Environment Essay Example: Ocean Plastics

Humans have been observed to be addicted to the use of plastic that has detrimental impacts on the environment. One of the massively affected areas is the ocean. In oceans with a substantial amount of plastic, the sand cannot be observed, and the beach is full of waste. It is vital to comprehend how the plastic gets to the oceans since its slow decomposition and breakdown into pieces is harmful to sea life. As such, the essay will explore the source of ocean plastics.

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Studies have indicated that a large amount of ocean plastics comes from land. One of the obvious ways through which plastics get to the ocean is by failing to recycle them and thus being thrown in the bin. Once the plastic is put in the bin, it usually ends up in the landfill. During the transportation of rubbish to the landfill, most of the plastic is blown since it is light and eventually drains to the water sources such as oceans and rivers. Besides, people tend to leave rubbish on the beaches which are easily swept by wind or tides and ends up in the sea (Newman, 2014).

The act of littering by people also has an impact on ocean plastics. When littering on the street occurs, it does not usually stay at one point. The wind and rainwater usually carry the plastic waste materials to the rivers and streams through the drains. It is vital to note that drains typically lead to the ocean. Consequently, the careless and inappropriate dumping of waste is a massive contributor to plastics in the sea (Moore, 2015).

On the other hand, it has been observed that the plastic production industry immensely contributes to some of the waste in the ocean. During production, small proportions of plastic can escape from the factories and end up in the sea. Also, improper disposal of waste plastic from the factories has led them to fill the ocean (Newman, 2014).

Moreover, most products used and drained have been purported to end up in the ocean. Products utilized daily may be flushed down the toilet. They may entail cotton buds and wet wipes among others. Besides, microfibers may be released into the waterways when clothes are washed using the washing machines. Due to their size, they are not usually filtered out by the wastewater plants and thus end up being used by small marine species. As such, they may be found in the food chain (Cressey, 2016).

Ships have also been pointed out to be a cause of plastics in the oceans though not directly. One of the ways through which ships can result in plastics getting to the sea is by dropping cargo. For instance, when a shipping container containing juice and milk bottles falls into the sea, they end up being a part of the ocean plastics (Newman, 2014).

The essay has explored the source of ocean plastics. One of the primary causes is from land whereby plastics are thrown in the bin instead of being recycled. They thus end up in the landfill and may further be blown to the oceans during transportation. Furthermore, littering also contributes to ocean plastics whereby they are carried by the wind and rainwater through the drains that lead to the ocean. Other sources of ocean plastics are ships and the production industry. Ships may drop cargo into the ocean while in microfibers may fail to be filtered out by the wastewater plants.

References

Cressey, D. (2016). Bottles, bags, ropes and toothbrushes: the struggle to track ocean plastics. Nature News, 536(7616), 263.

Moore, C. J. (2015). How much plastic is in the ocean? You tell me. Marine pollution bulletin, 92(1-2), 1-3.Newman, P. (2014). Plastic, ahoy!: Investigating the great Pacific garbage patch. Minneapolis : Millbrook Press.