What is Plastic Pollution?
Plastic isn’t made to pollute the ocean, but there are up to 13 million tons of plastic entering marine waters each year. Most of it starts out on land as litter on our beaches, streets and sidewalks and is swept into storm drains, creeks, streams and rivers that lead to the ocean.
Foam
Expanded polystyrene foam products, including foodware, easily break into small pieces that litter the beach.
Bags
The 100 billion single-use bags used per year in the U.S. are easily replaceable with reusable bags.
Straws
Plastic straw litter can be very harmful to marine life, like blocking the airway of a turtle.
Butts
Hold On To Your Butt. Cigarette butts account for approximately one in every five items collected during beach cleanups.
Micro-plastics
From microbeads to plastic fragments to microfibers, this small but pervasive form of plastic is frequently found in the stomachs of fish.
Bottles
Despite availability of recycling, still less than 1/3 of plastic bottles are recycled in the U.S.
