According to Robert Swan, the polar explorer and author, "The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it."  My name is Max Urquhart, and today I will tell you why we must stop the production of single-use plastic. Single-use plastic is plastic that is created to be used once and then thrown away. Some of the most common single-use plastics are plastic bags, plastic wrap, plastic bottles, and straws. We must urgently stop using single-use plastic, as it pollutes our oceans, is destructive to our wildlife, and breaks up into microplastics that work their way into our food cycle, and into our bodies. If you don't already agree that we need to stop using single-use plastic, hear me out, and I'm sure I'll change your mind.

Plastic in our oceans is a growing problem that we must address now. Every year, according to Our World in Data, an estimated 250 million kilograms of plastic enter the ocean, destroying habitats and coral reefs.  This is equivalent to one Garbage truck per minute being dumped into our oceans. Not to mention, plastic waste is incredibly difficult to clean up and can take hundreds of years to degrade. The current methods used to clean up the ocean also require a large amount of energy, which unfortunately also contributes to the climate crisis. Clearly, this is an issue that needs to be addressed urgently. We must reduce single-use plastic, as this is the easiest way to reduce plastic in our oceans and save the energy needed to clean up our oceans.

Over 800 species worldwide are affected by ocean plastic according to the United Nations. Over 80% of this plastic is single-use plastic. Thousands of marine mammals, seabirds and sea turtles including the endangered Pacific loggerhead sea turtle, get tangled in and consume single-use plastic. This has a deadly effect on sea life and can cause starvation, suffocation and drowning. If we don't clean up our oceans soon, more and more animals will become endangered, and the environment will suffer. We must help protect these animals and the environment and we must do all we can to reduce our use of single use plastic and we must make sure that whatever plastic is used is recycled properly. It’s our responsibility to all contribute to the conservation of marine life by shifting to reusable items such as metal straws, glass bottles, and reusable shopping bags.

Did you know that plastic doesn’t break down? Rather, it breaks up into microplastic particles even smaller than a strand of human hair. Marine life then consumes these microplastics. This can have a toxic effect and can cause genetic damage. According to Hepper.com, about 33% of all fish that humans catch have some form of plastic pollution in them. We then consume this fish that has plastic in it. Do you want plastic in your food? Unfortunately, this is the reality for much of the seafood we consume today. This is an alarming statistic and one that we should be deeply concerned about. We need to find a way to reduce the amount of plastic in the ocean, not only for the sake of marine life, but also for our own health and the planet.

 According to scientists, there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish by 2050.

We must reduce the use of single use plastics, as millions of pieces make their way into the ocean each day. This is devastating for aquatic life which can get entangled and consume these plastics. It also breaks up into microplastics and gets into our food and into our bodies. Urgent action must be taken, we need to act now to save our oceans and the animals within that call it their home. Say NO to single-use plastics and say YES to reusables and recyclables. 

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