TTO – Hundreds of tons of waste have accumulated into a large landfill the size of Texas in the United States, located between the western coast of the United States and Japan in the Pacific Ocean, threatening the ecosystem here.
Turtles are among thousands of species being deformed or becoming victims of waste. Recently, a turtle with its body partially constricted by a plastic strap was found.
Apparently, when it was a hatchling, its body got stuck in the plastic strap and couldn’t escape, leading to deformation.
It is believed that this turtle is still quite lucky compared to other reptiles, which are often exposed to a lot of trash in the marine environment in the northern Pacific Ocean.
Sea turtles are known to mistake plastic pieces for food, especially plastic bags, similar to jellyfish, a favorite food of theirs. The plastic bags block the turtle’s digestive tract, leading to a slow and painful death from starvation. Earlier this year, in Hawaii, a dead turtle was found with over 1,000 pieces of plastic in its stomach.
Greenpeace staff have found numerous species of seabirds dead, their stomachs filled with plastic items such as bottle caps, lighters, and balloons.
Plastic is estimated to make up 90% of the waste in ocean landfills worldwide, with the United Nations previously estimating that every cubic meter of seawater contains 46,000 pieces of plastic debris.
Trash found in the turtle’s stomach.
In addition to the threat to marine life, plastic waste also affects the survival of marine algae by blocking sunlight from reaching the seawater, making it difficult for algae to survive and thrive.
Addressing this issue will require many years, even decades, of effort to improve the marine environment. Although governments and leaders in some activities have initiated efforts to reduce plastic pollution.
Elsewhere, countries like Australia, Canada, South Africa, and even China have banned plastic bags to reduce environmental pollution. In the UK, the Daily Mail reports that the country has emphasized the threat of plastic bags and implemented measures to discourage the use of plastic bags starting from 2008.