#PassOnPlastic

Some fantastic entries for the Sky Ocean Rescue #PassOnPlastic competition. Well done for having your voice heard and showing how much you care about our planet. This blog page, with all of your entries has been sent to Sky and you will also receive 10 merits. 

Daniela 7X

Into the Ocean

Oceans are the largest water bodies on planet earth. Over the last few decades, surplus human activities have severely affected marine life on the earth's oceans. Ocean pollution, also known as marine pollution, is the spreading of harmful substances such as oil, plastic, industrial and agricultural waste and chemical particles into the ocean. Since oceans provide the home to wide variety of marine animals and plants, it is the responsibilities of every citizen to play his or her part in making these oceans clean so that marine species can thrive for a long period of time. Mining for materials such as copper and gold is a major source of contamination in the ocean. For example, copper is a major source of pollutant in the ocean and can interfere with the life cycles of numerous marine organisms and life.

Ways to prevent pollution

The effects of ocean pollution can have a devastating effect on our environment and the health of our oceans. Marine pollution can cover litter sewage, oil spills, land runoff, industrial chemicals and taxis, oceans mining and littering to name a few of the main culprits. The effects pollution can have on the environment can be detrimental. Preventing ocean pollution is vital for the well being of the sea and marine life. To help prevent ocean pollution, we can use fewer plastic products. Plastic is one of the most common ocean pollutants and tonnes of it end up in our oceans every ear thousands of marine animas every year. So to limit the impact of pollution we need to start to recycle and to reuse the water bottles and other plastic products. Also another way is to bring our own reusable bags for shopping instead of buying ones made from plastic and then throwing away.

Corner shops are banning the plastic use, like Pizza Hut they are already using paper straws for drinks instead of plastic ones. Also when you take away food they give you in a paper bag. Zara and Primark are using paper bags for the products that we buy. The companies that are producing plastic, produce up to 300 million tones every year and more than 8 million ends up in the ocean.

Most of the plastic ends up in the marine animals bodies. Recently there was a documentary about a wale that was found dead. Inside of her there was a baby wale and almost 20kg of plastic and other waste. More than a thousand marine animals die each year. People also think that using biodegradable plastic is a good solution. But for the plastic to biodegrade it needs up to 50 degrees celsius. So by this we will need to burn it but then we end up the air pollution so is not a better idea. Also if it will degrade in the water the animals will end up eating the pieces of plastic. After that, we will eat the fish and other animals from the oceans and we will get sick. Also for the plastic to decompose it takes more than 500 years and up the 1000 years.

Water is a necessity of life. People and animals need clean drinking water. Farmers need water to irrigate crops. People enjoy using lakes and rivers for recreation. This type of pollution can cause long­ terms health problems for people. Wildlife can also die from exposure.

So we should start to recycle from now if we want to have clean oceans and for the animals to live a longer life. We should be a better example for others. And to encourage the recycling we can organize campaigns where we can present the effects that the pollution has over the oceans, the animals and us. We can make posters and put them in the school walls so other students will be able to see it and to make a change. Also by doing power point presentations and to show to them as well will be a good idea and it will be more interesting and attractive. We can organize a special day dedicated preventing the pollutions of oceans where we can have games and prices and were we can demonstrate how to recycle and clean the places that are polluted.

Siya 7X

Plastic Vs. Ocean 

The ocean is important to us in many ways, we depend on them for food, shipping products, transport, and for a clean, fresh breeze. The ocean is calm. The beautiful sounds of all the waves make us relax. However they are in DANGER.  This is all because of something we use everyday, plastic. Have you ever wondered where all your plastic milk gallons go after you chuck them in the bin?

Right now an estimated 12.7 million tonnes of plastic – everything from plastic bottles and bags to micro beads – end up in our oceans each year. Travelling on ocean currents this plastic is now turning up in every corner of our planet – from Cornish beaches, to uninhabited Pacific islands. How does all the plastic get in the ocean? There are three main ways the plastic we use every day ends up in the oceans. Plastic you put in the bin ends up in landfill. When rubbish is being transported to landfill, plastic is often blown away because it's so lightweight. From there, it can eventually clutter around drains and enter rivers and the sea this way.

