Greenpeace has recently issued a report on the detrimental effects of marine debris on wildlife in the oceans. Their stunning report, full of statistics on how many species mistake plastic for food, and a region-by-region breakdown of how many pollutants are in the water, can be found here.

 For those of who who don’t feel like sifting through the 44-page report, here are some highlights and important points:

“The scale of contamination of the marine environment by plastic debris is vast. It is found floating in all the world’s oceans, everywhere from polar regions to the equator. The seabed, especially near to coastal regions, is also contaminated – predominantly with plastic bags. Plastic is also ubiquitous on beaches everywhere from populous regions to the shores of very remote uninhabited islands.” (p.5)

“It is the very properties that make plastics so useful, their stability and resistance to degradation, that causes them to be so problematic after they have served their purpose. These materials persist in the environment and are not readily degraded or processed by natural biological mechanisms.” (p.5)

“A review of entanglement and ingestion of marine debris by marine organisms conducted in 1996, showed that these phenomena had been know to affect individuals of at least 267 species worldwide. This included 86% of all sea turtles, 44% of all seabird species, 43% of all marine mammal species and numerous fish and crustacean species.” (p.13)

I highly recommend reading the full report. It paints a frighteningly clear picture of the damage that is being done on a daily basis and the long-term damage that is being created.

CNN also picked up on the issue when they discussed that the “swirling plastic vortex” is a menace to sea life. Here you’ll find another problem that plastics cause in the water system, which is very harmful to sea animals.

 This all goes to show that we’re clearly not the only ones who feel that plastic bags create huge problems around the world.

Progress is being made. Stay tuned – we’ll keep you posted.