospering tomorrow.
