What the oceans have to say.
Impacts on marine ecosystems
One of the most obvious issues that plastic waste causes in the ocean on marine ecosystems. Animals will ingest, suffocate in, and entagle themselves in this plastic. Many marine animals mistake the plastic for their prey. As their stomachs fill with plastic, they will then die of starvation. The plastic can also injure these animals and cause them to devolop infections and also to be unable to swim.
Impacts on humans
The plastic in the ocean ends up returning to land to harm humans. Many types of microplastics have been found in tap water, beer, and salt. These have been found in every single one of the Earth's oceans. Many chemicals used to make plastic are carcenogenic and can cause severe disorders in humans, as well as other wildlife. Plastic also creates an issue as it washes up on beaches. In places where the economy is made up heavily of tourism, it hurts the appeal of these locations when plastic covers the beach.