Opinion: Recycling Helps Us All

by Emma Jenks

Plastic pollution is the randomly placed pieces of plastic across the earth that harm its living creatures. Many different species of animals are negatively affected by plastic pollution. 

Plastic is unable to be broken down like paper or cardboard, so it can continue to harm the animals and litter our earth forever. The only way to help keep the Earth clean and healthy is to recycle or reduce your use of plastics.

Plastic pollution negatively affects these animals; sea turtles, seals, sea lions, seabirds, fish, whales, and dolphins. All these animals are found in the oceans, because our trash spans from the west of North America to Japan. 

There is a sea of plastic that swirls around within the Pacific Ocean that is known as the Pacific Trash Vortex. 

The ocean animals sometimes think plastic is food, which can lead to either dietary problems or death from suffocation. Suffocation can also happen when they get trapped in plastic trash.

Although plastic can erode some, it will never fully decompose. Most plastics produced today are polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Bacteria can not break down PET plastic. The UV light from the sun can break it down very slowly. 

Recycling can be reusing old products for a different purpose. Some ways you can recycle on your own are; use reusable bags instead of plastic ones, use scrap paper for crafts, reuse glass jars and containers, use cloth napkins and towels, and recycle electronics. 

You can also recycle through cities or companies that specialize in recycling. There are usually places in town where you can recycle your plastic bottles, plastic sacks, glass bottles, paper, etc. These companies use recycled plastic to make new products or materials.

Plastic pollution is killing animals and harming our earth. Save the Dolphins, the fish, the seals, and recycle your plastic. Respect The Earth and reuse old products. We can turn this around if everyone does their part by recycling and reusing old products. 

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