plastic waste.pdf.........................

..

1. PLASTIC
POLLUTION

2. WhyDoes PlasticDamage
theEnvironment?
Themain problemwithplasticis thatittakesanextremelylongtimeto
decompose.Aplasticbottlecanlastforupto500years.Thatmeansthat
abottledroppedintheoceanorputinalandfillsitetodaycouldstillbe
thereintheyear2518!
Plastichastoxinsinitthatareharmfultowildlife.
Glossary
decompose:Rot,decay,breakdown.
landfillsite:Rubbishsiteswhere
refuseisburiedunderground.
toxins: Poisonoussubstances.

3. WhereIsPlasticFound?
Plasticisversatileandcheaptomake,soitisusedtomakelotsofthings.
Itis quiteeasytotellwhensomeitemsareplastic,suchasdrinksbottles
andshoppingbags.
However,plasticcanbefoundinsomesurprisingplaces:
•Someshampoos,facewashesandtoothpastehaveplasticinthem.
•Clothesmadefrommateriallikenylon,polyesterand lycracomefrom
plastic.
•Theoutsideofgolfandtennisballsaremadefromplastic.

4. WhyDoesPlasticDamageOceans?
Seacreaturescangetstuckinplasticbagsortheringsthathold
drinkscanstogether.Thiscancausesuffocation,starvation(because
theycan’tgettofood),ormeansthattheycannotescapepredators.
Seaturtlessometimesconfuseplasticbagswithjellyfishandeatthem.
Thisdamagestheirinsidesandtheycandie.Around70%ofdeadsea
turtlesarefoundtohaveeatenplastic.
Photocour tesyofStefanLeijon(@flick r.com)-grantedundercr eativ ecommonslicence–attr ibution

5. PlasticandtheEnvironment
Thebiggestproblemwithunwanted
plasticisthepollutionanddamageit
causestheenvironment.
Plasticbreaksintotinypieces,which
thengetblownaroundbythewindand
therain.
Itendsupinourstreams,riversandthe
ocean.
Alllivingthingsshouldbeabletolivefreefrompollutionandharmfrom
plastics.So,what canwedo?

6. PlasticIsUseful
Itkeepsthings
airtight,whichis
idealforkeeping
foodfresh.
Itiswaterproof
sonothingleaks
outordripsin.
Itcanbemade
intoarangeof
itemsfromchairs
tocars,diceto
drainpipes.
Itcan even
beusedin
craftand
artwork!