Plastic is taking up 10% (or more) of our precious ocean. Adding on to that, 70% of that waste just sinks to the bottom of the ocean onto the seabed, harming the 228,450 species we know so far that live in the ocean like their sweet home. The ocean is the only habitat for all the sea creatures; it is not a home for plastic waste. It is similar to saying that someone is invading our home and taking over the house, leaving us homeless, sick, and eventually dead. We NEED to make a CHANGE. If nothing changes by 2050, then the weight of the plastic will increase to weigh more than all those millions of fish. Tens of thousands of whales, birds, seals and turtles are killed every year from plastic bag litter in the marine environment as they often mistake plastic bags for food such as jellyfish. Plastic bags, once ingested, cannot be digested or passed by an animal so it stays in the gut. That's just how it affects the animals, but plastic waste can also affect the ocean. When the materials are thrown in the river, they pollute the soil and groundwater with harmful chemicals and microorganisms. So be careful when u swim.

Here are some ways of preventing this from happening:

·       You can start using reusable water bottles instead of plastic disposable ones. Where u can then drink whatever you want, whenever you want. The reusable water bottles can be made of half of all plastic bottles out there.

·       Similar to reusable water bottles you can use sustainable shopping bags and a reusable lunch box, and for our Brit tea lovers, reusable cups. However, the most important one is saying NO to PLASTIC STRAWS. The plastic straws are taking up a LOT of our ocean. So when someone serves you soda or other drinks, and it includes a plastic straw, say NO TO THE STRAW.

·       You can also participate (or organise) a beach or river clean-up help remove plastics from the ocean and prevent them from getting there in the first place by participating in, or organizing a clean-up of your local beach or waterway. This is one of the most direct and rewarding ways to fight ocean plastic pollution.

·       GO AND SPREAD THE WORD!

These ways can make a HUGE change and that’s exactly what we want.

#PassOnPlastic                                           

Jenisha 7W

Reduce plastic and save oceans!

Why are oceans important?

We depend on our oceans for life. Oceans also absorb carbon dioxide and so help to protect the Earth from global warming and climate change. As well as being a core and main part of the water cycle, oceans absorb heat from the sun and distribute it across the globe. This means oceans help determine climate patterns around the world. Oceans provide important transport links, with 90% of the world’s trade carried by ships. Oceans are also a source of food, from fish to crustaceans.

Why are oceans in danger?

40% of Europe’s plastics are only used once, and then thrown away. Each minute, the equivalent of a rubbish truckload of plastic is dumped into the ocean. Plastic bottles are the third worst plastic polluter of the ocean and more than 13 billion single-use plastic bottles are sold in Britain each year. It has been estimated that the UK throws away between 4.4 billion and 8.5 billion plastic straws each year. Because of ocean currents, plastics and other rubbish can gather together in areas called gyres. The North Pacific Gyre is twice the size of France! Recent studies have suggested that there might be 80% more plastics on beaches than scientists previously thought.

How does this affect marine life?

Plastics in the ocean kill marine mammals such as whales and dolphins, as well as seabirds. More than 1,200 animal species are in danger from eating plastic or becoming tangled in it. Famous naturalist, Sir David Attenborough, has said: “There are fragments of nets so big they entangle the heads of fish, birds and turtles, and slowly strangle them... Other pieces of plastic are so small that they are mistaken for food and eaten, accumulating in fishes’ stomachs, leaving them undernourished.” Plastic fibres have been found inside the stomachs of sea creatures from 7 miles deep in our oceans.

 What is Sky Ocean Rescue?

Through its news channels, Sky is raising awareness of how plastics and other pollutants are affecting our oceans, and inspiring people to act. Sky is removing all plastic water bottles, and plastic cups and straws in its offices. Sky Ocean

Rescue encourages people to #PassOnPlastic and cut down on the amount of plastic they use.

What else is being done to help solve the issue?

One UK store has stopped selling all single-use plastic bottles. It has a drinking fountain in the store so that people can fill up reusable bottles. The Natural History Museum has said it will stop selling single-use plastic water bottles as part of efforts to reduce pollution in the world’s oceans. Director of science at the museum, said: “It’s vital that scientific institutions like the museum lead the way in the fight to understand and protect the natural world.” Most supermarkets now charge for plastic carrier bags. A representative from the Marine Conservation Society has said: “The 5p single-use carrier bag charge has made a massive difference to the number of plastic bags entering our seas.” One food shop is experimenting with ‘tattooing’ information such as ‘best before’ date on its avocadoes, using a special machine, rather than using plastic labels. The British government has announced plans for a deposit return scheme on plastic bottles – customers pay a fee when they buy a plastic bottle and get their deposit back when they return it for recycling. The government has also proposed banning plastic straws

Make sure you are recycling every single plastic that you see to help the oceans and sea creatures that live in the oceans.

