Special Edition
polution has to stop
What do different people think about plastic waste in
Australian waterways?
One of the most serious problems in our
world today is the amount of plastic in the
ocean. Every time I visit a beach or take a
walk beside a river, I come across trash
like straws, shopping bags, plastic bottles,
and food wrappers. Much of this trash
often ends up in the water instead of the Plastic's long life span is one of the main
ground. It moves out to the ocean after reason of polution. Plastic cannot break
entering rivers. Many animals, including down like food or paper. For many years, a
fish and turtles, eat it because they think plastic bottle can remain in the ocean. It
doesn't truly go away even when it begins to
it's food. They become ill as such, and at
disolve. Until it becomes into small pieces
times they pass away. According to
known as microplastics, it simply gets
scientists, there could soon be more plastic
smaller and smaller. The fact that these
in the ocean than fish if people continue to microplastics float everywhere and are eaten
littering plastic in the same way as we do by fish that mistake them for food . People
now. may not know that they are
eating microplastic when they eat the fish.
Plastic pollution does not only affect one country. It affects every nation on the planet,
not just those in the US or Australia. In the ocean, plastic can travel great distances.
It is possible for materials from one nation to end up on the beaches of the other.
Plastic travels by storms, wind, and waves, and it is hard to remove once it is in the
ocean. Large garbage islands, sometimes referred to as "garbage patches," float in the
middle of the ocean. The Pacific Ocean is home to one of the largest, which is mostly
made up of plastic.
What do different people think about plastic
waste in
Australian waterways?
Animals are the ones who suffer the most Plastic pollution also affects people in
from [Link] turtles usually mistake
other ways. It stops travellers from
plastic bags for jellyfish, which is one of their
favourite foods. They are unable to eat real visiting beaches by making them appear
food because the plastic they swallow gets unclean. Businesses and jobs in areas
stuck in their stomach. Because they are that depend on tourism struggle as a
unable to fly or move properly, birds can also
result. Another job that suffers is
become caught in fishing netts or plastic rings
and die. As mentioned before, fish eat fishing. Fishermen will catch fewer fish
microplastics, and people who catch and if they consume plastic and die, which
consume those fish may also consume the will leave their families with less food
plastic. Plastic also harms seals, dolphins,
and money. Ocean plastic harms not only
whales, and many other marine animals. The
ocean will no longer be healthy if these the environment but also people and
creatures go extinct. businesses.
solutions
Another way to help is to take part in
The good news is that there are many
clean-up days.
things we can do to help solve this
Many groups plan a beach and park
problem. The first and most important
clean-ups where people gather trash.
step is to use less plastic. Instead of One way to stop trash from entering
using plastic bags at the shops, we rivers and the ocean is to simply pick
can bring our own reusable bags. it up when you see it. Communities,
Instead of buying bottled water, we families, and schools may work
can bring our own water bottles. We together to keep a clean environment.
can also use metal or bamboo straws
instead of plastic ones. If millions of
people made these small changes, it
would make a huge difference.
What can the goverment do?
The position of the government are also
important. To give people a place to throw away
of their trash, more bins could be placed in
public areas. They may also apply recycling
laws harder and make sure that recycling takes
place out right away. A few single-use plastics,
such as shopping bags and straws, have already
been banned by some governments. By
following these rules, less plastic waste will be
made eventialy.
But if people don't change their habits,
the problem continues even with laws
and bins. Each person must be in
charge of their own trash. It may seem
small to throw trash on the ground
instead of in the trash can, but if
millions of people do it, it becomes a
serious problem. We are all responsible
for keeping the ocean's safety and
cleanliness.
In the end we all now know the problem of plastic in the ocean
is extremely serious. It damages the beauty of our planet, hurts
people, and harms animals. Every piece of plastic we throw
away could end up in the ocean, and it takes hundreds of years
for it to fade away. We need to take action right away if we
want fish, turtles, dolphins, and other marine life to have a safe
place to live. We must clean up more, recycle better, and use less
plastic. Governments and people must working together can
have a big impact. Instead of trash in the ocean, the ocean
should be full with fresh blue sea water.
Harvard style Bibliography
Australian Government (2024). Impacts of plastic debris on Australian
marine wildlife - DCCEEW. [online] [Link]. Available at:
[Link]
pollution/marine-debris/impacts-plastic-debris-australian-marine-
wildlife.
WWF Australia. (2019). WWF Australia. [online] Available at:
[Link]
McLeod, C. (2025). Sydney’s archaic sewerage system a ‘significant’
source of microplastic pollution into the sea. [online] the Guardian.
Available at:
[Link]
sewerage-system-a-significant-source-of-microplastic-pollution-csiro-
finds.
World Health Organization (2023). World Health Organization. [online]
[Link]. Available at:
[Link]
[Link]. (n.d.). Environment | Australian Bureau of
Statistics. [online] Available at: