The problem with plastic in the environment.
Plastic doesn’t biodegrade. That means it doesn’t rot like something organic such as an apple. When plastic gets old it can become brittle and just breaks into ever smaller pieces of the same material- plastic.
Plastics bags can last in the environment for up to 1,000 years and as they float easily in air and water can travel long distances. Landscapes littered with plastic bags are hazardous to wildlife and visually unattractive, especially in our coast and marine environment.
Many thousands of marine mammals and seabirds die every year around the world as a result of plastic litter. Plastics appear to be food to marine life when eaten they can physically block the digestive system, causing pain, internal injuries, suppression of the immune and reproductive systems and death. Plastic sheeting and cloth can settle over immobile plants and animals like coral reefs, smothering them and rendering them uninhabitable and unproductive. Marine animals can also become entangled in plastics and die from strangulation
How long does marine debris take to break down in the ocean?
Item Length of Time
Newspaper 6 weeks
Cotton Cloth 1 – 5 months
Milk Carton 3 months
Natural Fibre Rope 2 – 14 months
Cigarette Butt 2 – 10 years
Styrofoam Cup 50 years
Tin Can 50 - 100 years
Aluminium Can 200 – 500 years
Plastic Bottle 450 years
Monofilament Fishing Line 600 years
