Ocean Waste

A polluted water body filled with a bunch of plastic waste and debris, highlighting a severe environmental issue impacting the aquatic ecosystem and marine life.

The reason I chose the topic of ocean waste is because of how it can affect marine life and the ecosystem. I think this is interesting since we have so many ways of getting rid of waste, but it still ends up in our oceans. I have gone to the beach, and people always seem to leave their trash all over the ground, even though there are trash cans and recycling bins available. I find that people don't really understand that leaving trash on the beach can cause a much bigger problem. Also, the way we get rid of waste is causing this problem since most of the time our waste in America is being transported to other countries. The waste is transported by boats that are made to transport items. Sometimes when going through the transportation process, there can be problems which lead to the waste getting into our oceans and other bodies of water.

Ocean waste is always going to be a problem since there is already so much waste in the ocean. The main thing affecting marine life and ecosystems is plastic, as it can take a long time to decompose since plastic is not biodegradable, leading to microplastics that can go anywhere and accidentally be eaten by marine life, which can be considered hazardous waste. Since they are eating this plastic waste, it causes them health problems, such as taking up too much room in their stomachs, leading to starvation. Eighty-four percent of plastic that has been found and tested contains at least one persistent bio-accumulative toxic chemical. This is considered toxic waste even though plastic is recyclable. It states that "The world produces around 400 million metric tons of plastic waste each year. Every day, 2,000 truckloads of it are dumped into the ocean, rivers, and lakes." (CNN Earth Day The world dumps 2,000 truckloads of plastic into the ocean each day. Here’s where a lot of it ends up.) This shows how much waste we produce and how much of it goes into our oceans and other bodies of water.

So, ocean waste is definitely a big problem that needs to be decreased. There is so much waste to the point where, in a few years, it could affect marine life, creating more endangered marine animals. This would not be good for its ecosystem since it could affect the food chain, which is already being affected by the microplastics and waste that go into our bodies of water. I hope this is able to persuade people to make a difference so our bodies of water can get cleaner and be kept safer for marine life and its ecosystem since it is a necessity for us and them.

“Learn About Aquatic Trash | US EPA.” Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 26 June 2024, https://www.epa.gov/trash-free-waters/learn-about-aquatic-trash. Accessed 30 April 2025.

Reddy, Simon. “Plastic Pollution Affects Sea Life Throughout the Ocean.” The Pew Charitable Trusts, 24 September 2018, https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/articles/2018/09/24/plastic-pollution-affects-sea-life-throughout-the-ocean. Accessed 30 April 2025.

Dewan, Angela. “Earth Day: 2,000 truckloads of plastic is dumped into the ocean every day.” CNN, 22 April 2024, https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2024/04/climate/plastic-pollution-ocean-cnnphotos/. Accessed 30 April 2025.

“Great Pacific Garbage Patch.” National Geographic Education, https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/great-pacific-garbage-patch/. Accessed 30 April 2025.

“The Great Pacific Garbage Patch.” The Ocean Cleanup, https://theoceancleanup.com/great-pacific-garbage-patch/. Accessed 30 April 2025.