Plastic has been affecting the oceans and land for a long time because plastic never truly decomposes, but instead just breaks down into smaller pieces. These smaller pieces then turn the oceans into a giant chemical soup which in turn impact the marine life.
But what about the plastics that don’t make it to the ocean? Do they affect the land animals? The answer is a definite yes. You may have seen a video where a dog or a raccoon is walking around with a plastic food container like a peanut butter jar stuck on their head. Some, including me, found it comical at first, but the result for many animals is no laughing matter. Food containers are generally made for tools like knives or spoons to be dipped into them, or to have their contents poured out. but they were certainly not designed to serve up tasty morsels to hungry animals. When an animal’s head is stuck, they may suffer from overheating, suffocation, dehydration, starvation, and eventual death from these elements. They also won’t be able to defend themselves if a threat were to occur. Wildlife may also accidently ingest plastic. Animals might mistake them for food, or they may consume it in the process of eating the food it contains. Plastic causes all kinds of problems in an animal including intestinal blockages. If you had ever tried walking around with a plastic container on your foot, then you’ll know that it’s both uncomfortable and difficult. But to animals, a piece of plastic stuck on their leg (for a mammal) or wing (for a bird) can result in them not being able to get away from predators and may even cause wounds. Ducks are also one of the animals suffering from plastic. Sometimes, plastic twines get stuck on their antlers. While that by itself may not seem important, bucks actually get killed by them. This is because bucks and other animals often spar with each other using their antlers, but it becomes deadly when the plastic litter prevent them from separating. Knowing the impact that plastic has on the animals around you, surely you would want to prevent things like this happening. And this is exactly why we created the plastic project. To reduce the amount of plastic wrongfully dumped into the land and oceans. By doing the monthly challenges you are doing a favour for our planet.
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