Neel 7W

Did you know that 40% of Europe’s plastic is used once and thrown away and that between 4.4 billion and 8.5 billion plastic is thrown away? Many fish and sea creatures die. It is estimated that approximately 1 million seabirds die from scooping trash in their mouth. If you want to help, you can go to the rivers or seas and take out as much trash as possible and either recycle it or put it in the bin. If only people would do this and the world would be clean without anything getting harmed especially phytoplankton, which give 70% of the oxygen to the earth.

Another idea is that you could reduce the amount of plastic you’re using and pass it on. If you wonder how animals die from plastic it is that creatures such a seagulls fall into the sea when they see a crowd of fishes, which is what they eat, but they are not as smart as humans because the things that they try to eat is actually plastic which they might accidentally swallow thinking that it's sardines. Microplastics are microscopic fragments of plastic which are mostly found on the world's beaches. It is believed that there are 500 million more microplastics than stars in our galaxy.

More devastating facts are the most marine life that plastic kills are mammals such as whales, dolphins and seabirds. It is estimated that over 1200 animals were in danger from getting stuck in the plastic or even sadly dying from it. Even LAND animals could get into danger by plastic. A lot of plastic fibre has been found inside stomachs of sea creatures from 7 miles deep in our oceans. Also, another interesting fact is that the ocean takes all the carbon dioxide that helps to reduce global warming and climate change. If people are still throwing trash in the ocean it wouldn't be that long until people start to perish away.

Imagine if we didn't have the ocean and instead the earth had no water only land. We would die in weeks. So we should really appreciate the ocean and we should support it. Another way of preventing plastic killing species is to go to the beach and clear out any rubbish especially if it's in the sea or close to. If you see anyone throw plastic on the floor, PLEASE tell him or her to put it in the bin.

Athavan 7W

Our oceans. They cover about 71% of earth’s surface and also produce up to 70% of our oxygen. The ocean is what gives us life yet why do we treat it like we have infinite bodies of water? We must care for our planet and treat it well. Do you know how many animals are killed everyday, not by poachers, but by plastic? Millions of kilograms of plastic waste is floating around in our oceans polluting them and killing animals.

How do you feel knowing that the plastic bottle you dropped into the water last summer at the beach killed a poor turtle? All of us as a species must put an end to this tragedy. About 96.5% of water is in our oceans. What would happen if the ocean turned into a toxic wasteland filled with plastic?

Everybody can do their bit. Next time you go to beach why not pick up some litter? You could be saving lives by just spending 20 minutes cleansing the environment around you. If others won’t change you must. Why not encourage your friends and family to always recycle and minimize the usage of plastic. Tell parents to stop using one time usage tea and coffee cups. Make use of plastic that cannot be recycled by replacing costly things with plastic.

When plastic in the ocean collects up its called a gyre. The North Pacific gyre is twice the size of France. Can you imagine that? Imagine walking 1900 km or to put it into perspective OVER 316 HOURS!!! Across a wasteland of rubbish in the middle of the ocean.

Oceans are also helping us slow down a major issue, which is greenhouse gas emissions and one of the main gases involved is Carbon Dioxide. Oceans absorb C02 helping us slow down Global Warming. The UK’s fishing Industry alone is worth more than £900,000,000. What would we do without Earth’s oceans?

Aryan 7S

The ocean is in danger and this needs to stop; not only does this affect us but it effects marine life too. Animals like our beloved dolphins, fascinating whales and stunning seabirds are killed by all the plastic in the ocean; if you think that’s bad, can you believe that 1,200 animals in the sea are endangered from eating or getting tangled in plastic! This is a quote from the wise and famous naturalist, Sir David Attenborough “There are fragments of nets so big they entangle the heads of fish, birds and turtles, and slowly strangle them… Other pieces of plastic are so small that they are mistaken for food and eaten, accumulating in fishes’ stomachs, leaving them undernourished.” His words tell us how our actions of plastic waste can affect not just a few creatures thousands of innocent animals. So much plastic has accumulated in the ocean that plastic fibres have been found in the stomachs of fish over 7 miles deep in the ocean.

