Plastics are the worst idea.

This is garbage, mainly plastics, floating around the ocean and it's not just there, it's everywhere. Take a walk outside, just a block or two and I'm certain you'll find a plastic bag or spoon or food container laying on the ground or in a nearby stream. In landfills, plastic takes approximately 700 years to decompose. There is the option of recycling, but the process uses lots of unnecessary energy, electricity, and water as well as costing mas dinero and many plastics can't even be recycled. Researchers recently found that plastics decompose much faster in water - they think it only takes about a year... but this is terrible news! The chemicals released into waters all over the world leach into ecosystems and the fish that live in them. People as well as birds and many other wildlife eat those fish and that spreads through basically the entire circle of life. Why is this much plastic necessary and why can't people dispose of their plastic properly? 


Let's say no to plastic bags and use those nifty reusable tote bags you see everywhere. I'm sure you have a few laying around the house - why not cut out 200-500 plastic bags a year by using those? What does it hurt? And why not save some money, buy a water filter and re-use a bottle instead of buying bottled water? You're not just doing the world a favor, you are doing yourself a favor as well as many generations to come. Think about what you buy when you walk into a store. Every dollar you spend is a vote as a consumer.