In this graphic, projections indicate that we’ll have produced 26 billion tons of plastic waste by 2050. Primary waste refers to plastic becoming waste for the first time. So, that value doesn’t include waste from plastic that has been recycled. [G. Grullón, Science]

You may have already seen pictures in the news and throughout social media much like this decomposing albatross with a stomach full of plastic waste.

These incidents are often caused by the plastics we use and discard on land. Plastic litter is a more common problem in wealthy, industrialized countries like the US and UK. Although we have the systems and resources to manage large streams of collected waste, our access to limitless single-use products and the other conveniences have brought us out of touch with the value of the materials we discard and the immediate effects of tossing them as litter. Although our waste management systems are not flawless, following common sense standards for disposal is tremendously better than leaving trash behind in an unintended spot.

[Dan Clark, US Fish and Wildlife Service]

No matter how they find their way into the environment, macro-plastics can be easily mistaken by marine life for food.

The jellyfish-like movement of a drifting plastic bag may come to mind, but this problem isn’t limited to physical appearances. A recent study conducted at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found that sea turtles responded most similarly to the smell of “biofouled” plastics as to that of their own food. This finding suggests that the unavoidable accumulation of microbes, algae, plants and small animals on the surface of plastic marine debris makes it more enticing for turtles to eat our trash.

Scientists estimate that nearly all seabirds and over half of our oceans’ sea turtles have ingested plastic. This blocks their digestive tracts and diminishes their appetite, resulting in malnutrition and population decline.

Fragments of plastic bags found in a juvenile green turtle’s stomach.[Victoria Gonzalez Carman, Business Insider]

Macro-plastics cannot chemically degrade, but they do physically breakdown into microplastic bits that are difficult to see or filter out of the water. Those tiny bits contaminate our drinking water and accumulate in seafood when consumed by fish. Even more often than macro-plastics, these tiny bits of microplastics are unintentionally consumed by marine and freshwater species.

Once ingested, microplastics break down into even teenier nano-plastics that can penetrate cell membranes⁠. This causes severe inflammation, breakage and decay of tissues in the gastrointestinal tract, absorption of harmful chemical additives, and often a stimulus response to toxicity. According to one study on the effects of nano-plastics, exposed fish exhibited severely altered feeding and shoaling behavior and metabolic function.

How does this affect human health?

Researchers from the University of California Davis and University of Hasanuddin found plastic debris in the majority of fish species sampled during their studies, all of which were marketed for human consumption. Notably, different streams of waste affected the two regions: textile fibers were found in 67% of species living off of the West coast of the US while larger microplastic debris were found in 55% of the species tested from Indonesia.

If the issue goes beyond marine species, into our drinking water and uptake by plant nutrients, how can we protect our health and address this issue over the long-term?

Survey your day-to-day activities and gradually phase out the non-essential single-use plastic products. Reducing your individual plastic consumption and opting for reusable or biodegradable alternatives will set an example for your family, friends, peers, and coworkers that’ll create a ripple effect of positive impact. When we all become stronger advocates for responsible consumption, we start to create shifts in social norms that can affect producers’ activities.

Odds are, you already have loads of plastic products at home. Don’t just throw them away! Refill, reuse, and repurpose the items you’ve already purchased or received as packaging. You will maximize utility to continue enjoying the durability of plastics while reducing your demand on new products/materials.

Advocate for responsible disposal and management of plastic waste in your home, at school, at work, at businesses you frequent, and to your local government. Spread the “trash talk” by sharing your knowledge to support a waste-conscious culture. In the United States, most of us enjoy the privilege of not seeing where the items that we throw “away” end up. That means we are all that much more responsible for learning about how we can be more proactive in reducing the waste we create and holding large polluting corporations accountable for their impacts.

Support or engage in research on the environmental and biochemical effects of plastic production, plastic consumption and use, or plastic waste. Simply sharing the results of intriguing new studies on social media can help to spread word on important findings!