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National Geographic

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Amazon | Miranda Paul | 2015

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Linda Elovitz Marshall | 2016
Amazon

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Molly Steer | Ted Ed | 2017

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Straw No More | Molly Steer | TEDxJCUCairns

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Ted-ed | 2020

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Ted-ed | 2015

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What really happens to the plastic you throw away - Emma Bryce

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ALLYSON SHAW | National Geographic

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A sea turtle swims through the water and spots a white blob floating near the surface. "Yum!" it thinks. "A jellyfish!" Chasing after its dinner, the turtle swallows the item. But the floating blob isn't a jelly-it's a plastic bag that could make the sea turtle sick.

This sea creature isn't alone: Over 700 species of marine animals have been reported to have eaten or been entangled in plastic. Scientists think that the amount of plastic in the ocean might triple by 2050-and that would mean seriously bad news for the ocean and the creatures that live there. But by understanding the issue and taking action, you can help stop that from happening.

What's the problem with plastic?

First, let's get real: Not all plastic is bad. Bike helmets, car airbags, and many medical supplies made with plastic save lives. Plastic water bottles can bring clean drinking water to people who don't have it, and plastic straws can help people with disabilities drink.

The problem is that most of us use and then toss way more plastic than we need: things like grocery bags, drink bottles, straws, food wrappers, and plastic packaging around toys. This kind of plastic that's used only once before being thrown away is called single-use plastic, and it makes up more than 40 percent of all plastic trash.

Where does the plastic go?

That's a lot of trash. Scientists think that 8.8 million tons of plastic winds up in the ocean every year-that's as if you stacked up five plastic grocery bags full of trash on top of each other on every foot of coastline in the world.

How does it get into the sea? Plastic left on the ground as litter often blows into creeks and rivers, eventually ending up in the ocean. And because plastic trash is different from other types of waste-it doesn't decompose back into nature like an apple core or a piece of paper-it stays in the ocean forever. That means discarded fishing nets and six-pack rings can entangle animals; harmful straws and grocery bags can be mistaken as food.

What can we do about it?

You can do so much to help keep Earth clean! You can look at how much single-use plastic your family uses by filling out a plastic journal for a week-then talking about what you can do to use less. Need ideas? Check out these quick tips to reduce your plastic waste. By working together, our choices can help save animals-and the ocean they live in.

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Time | 2018 | Brian S. McGrath

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One late-summer day, a team of cleanup volunteers was exploring the shore of the Anacostia River, in Washington, D.C. The water rippled under a hazy blue sky. Tall grass swayed on the mudflats. But something else caught the group's eye.

Along the shore were heaps of plastic bottles. They had drifted down the river and gotten caught in branches that dipped into the water. The more the group looked, the more bottles they found. They gathered about 500 that day. But how many more had made it downstream and into the ocean?

The world has a plastics problem, and not just with bottles. Candy wrappers, straws, toothbrushes, toys-all kinds of plastics are piling up in landfills. A recent study published in Science Advances estimates that landfills contain a large part of the world's 5 billion tons of plastic waste. By 2050, the amount could reach 13 billion tons.

INDRANIL MUKHERJEE-AFP/GETTY IMAGES

Governments are realizing that recycling may not be enough. Many want to eliminate some plastic items altogether. It could have a huge impact on the planet. "The problem can seem overwhelming," says Wallace. "But it's a solvable problem."

Plastic Pollution

Plastic litters beaches. Whales have been entangled in discarded plastic fishing nets. Plastic packing bands have strangled sea lions. Birds have starved, with bellies full of plastic straws and bottle caps.

Yet another danger is harder to see. Sunlight causes plastic to become brittle. Ocean waves then break the plastic down into smaller pieces. These bits collect pollutants already in the sea. Marine animals that eat them are poisoned.

ARFA/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

The Last Straw

"It's everyone's responsibility to make sure that plastic products are disposed of properly," Ashley Stoney says. She works for the Plastics Industry Association. But not all types of plastic can be recycled. Stoney says companies should find a way to make and use plastics that can be.

In December 2017, 193 countries signed a United Nations pledge to eliminate plastic pollution in the sea. Britain has outlawed the manufacture of products containing microbeads. Rwanda has made plastic bags and packaging illegal, except in hospitals. Scotland and Taiwan have banned plastic straws, and several coastal cities in the U.S. are following suit.

GARY BELL-GETTY IMAGES

"Saying no to a plastic straw is an easy way to make a big difference in the world," Lofflin told TFK.

After all, she says, it's our future that's at stake. "Do we really want to pass on to the next generation a world that's choked by plastic?"

Chew On This

Here's a tasty way to reduce waste. Bakeys, a company in India, has made the first-ever spoons you can eat. Their edible cutlery is made of millet, rice, and wheat. It comes in flavors like ginger-garlic and black pepper, in a paper wrapper. If you throw a spoon away, it decomposes in just a few days.

BI/BARCROFT MEDIA/GETTY IMAGES

Harvard University scientist David Edwards has designed an edible packaging material called WikiCell. It protects the food or liquid inside as a peel protects an orange. The translucent skin is made of food particles from chocolate, fruit, seeds, or nuts, so it's a delicious replacement for plastic wrap.
Assessment: Click for a printable quiz. Teacher subscribers can find the answer key in this week's Teacher's Guide.

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One late-summer day, a team of cleanup volunteers was exploring the shore of the Anacostia River, in Washington, D.C. The water rippled under a hazy blue sky. Tall grass swayed on the mudflats. But something else caught the group's eye....

