We all love going to the beach, whether it’s swimming, diving, or just sunbathing, but beneath the surface of the water lies a huge problem. Waste today is thrown into the ocean, which causes a huge problem for marine animals. Some of the trash you throw out can remain for hundreds of years, and it’s usually eaten by the animals. Because of this, the animals can get all sorts of diseases and die, and even if they don’t get sick, there is a high chance of them choking on the trash. An example of this is water bottles. They might seem small and harmless, but they are made of plastic, so they won’t decompose for up to 450 years. Another is plastic bags, which take around 20 years to decompose, and they usually get wrapped around the heads of turtles, which leads to suffocation. Currently, more animals are dying from pollution today than ever before in Earth’s history. Studies show that by 2050, there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish. Plastic isn’t the only problem, though. Glass is also floating around the ocean, and its sharp edges can stab animals. In fact, one day when I was walking along the beach, I almost stepped on an extremely sharp piece of glass lying in the sand.

How can you help clean the ocean?
There are many ways that you can help stop the spread of pollution, such as:

: Picking up trash on the beach when you see it. Just make sure you are wearing safety protection, such as gloves, first.
: Make sure to throw away your trash in trash cans. You have no idea how high the chances are for trash you don’t put in trash cans to end up in the ocean, regardless of where you are.
: Spreading awareness to other people. The more people who are aware of the dangers of pollution, the more people will help stop it.