Polluted Plastic?

I. Introduction

Plastic Pollution? I can tell you the exact photo that just popped into our heads when we
hear this term. This one, right? (Showing the photo of a sea turtle and garbage in the
ocean). You have all heard how plastics are affecting our marine creatures and, Oh!
The poor little sea turtle! And that’s great that you have an idea! Really, it is! We have
had this idea that “pollution is bad” since we are about seven. But this sea turtle is not
necessarily the problem. It is much bigger than it.

Plastics are leaving lasting effects on our ecosystems due to people’s improper disposal
of garbage. Plastic production also uses up many of our natural resources. It is up to us
to make a change in order to maintain our nation’s sustainability. Today, I want to show
you just what plastic pollution is and its effects, how big of a dent we are making in our
environment, and what steps we should take next.

II. Body

A. What Is Plastic Pollution?

Let’s say you want to throw away one plastic candy wrapper. Okay, no big deal. It’s just
one wrapper right? Well, Philippines is an archipelago, meaning we are entirely
surrounded by the ocean. But imagine if our ocean is filled with plastic wastes, what will
happen then?

Plastic pollution occurs when the plastic that has been gathered in an area starts to
negatively affect the natural resources, the environment and create problems for the
wildlife, plants and even in human population. According to the United Nations, they
called this problem as one the great environmental challenges of all time. Pollution,
specifically involving plastic, has been an ongoing issue but this epidemic now comes
with various solid and even lucrative solutions. But the problem persists. Why? Because
of humans, that’s why.

B. What are the Effects of Plastic Pollution?

According to GAIA or Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives, more than 163 million
plastic sachet packets, as well as 48 million shopping bags and 45 million thin-film bags
are used and disposed of daily in the country.

And as we all know, the Philippines is hit with an average of 20 typhoons a year. Thus,
flood is inevitable. When there is flood, the garbage or plastic wastes will be washed
away and will be sent to the ocean. The plastic problem is even made worse because
garbage dumping in the river is already a habit practiced by many Filipinos.
According to a study published in Science Advances, the country is one of the world’s
top three worst offenders of plastic pollution. This can be proven by the thick layer of
garbage floating in the canals, waterways and even in the rivers as if it were some
island. Now, let’s say that about ¼ of these end up in our ocean. That’s about as big as
an island of garbage just floating around in a year.

So what’s the big deal then? Pollutants found in the plastic deteriorate and leach into
the water leaving potential carcinogens in the water we drink daily. Now if all these in
our harbor are deteriorating, that means your fresh seafood might be slightly infested
with pollutants.

Even worse, the law of biomagnification, as defined in the Merriam Webster dictionary,
states that pollutants increase its “concentration in the tissues of organisms while it
travels up the food chain”. This means that each one of you, seafood lovers, might have
more pollutants in our bodies than we could imagine. Now, I bet you’re pondering what
happens to the rest of the actual plastic pieces left in our oceans. Plastic pieces like
these? Well, animals are ingesting them. In fact, plastic pieces are being found within
birds in the Pacific, meaning that the plastic pieces are actually killing them from the
inside out. The plastic found throughout the oceans could be a result of improper
disposal of our plastics.

C. What are the Steps We Should Take?

So what should we do?

We all know the 3 R’s: reduce, reuse, recycle, and it is a public knowledge that these
steps are generally good for the environment. What you might not know is that the order
of those words has meaning as well. These words are in order of greatest impact in
limiting plastic use, reduce being the most important. If you would like to scale back the
harmful effects of plastic pollution, follow the hierarchy of steps.

Remember that the most important impact is made by avoiding plastics in the first place,
if that can’t be done reuse and recycling are subsequent best steps! Be aware of the
quantity of plastic material you're using, and try to exchange plastic with something
more sustainable whenever possible. Reuse any plastic that you simply have already
acquired, and recycle used plastic to keep it out of the waste stream and reduce
demand for new plastic.

III. Conclusion

Now I am hoping that you’re all interested in doing something to help cut down on the
pollutants entering, not only our body, but millions of sea creatures as well. We know
the harmful effects of plastic on our environment and we all know the dent we put in our
planet in the production of these materials. We should all make an effort to use reusable
materials, however, if we must, to recycle our plastic wastes. Everyone, we must put an
end to the era of plastic so this little sea turtle can swim freely, but only our generation
can do so.