This is very important to take in consideration however the piece of information I will tell you now can affect us: scientists think that up to 70% of our oxygen comes from miniature ocean plants called phytoplankton. The Earth is wonderful and wants to help us because of its ocean’s help; oceans absorb carbon dioxide, which helps protect the Earth from global warming and climate change. The ocean is also a main way of transporting goods from different countries and all over the world; it covers 90% of the worlds trade and transportation carried by ships. The ocean may look to be just water but it isn’t, it actually is the food source from fish all the way to crustaceans! We wonder what sends weather patterns around the globe and now we know: IT’S THE OCEAN. It does this by absorbing the heat from the sun. The ocean is also a huge part of the water cycle too.

Facts

• ·       The estimate number of plastic straws that have been thrown away in the UK each year is between 4.4 billion to 8.5 billion.
• ·       40% of Europe’s plastic is used only once, then thrown away! (Neptune, Poseidon and Ganga won’t be happy!)
• ·       Plastic bottles are the third worst plastic polluter of the ocean and more than 13 billion single-use plastic bottles are sold in Britain each year.
• ·       Can you believe that each minute a rubbish truckload of plastic is dumped into the ocean? That means in a whole day 1440 truck loads are put into the sea!
• ·       Once thrown away, plastics break down into tiny fragments called micro plastics. They’re already found on most of the world’s beaches, and scientists think there are 500 times more micro plastics in our seas than stars in our galaxy. Can you believe that? The stars have been beaten!
• ·       Recent studies have suggested that there might be 80% more plastics on beaches than scientists previously thought. This is how polluted with plastic the beaches are, soon we won’t be able to build sand castles! ☹
• ·       Because of ocean currents, plastics and other rubbish can gather together in areas called gyres. The North Pacific Gyre is twice the size of France! That’s HUGE!!!

People and companies who are concerned about our environment have made a change so that single-use plastic is not available. McDonald’s have stopped the use of their plastic straws and now give paper straws with their drinks. The Natural History Museum said it would stop selling single-use plastic bottles to reduce pollution in the world’s oceans.

Kreena 7X

After all, we live on land. But our world is 70% water and from that 70% there is only 1% drinking water. The ocean plays a starring role in whatever happened with the environment. One big part of its role is to soak up energy (heat) and distribute it more evenly around the earth.

Plastic! Plastic! Plastic!

Plastic is very dangerous to our oceans as we dump all our rubbish in the ocean. The plastic in the ocean is killing fish by trapping them or by them eating the plastic which makes them very sick. If we do not stop then in 50 years time there will be more plastic weight in the ocean than fish. In some areas the amount of plastic outweighs the amount of plankton by a ration of 6:1. Of the more than 200 billion pounds of plastic the world produces each year, about 10% end up in the ocean. 70% of that eventually sinks, damaging sea life. Plastic, due to our misuse, has affected our oceans and led to increased levels of toxicity and pollution in the oceanic ecosystem. It not only affects sea life but also us as we eat the fish from the sea and if they have plastic in them then that could harm us too.

Abinaya 8X

Murder at our own hands

Oceans are in danger - did you know that 40%of Europe's plastic are only used once, and then thrown away by your own hands? Once thrown away, plastics break down into tiny fragments called microplastics. They’re already found on most of the world’s beaches, and scientists think there are 500 times more microplastics in our seas than stars in our galaxy.

This affects marine sea life as plastics in the ocean kill marine mammals such as whales and dolphins, as well as seabirds. This is an atrocity as many animals and seabirds are suffering from these acts by our hands. More than 1,200 animal species are in danger from eating plastic or becoming tangled in it. Suffocation is abusively violent and killing as these acts are being experienced by marine sea life.

There have been many acts to solve these issues. The British government has announced plans for a deposit return scheme on plastic bottles – customers pay a fee when they buy a plastic bottle and get their deposit back when they return it for recycling. The government has also proposed banning plastic straws, drink stirrers and cotton swabs. Furthermore the British prime minister, Theresa May, has said: “Plastic waste is one of the greatest environmental challenges facing the world, which is why protecting the marine environment is central to our agenda at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.”

Aksath 9S

We are destroying the ocean, the environment and sea life.

40% of Europe’s plastic are only used once then thrown away. It has been estimated that the UK throws away between 4.4 million and 8.5 billion plastic straws each year. Recent studies have suggested that there might be 80% more plastic on beaches than scientist previously thought. This means that whenever you go to the beach there are so many bits of plastic left over the beach as when the tide comes in it collects all the plastics and then takes it out to sea, which then kills sea life and sea animals.

This is wrong because the helps us in many ways like providing important transport links - 90% of the worlds trade is carried by ships. This shows that if there isn’t a ocean we wouldn’t be able to get the food and drinks of different varieties and other important things that we need daily. If we did not have the ocean we would lack of all of these things that we currently take for granted.

