About 300 million pounds of plastic is produced globally each year and less than 10% of that is recycled.
Overview:
8-9 million tons of plastic end up in our ocean every year. We are close to 1 billion tons of plastic and trash being in our ocean. 80% of marine pollution comes from land which can come from runoff and/or human activities. Nonpoint source pollution or runoff comes from cars, truck, boats, farms, and harvest areas. Nonpoint source pollution occurs less often which is good because it can have a large impact. Marine debris is a big issue because it kills and injures marine life at alarming rates. It doesn't only affect marine life it also affects navigation safety and overall human health. A majority of marine debris comes from storm drains and sewers which ends up on beaches. Shoreline and regular recreational activities play their part in the problem as well.
English: Our Perspective
I contacted a couple of Sea turtle rescues and hospitals as well as companies that just work closely with the ocean and see this problem first hand. I got responses back from a person from marinelife.org/ and someone from www.bonaireturtles.org/wp/about-us/our-mission/. They shared with me their perspectives on marine pollution and on their jobs. I sent them questions in a poll which consisted of questions about why they chose to do what they do and what their solution to this problem is. I then took their answers and analyzed their perspectives as well as how they are similar and/or different from each other. They both worked in completely different places but they had the same concerns and a passion to educate others. Below I linked my google doc with the perspectives and a picture of the poll.
Plastic is a huge problem facing our sea turtle populations. Sea turtles and other marine life can mistake plastic for food and/or get entangled in it. Digesting and getting entangled in plastic can cause injury and death to marine animals. Jellyfish are the main part of certain sea turtles diets and plastic floating in the ocean can look just like them. Sea turtles mistake plastic bags, balloons, and other trash as jellyfish which is hurting the sea turtle population. washedashore.org/ocean-ambassadors/ is a website where you can find artists who make giant sculptures of animals who are affected by marine debris. They collect trash found on shores everywhere and turn them into magnificent animals. This not only helps clean up and reuse the trash that is found on the beach but also can be used as a way to teach people. I was inspired by their art and decided to create a mini version. I sculpted a jellyfish out of plastic that I had collected over a few weeks. Collecting that plastic really made me think about how much plastic I actually use in a day. We never really think about how much we are contributing to a problem until we focus hard on what we do every day and try to make a change. For my jellyfish, I used plastic bags as the tentacles as well as two different types of fishing line. I wanted to get the different textures within a jellyfish while also showing the objects that can be harmful. I made the top of the jellyfish out of a Frisbee because many toys end up in the ocean from being left on shore. I added colors and reflectiveness with a flavored water plastic cover and iridescent plastic strands that give the jellyfish more life. This task was not easy and was based on trial and error. The point of this sculpture is to educate people on why these plastic objects are so harmful and putting it in the sea turtles perspective.
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