Fish get tangled in bags. In the United States, for example, plastic grocery bags are now banned or taxed in some cities. Nearly 700 ocean species—from zooplankton and fish to sea turtles and dolphins—have been harmed by plastic. That makes the bits of plastic smell like food to many animals.

You might use plastic water bottles, yogurt cups, and straws for just a day, but they can remain in the environment for years. Much of the rest ends up in the ocean, threatening the lives of the creatures that live there.Â, The problem is massive—and projected to get worse. Many of them can’t afford to buy bigger sizes. People in the ad were using plastic straws. Where does all our tossed-out plastic go? A father and son in Manila, Philippines, paddle through a river of plastic and other trash searching for bottles to sell to junk shops. Plastic Pollution. In the United States, for example, plastic grocery bags are now banned or taxed in some cities, including Seattle and Washington, D.C. And there is a nationwide movement to encourage people to stop using so many plastic drinking straws. This was thanks in part to one teen’s letter (see sidebar, below). Disposable items are driving up the amount of plastic waste we produce. In the Philippines, for example, some rivers have become clogged with trash. Eventually, it is swept out to sea. Plastic rings from six-packs of soda can be deadly. Plastic has also made cars and planes lighter. Making things from plastic is easier. They are called microplastics. You might use plastic water bottles, yogurt cups, and straws for just a day, but they can remain in the environment for years.

That creates pieces that are often tinier than a pinkie fingernail, called microplastics.

In the Philippines, for example, some rivers are now so clogged with trash that people can hop across the water on piles of discarded plastic rather than cross by bridge.     Plastic pollution is now a big environmental problem. The pact is a formal declaration of those countries’ intent to stop polluting the oceans with plastic waste.Â, Experts say such steps are  promising—as long as the efforts ultimately include funding and the manpower to help developing countries manage their plastic trash.Â, “We need to develop waste-collection systems around the world that are capable of managing the waste that is being generated,” Siegler says. “It affects not just the individual animals that eat plastic, but the animals that eat those animals,” he says. In some countries—particularly certain island nations in Asia—that’s a fact of life. Here are some easy ways to do that. And it has made hundreds of products cheaper. Haven't signed into your Scholastic account before? Your toothbrush. But our dependence on it has created an environmental crisis.

Much of the rest ends up in the ocean. They get sick. Common Core: RH.6-8.2, RH.6-8.4, RI.6-8.1, RI.6-8.2, RI.6-8.4, RI.6-8.6, RI.6-8.7, SL.6-8.1, SL.6-8.2, SL.6-8.5, W.6-8.1, W.6-8.2, W.6-8.7, C3 (D2/6-8): Civ.1, Civ.10, Eco.1, Geo.2, Geo.4, Geo.9, NCSS: People, places, and environments; Global connections. Beep!     Plastic in the sea kills millions of animals a year.

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2.

Study the photos on pages 2 and 3. Only a small amount of it is ever recycled.