Plastic litters land and sea,
Harming nature, can't you see?
Bottles, bags, and packaging galore,
Polluting beaches, forevermore.

 Discarded waste, a growing heap,
Microplastics, oceans steep.
We must act to turn the tide,
Reduce, reuse, recycle with pride.

 Our planet cries out for relief,
From this plastic-induced grief.
Time to make a lasting change,
Embrace solutions, wide in range.

 

What are the impacts of plastic waste?

Impacts on animals

Plastic waste is often blown by wind at the ocean or rivers, this results in fish and other marine animals mistaking the plastic for jellyfish. When animals eat plastic, it can make the fish sick or can even be fatal to the fish. Without healthy fish to eat, turtles and other animals will also get sick, resulting in a smaller population of marine animals. Also, humans might eat sick fish and die of disease.

Impacts on the world

Too much plastic can result in high global temperatures because plastic is made by burning oil, this releases vast amounts of carbon dioxide which make the world too warm to support life.

How is plastic recycled?

Plastic can be recycled by melting down plastic waste, then cooling it down to make a new thing such as recycled plastic benches. Shops such as Colse already has a plastic recycling program so if there were more recycling bins for plastic in Australia, people would not have to litter. Recycling plastic also benefits wildlife, creates job opportunities and also reduces demand for raw products. 

What is a good way of disposing plastic?

A good way to recycle plastic bottles is the containers for change system which recycles plastic which helps to stop global warming. Another way to recycle plastic is to give your plastic bags to shops that have a plastic recycling program.

How much plastic is wasted every year?

It is estimated that the world wastes 130 million tons of plastic every year, 1-2 million of that plastic waste goes to the ocean which means 0.5% of all plastic waste every year goes into oceans. In Australia only 9% of plastic waste is recycled and 84% is sent to landfill or is being incinerated.

What is a good alternative to plastic?

A good alternative is biodegradable plastic bags, these biodegradable bags are more eco-friendly and are better for the environment. Another alternative choice is paper, paper is very eco-friendly and is very easy to mass produce, but a bad thing about paper is that is very weak, and it isn’t very good, so people are trying to make better alternatives.