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EarthDay

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Fact Sheet: Single Use Plastics - Earth Day

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END PLASTIC POLLUTION Fact Sheet: Single-Use Plastics The billions upon billions of items of plastic waste choking our oceans, lakes, and rivers and piling up on land is more than unsightly and harmful to plants and wildlife. Plastic pollution is very real and single-use plastics are small but have a large impact.

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Plastic-eating bacteria could help to solve a pollution problem, scientists think

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Plastic-eating bacteria could help to solve a pollution problem, scientists think

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BBC | 2020

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Scientists have supercharged how a plastic-eating bacteria gobbles up plastic - and it could help solve the pollution problem.

The bacteria was found in 2016 but now scientists have taken what it does and made it work much faster.

An enzyme is what helps the microscopic bugs to digest its food. The scientists have taken this enzyme, attached it to another and created a super-enzyme, which can convert plastic back to its original material in just a few days.

This is much quicker than the natural way plastic breaks down which can take hundreds of years.

Scientists believe this could be a big step forward to help the plastic pollution situation.

Getty Images

How did they discover it?

The scientists accidentally found one of the enzymes and discovered it could break down plastic in days.

They then used genetic engineering to connect this enzyme with a second one, Professor John McGeehan, one of the scientists, said it was like "two Pac-men joined by a piece of string".

They found that by putting them together "the digestion of the plastic bottles literally doubled. This allowed us to create a super-enzyme six times faster than the original enzyme alone".

Why is this good news?

"This is quite a significant leap forward because the plastic that ends up in our oceans today is going to take hundreds of years to break down naturally," Prof McGeehan said.

"Eventually, through sunlight and wave action, it will start to break down into smaller and smaller pieces - and we will end up with microplastics, which is a serious problem for the organisms that live in the environment."

But the super-enzyme removes the plastic completely in days.

This new discovery means plastics could be made and reused all the time which would reduce our use of fossil resources such as oil, which are used to make plastic.

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Plastic-eating bacteria could help to solve a pollution problem, scientists think - CBBC Newsround

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Scientists have supercharged how a plastic-eating bacteria gobbles up plastic - and it could help solve the pollution problem. The bacteria was found in 2016 but now scientists have taken what it does and made it work much faster. An enzyme is what helps the microscopic bugs to digest its food.

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There are some pretty savvy ways of getting rid of the plastic in your life for good!

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The problem with plastic pollution - National Geographic Kids

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Learn all about plastic pollution. How much plastic is in the ocean? Why is plastic pollution dangerous? What can we do to reduce it?

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Peekaboo Kidz

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What Is PLASTIC POLLUTION? | What Causes Plastic Pollution? | The Dr Binocs Show | Peekaboo Kidz

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Brains On!

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Human-made plastics are super useful -- they're lightweight, can be molded into anything, and they don't break down. And because plastic is so versatile, we humans have found lots of uses for it. But the fact that it last forever means we find ourselves with a plastic problem. In this episode, we'll learn about the invention of plastic, how it's made and recycled and what you can do to help handle plastic waste. Plus: A very special appearance by Gungador, a tricky mystery sound and a Moment of Um that answers the question: "How do glow in the dark things glow?"

One thing you can do now to help with plastic pollution is use Jenna Jambeck's Marine Debris Tracker to report where you're finding plastic in the environment.

Today's episode is sponsored by Old El Paso, Panama City Beach (VisitPanamaCityBeach.com) and Madison Reed (madison-reed.com and coupon code BRAINSON). You can support the show at brainson.org/donate

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‎Brains On! Science podcast for kids: Plastic: Why it's everywhere on Apple Podcasts

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‎Human-made plastics are super useful -- they're lightweight, can be molded into anything, and they don't break down. And because plastic is so versatile, we humans have found lots of uses for it. But the fact that it last forever means we find ourselves with a plastic problem. In this episode, we'll...

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The Good Stuff

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Did you know that if everyone in the United States tied their annual consumption of plastic bags together in a giant chain, the chain would reach around the Earth's equator 776 times!? In our inaugural podcast, Annie speaks with Rose Timmer, a community activist from one of the United States' poorest cities who successfully banned plastic bags. Way to go, Rose!

In this podcast, Annie also has a conversation with one of the environmental community's favorite entrepreneurs, Andy Keller, founder of Chico Bags. Hear about what inspired Andy to start his company, why the plastic bag industry sued him and why making money and making a difference aren't always mutually exclusive.

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‎The Good Stuff: The Good Stuff - Episode 1: Take THAT, Plastic Bags! on Apple Podcasts

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‎Did you know that if everyone in the United States tied their annual consumption of plastic bags together in a giant chain, the chain would reach around the Earth's equator 776 times!? In our inaugural podcast, Annie speaks with Rose Timmer, a community activist from one of the United States' poores...

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Curious Kid Podcast

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In episode 49, we learn the good and bad of plastic. Plastic is so useful that we find it in almost all of our belongings, yet the qualities of plastic that make it so useful are the same that make it so dangerous for our environment and for marine life. Season 2 Finale Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WCN89Z3Send Us An E-mail - curiouskidpodcast@gmail.comSupport Us On Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/CuriouskidpodcastFollow Us On Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/curiouskid...more

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children kids podcast ios apps education science discovery sharing

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From Curious Kid Podcast. In episode 49, we learn the good and bad of plastic. Plastic is so useful that we find it in almost all of our belongings, yet the qualities of plastic that make it so useful are the same that make it so dangerous for our environment and for marine life.

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National Geographic

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National Geographic