Plastic In The Rainforest

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Since its invention in the early twentieth century by Leo Hendrik Baekeland, plastic has come a long way. What started as an accident has now made its way into everyday human life through items such as plastic cutlery, straws, bags, packaging, glitter, and so much more. After the plastic boom following World War II, plastic has increasingly become a problem for wildlife. Ocean wildlife are more susceptible to issues generated by plastic as more and more tons of plastic is being dumped into their habitat. Although some would argue humans have no reason to be alarmed, the truth of the matter is we are ingesting plastic each time we consume seafood. This is undeniably cause for concern as only recently have we been able to detect plastic in human …show more content…
showing the devastating effects of plastic on wildlife. For example, a video that has made a huge impact personally is a video of a turtle with plastic straws entangled in its straws. Thankfully, nearby boaters were able to pry the straws out of the turtle’s nostrils. However, it was not easy. Throughout the video the turtle is seen in distress as blood drips down its face and it struggles to free itself from the boater’s hands. This, unfortunately, is only one of multiple ways plastic in the ocean harms wildlife. Wildlife repeatedly mistake plastic and plastic particles as prey and erroneously ingest the plastic. In fact, sea turtles’ autopsies often return with high amounts of plastic such as fishing lines, six pack rings, styrofoam, plastic bags, and the like. Shilinger claims the influx of plastic in the ocean is to blame for the steady decline of leatherback sea turtles (2012). In addition, birds that feed on the surface commonly ingest plastic bottle caps. Since birds regurgitate to feed their young, particles of plastic are regularly passed on and also affect their …show more content…
Throughout many cities in Texas, such as Austin, it is city policy to forbid businesses from giving customers plastic bags. Instead, many stores give their customers the option to purchase reusable bags at a low price or simply retrieve their items without any type of bag. This policy has proven especially effective in my hometown Laredo, Texas. Before the plastic bag ban, streets, storm drains, and fences were often plagued with stray plastic bags. A couple months later and the city was seemingly spotless. Unfortunately, Laredo business owners appealed this city ordinance. The court case made its way to the Texas Supreme Court, where it was regrettably ruled as unlawful and struck down. This goes to say that the fight for the reduction of use of plastic, especially single-use plastics, is an uphill
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