The problem with plastic pollution: 5 tips to help save the turtles
Turtles are endangered, and our plastic consumption is one of the leading factors for this. That’s why we celebrate this species that outlived the dinosaurs every year on the 23rd May. It is a day to raise awareness about the daily struggles of the turtle and promote the ways we can help preserve their existence.
Photo by Jakob Owens on Unsplash
Plastic is wreaking havoc on our turtles, and marine life is essential for, well, keeping our ecosystem afloat. Searches found that 100% of baby turtles have plastic in their bellies, and plastic pollution affects the health of every sea turtle in our oceans. Ever been taking a dip and mistaken a plastic bag for a jellyfish and let out a high pitched scream? No? Well, to a turtle, plastic bags can look exactly like a yummy jellyfish. Sadly they often don’t realise until they are tangled up in the plastic handles.
The Problem with the Plastics (and I don’t mean Regina George)
Plastic is a 400 year problem. So yes, that plastic water bottle you drank from in high school that one time is still about, and will be for a very long time. Plastic is killing us. Like for real. It’s everywhere. We can’t seem to get away from it. Even with a huge amount of research and plastic-free alternatives we are still polluting the ocean with 12.7 million tonnes of plastic per year. And only 1% of this actually floats.
What can we do about it?
Quit with the single-use plastic. Seriously. The best thing you can do is to stop using plastic bags, and with all these amazing plastic-free alternatives we’ve run out of excuses not to. Single-use plastic bags have an estimated life span of 15 minutes, and over 1 billion are binned every minute. Are you shook? We’re shook. It's easier than ever to switch out those pesky plastic bags for reusable bags made from ethical materials such as recycled plastic, organic cotton or jute. Alternatively, grab a crochet needle and make one yourself… yeah, maybe not. No worries, we’ve already found you some:
Photo by Dustan Woodhouse on Unsplash
Recycle better. Close to 400 million tonnes of plastic waste is produced yearly, with 40% of this being single-use. And only 9% of this is being recycled correctly. Don’t chuck it in the recycling bin and hope for the best… check it. You could be doing more harm than good. There are so many guides like this to help you on your recycling journey. Ignorance is definitely not always bliss, so do your research. We recommend you start with our blog post to find out some ways to up your recycling game.
Stop smoking, for the Turtles. It has been recorded that 32% of plastic waste found in the ocean came from smokers, in particular cigarette filters. Not only do these filters release toxic chemicals into the ocean but turtles often eat them by accident. The filters then cause blockages in the turtle's digestive tract and lead to starvation and poisoning. So if you are looking for motivation to kick the habit… then do it for the turtles.
Use your purchasing power for good. Shop from brands that actively support good causes, like The Ocean Bottle, which invest in programmes that reduce single-use plastic waste. We have a bunch of great brands that repurpose plastic waste by turning it into swimwear, like Mangata London, SeaMorgens and Davy J.
Actively avoid products that contain microplastics. Microplastics are those almost invisible particles of plastic such as microbeads that go straight down our bathroom sinks and into the ocean. This one is tough. (I won’t lie and say I didn’t shed a tear or two when I found out that my favourite brow product was basically 80% microplastics. But we move and my eyebrows still look great without it). We aren’t saying that you have to give up your well curated face care routine, try swapping out one of your empties for something more turtle-friendly. Online resources such as this one, rate products on their microplastic content, so if you can’t fully avoid it, try something with a lower plastic content. Check it out to see how much plastic you’ve been unknowingly putting on your face. Be prepped for the worst though - we weren't… and it hurt. Check out our plastic-free section for more ideas on the kinds of swaps you can be making to reduce your personal plastic waste.
Photo by Brian Yurasits on Unsplash
Get active and make noise. There are so many ways that you can help protect sea turtles and our oceans from plastic pollution before you’ve even had your morning coffee. Support petitions like this or any of these that aim to ban the use of single-use plastics and prohibit littering. Donate what you can to Turtle conservations like Turtle Conservancy and The Turtle Sanctuary which are working to protect turtles and tortoises from extinction and illegal pet trade. Alternatively, get involved in your local beach or river clean up to prevent litter from entering our waters.
It’s not in our nature to be perfect and we don’t expect you to be. We just need to be making more imperfect daily changes. After all, eyebrows are sisters, not twins. So let’s save some turtles.
Words by Leonie Carver