This is a very important issue and if everyone works together then this is something we can help to resolve. We will have a cleaner and safer ocean to swim in and for sea animals.  

Sky Ocean Rescue are aiming to deal with this problem and they are trying to encourage us to reduce and remove all plastic water bottles, plastic cups and straws in their offices and in our schools. They want to encourage people to #PassOnPlastic and cut down on the amount of plastic we use. You can help by:

•        Stop buying plastic bottles and reuse your water bottle
•        Stop using plastic straws and plastic cups
•        Use cotton bags when shopping rather than plastic bags
•        Give up chewing gum
•        Encourage your friends and family to also #PassOnPlastic

These are just some of the things that you can to help reduce plastic ending up our oceans. A little effort can then save a lot and you will have done a good deed at the end of the day.

What have the British government and industries started doing to help?

·       Plans have been announced for a deposit return scheme on plastic bottles where customers pay a fee that is then given back when they return it for recycling.

·       The government have proposed banning plastics straws, drink stirrers and cotton swabs.

·       Supermarkets now charge for plastics carrier bags. A representative from marine conservation society has said: “the 5p single carrier bag charge has made a massive difference to the number of plastic bags entering our seas”.

·       One UK store has stopped selling all single use plastic bottles and instead has a drinking fountain in the stores so that people can fill up reusable bottles.

·       The Natural History Museum has said it will stop selling single use plastic water bottles as part of efforts to reduce pollution in the world's oceans. Director of science at the museum said “it's vital that scientific institutions like the museum lead the way in the fight to understand and protect the natural world”.

Krish 9N

What have we done to our oceans?

Our oceans are filled with all of the waste that we as human kind have put into it. What has Mother Nature done to deserve this? We are putting it though pain and suffering just so that we can have a place to throw our rubbish or because we just don’t care and throw our rubbish on the ground which then goes and pollute our water.

The amount of plastic that’s within our ocean could almost scale up to the same amount of fish that is in our ocean. The amount of plastic in our sea could harm or even in endanger many of our marine inhabitants. Each year 100,000 marine creatures die because of the entanglement all because we can’t take the time out of our own hands and go and throw our plastic in the correct disposal. Also because of this approximately 1 million sea birds also die from us polluting our sea because we throw our plastic into the sea as a way so we can dispose of it. The amount of plastic that’s already there would not be able disintegrate as plastic lasts for thousands of years.

The only way we can do something to help is to stop as much amount of plastic that goes into the sea. This is as easy as using the least amount of plastic that we can.  Why not simply get a water bottle that’s not made of cheap plastic and reuse it? The plastic that we do use we should get rid of it in a proper manner such as recycling it so that it can reduce the amount that could be going into the sea.

Seabirds eat some of the fish that comes near to the beach shore. As we have so much plastic that travels all around the world, no matter where you are when plastic bottles get thrown into the sea it can travel across many places due to the currents in our waves. Sea birds mistaken the plastic for fish and that is how the population of sea birds decrease. When checked, there are a mountain of plastic within them which is the cause of death for these creatures. Also many other marine animals also mistake what the plastic is and think that it’s something that they are capable of eating. Due to this misunderstanding some of these creatures could become extinct all because we have no care for our environment, which the ocean is a big part of. The largest amount of plastic that has only been found within one bird would only be 276. On average there anything between 150 to 200 pieces, the amount of plastic could be weight of a medium size bird could be 15% of its body weight. It’s been estimated that 90% of all seabirds have ingested plastic in one point in their lives weather it shall be large amount or a small amount there is high risk that any of these creatures could die due to our carelessness for mother nature and what it has for us.

8 million metric tons of plastic enters the sea by land. Every year there is plastic trash that flows in the water and almost hits every inch in the world. The plastic flows into a circulation scattering but concentrating in huge swats in the midst of global currents breaking down bit by bit. The plastic doesn’t leave the ocean, it’s only made into a smaller piece of itself and shall continue destroying habitats within the ocean. An example would be that corral would be filled with layers and layers of plastic waste.

Najma 9X

There are 540,000 marine animals that live in our oceans worldwide. A beauty to the earth. However, 100,000 of those species die each year due plastic waste and whose fault is that? We are destroying our planet and we don’t even realise it. From fish to turtles and even frogs that are our pets which have been our friends and accompanied us through difficult times. Is this how we repay them, by ruining their lives and killing their family? They deserve better and so do we.

