LET'S TALK ABOUT PLASTIC POLLUTION.

Collectively, around the world, we produce a huge 300 million tonnes of plastic each year. Half of this is disposable - the rest of this figure is made up from single use plastics. Single use plastics include plastic carrier bags, plastic cutlery, straws, water bottles, food packaging and so on. 

Our collective consumption of plastic is resulting in extreme danger for the environment. According to PlasticOceans.org, 8 million tonnes of plastic ends up in the world's oceans annually and recent studies suggest that, by 2050 (just a mere 32 years away), the ocean will actually contain more plastic in terms of weight than it will fish. 

Plastic simply does not go away - one plastic bottle takes approximately 450 years to break down in the ocean. A plastic bag takes around 20 years. And it's all well and good saying that they break down - but, realistically, they really don't - they leave dangerous micro plastics behind which will eventually make their way into our food chains. 

So, not only do single use plastics currently make up 49% of beach litter, but they're also severely impacting wildlife - in particular, marine species. Sea animals can become entangled in pieces of plastic, they can mistake plastic objects for food and some animals die from starvation because there's literally no room left in their stomachs for the food they need in order to survive. Research has shown that up to 90% of seabirds have plastic in their digestive systems. 

We, as the human race, need to be making changes. We need to do something to fix this problem. Even if it's for the completely selfish reason of our own survival - the ocean helps us to breathe - something needs to change. And it's not that hard to change things, either. It's as simple as switching from plastic carrier bags to reusable ones. Or saying no to plastic straws. 

The issue of plastic pollution is definitely becoming more prominent in mainstream society - thanks to media coverage and the large focus on the problem in the BBC's Blue Planet II - but that's not enough. Here are a few simple changes that everyone can make in order to help tackle the problem:

• Use a reusable shopping bag - not the plastic 5p carrier bags!
• Get a reusable water bottle.
• Reusable cups for hot drinks rather than the disposable cups - Pret A Manger are offering a 50p discount on their hot drinks when you use your own cup, and Costa are offering a 25p discount if you use your own cup.
• Avoid pre-packaged fruit and veg - check out the fresh loose fruit and veg in your local supermarkets. 
• Say no to plastic straws and cutlery - if you can't avoid it, you could take them home and reuse them yourself. 
• Use easily recyclable alternatives. For example, use aluminium tin foil rather than plastic cling film. 

I'll admit, I'm not perfect myself. I didn't even realise how large the problem was until the end of last year but, particularly through producing a radio feature based upon the issue for my university course, I've tried to educate myself on the issue and I'm continuing to learn. I'm trying to better my plastic consumption and really avoid the unnecessary use of single use plastic. Nobody's perfect - and that's fine, but we need to make a collective effort to change things so next time you're shopping, think to yourself: do I really need this pre-packaged veg? Or when you're out for a meal, ask your waiter for no straw - unless it's a paper one, of course. 

In the mean time, sign petitions and get involved. Let's make a change. 

Go to my university blog - jodieshepherdweb.wordpress.com - for a list of petitions to sign, and to listen to my radio feature project. 

 * The images used in this blog post are not my own and were sourced from a Google Images search.