The Plastic Problem: From Shorelines to Sea Creatures

It starts with a bottle, a bag, a straw but it ends in the stomachs of whales, tangled around sea turtles, or swirling in the middle of the Pacific.

Every year, over 8 million tons of plastic waste flow into our oceans. That’s the equivalent of a garbage truck dumping plastic into the sea every single minute.

And once it’s there, it stays for centuries.

Real Stories. Real Pain.

Perhaps the most heartbreaking symbol of this crisis is the viral video of a sea turtle with a plastic straw lodged deep in its nostril bleeding, struggling, helpless. Or the dead whale found with 88 pounds of plastic in its stomach. These are not isolated incidents. They are the new normal.

From microscopic plankton to giant whales, marine life across the food chain is suffering. Animals mistake plastic for food, ingesting it until they starve with stomachs full of trash. Birds feed plastic to their chicks. Coral reefs get suffocated by plastic bags.

Microplastics, Macro Consequences

Even when plastic breaks down, it doesn't disappear. It becomes microplastics, which are now found in sea salt, seafood, and even human blood. We are eating what we throw away.

What Are the Alternatives?

We don’t need to wait for governments to solve this. We can all start today:

• Carry a reusable water bottle and shopping bag
• Say no to plastic straws and cutlery
• Choose products with minimal packaging
• Support brands using biodegradable materials
• Encourage local bans on single-use plastics

Every plastic item you refuse is one less threat to ocean life.

Let’s clean up our habits before the ocean cleans out its life.

- Project Blue