Plastic waste doesn’t just affect marine life but it also affects us. This is because of the plastic waste that goes in our oceans sometimes affects the health system of our animals which does not kill them but makes them really sick. Some of these symptoms are not noticeable and when stumbled across by fishermen and being sold, it can lead to dangerous food poisoning.

From statistics it has shown that more than 1,200 animals; species are in danger from eating plastic and getting tangled in it. If this carries on, it could lead to extinction, which is of paramount importance to us. Are we just going to sit back while we watch our earth being destroyed? And maybe who knows it, in the future it could be eradicated.

Have you ever thought about what marine animals do for us? Has that thought ever run across your mind? I’m guessing not and the reason for that is because the human race has become so indulged in technology and how they are portrayed in society. It has become almost impossible for them to realise what is going on around them.

We depend on our oceans for our lives. By that I mean scientist think that approximately 70% of our oxygen comes from tiny ocean plants. Our oceans are becoming transient, how long can it withstand our torture? The inevitable consequences will be substantial and there is a possibility there could be prodigious happenings in our oceans such as rise in climate change and many more.

However we can stop this. Here are a few ways to help decrease plastic waste. Take advantage of tap water. Bottled water may sound fancy but is it really healthier than tap water? Also plastic straws are becoming a really big problem especially in America. Americans use 500 million plastic straws a day. A day I repeat. Do you know how much damage that can cause to the environment? It is difficult to believe that we are inflicting this pain to the earth. We say that we are going to stop polluting our oceans but words don’t mean anything without actions. For example, Theresa May, the British Prime Minister said, ’’Plastic waste is one of the greatest environmental challenges facing the world, which is why protecting the marine environment is central to our agenda at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. Is this enough hope for us? Our actions are important and we should shouldn’t been taken advantage of. By this I mean we need to change our ways.

The smallest things matter like now most supermarkets now charge for plastic bags and this can really help. A representative from the Marine Conservation society has said, “The 5p single-use carrier bag charge has made a massive difference to the number of plastic bags entering our seas.’’

I want to end on a positive note. You can make a difference to the world you live in. Don’t you want the next generation to live in a beautiful environment? Help our earth be a better place for all of us.

Brian 10N

Our future with plastic 

Plastic pollution has pushed its way to the forefront of public opinion over the last few months sparking an international crisis of desperation to save our oceans. However, dumping single-use plastics into the sea has been going on for decades but like most things, it has taken its toll on marine life along with human life.

Plastic is not only filling our oceans it’s also spilling into our cities, Greenlands and, waterways. It’s composed of very toxic chemicals which take at least a few hundred years to break down and following its decomposition it leaves many poisonous by-products which we leave for marine life to ingest through water, air and, food. This is not even including plastics such as bottles and fishing equipment which are most commonly discarded by ignorant human not knowing that it will most likely end up entwined in the guts of innocent sea creatures.

A drastic rise in animals being “eaten alive” by plastic has been highlighted to show just how much damage we are causing. Many pictures such as the “hourglass” turtle and seals having fishing nets wrapped around their neck near to the point of suffocation shocks the large majority of us about the traumatic pain we are causing for sea life. Although this is an urgent and high demanding topic, it is shameful to see how low most of the human race has become by many ignoring this topic and carrying on to rely on convenience.

Charles Moore, a famous oceanographer, discovered what is thought to be one of, if not the largest “island” of plastic in our oceans. In the north Pacific, a whirlpool of ocean current is gathering more and more plastic debris to add to the pile. This “island” is apparently the twice the size of France and is predicted to double in size within the next 10 years if strict changes aren’t made. Professional predictions have said if there were 67 ships in a time frame of a year, only less than 1% of this floating wasteland would be cleared.

However, with all of these downsides, there are still many people who are willing to help save our oceans. Companies such as Sky and Take 3 have committed themselves to make our oceans a cleaner and safer place for all living things. In 2016 there was a technological breakthrough in ways to slim down the Pacific garbage patch. It is predicted that it could possibly take up to 5 years compared to conventional methods such as nets and scoopers, which would take thousands of years and billions of pounds to complete. Researchers have created a “coastline” to go around the “island” to collect waste and prevent it from escaping over or under it.

We as humans need the ocean to survive and if our ways do not change then it’s highly likely we will sit through a future of mass extinction, heavy pollution and an end to some of the most wondrous place on our planet. We need to come together as one whole nation and put an end to plastic pollution.