What happens to the tons of plastic that ends up in the water-ways? This is something that I never really thought about. I knew that using plastic was bad for the environment and was a huge by-product of the throw-away society that we now live in. Using plastic bottles for example is a huge waste because of the resources and pollution that go into extracting the resources for making plastic, energy used to make the bottles and bottling the liquids. As well as the fossil fuels and emissions from transporting the products. These are all reasons to stop using plastic bottles. Not to mention how ridiculous buying bottled water is, for the pricing and the fact that most tap water is actually cleaner. But not all of the plastics end up in landfills to leach chemicals, a lot of plastic makes its way into the oceans, one way or another. 
Doesn’t the plastic in the oceans just wash up on the shores, polluting habitats of wildlife. Not all of it. Tons and tons of plastic will stay in the ocean indefinitely causing a huge amount of water pollution and becoming very hazardous to the ocean wildlife. These plastics "include Polycarbonate, Polystrene, and PETE- sink, while LDPE, HDPE, Polypropylene, and foamed plastics". Plastic does not biodegrade but it does photodegrade, “Sunlight and wave action cause these floating plastics to fragment, breaking into increasingly smaller particles, but never completely disappearing- at least on any documented time scale.” It was initially thought that plastic would take a very long time to degrade and only at high temperatures but “the researchers behind a new study, however, found that plastic breaks down at cooler temperatures than expected, and within a year of the trash hitting the water.” These plastic pieces are hazardous to the marine wildlife and also for humans. The plastic contains toxic chemicals in it and acts as a sponge in the water collecting more toxins from the water into it. This makes the tiny plastic bits even more toxic and dangerous “They can concentrate many of the most damaging of the pollutants found in the worlds oceans: the persistent organic pollutants (POPs). So any animal eating these pieces of plastic debris will also be taking in highly toxic pollutants.” The intense about of pollution in the water is killing countless numbers of marine life, destroying habitats and affecting our future as well as the now.
There are 5 major gyres in the oceans and each one has huge garbage patches in them. The most notable being the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, or Pacific Trash Vortex, a huge stew of trash and plastic bits that is approximately twice the size of Texas and is 100 feet deep at spots. Due to the currents and wind this patch is the perfect spot for collecting the refuse in the ocean. According the United Nations Environmental Program the majority of marine debris comes from land-based sources, 80%, and the other 20 percent is from ocean-based sources such as fishing debris and boat waste. Another huge patch of ocean trash has recently been discovered in the Atlantic, in February. The patch is approximately the distance from Cuba to Virginia.
Chris Parry, public education program manager with the California Coastal Commission in San Francisco said "At this point, cleaning it up isn't an option, it's just going to get bigger as our reliance on plastics continues. ... The long-term solution is to stop producing as much plastic products at home and change our consumption habits." Now the only thing that can be done is to prevent further pollution and waste. To raise awareness of the deep impacts of our throw-away society and what is happening to our oceans. Also to help advocate for alternatives to plastic and use our consumer power to say no to plastic.
I think a large problem in America today, and possibly many other parts of the world, is the fact that we love bottled water and its convenience. I agree that this is a major contributor to the plastic that is being thrown away in the wrong manner. I would propose that in order to change these actions in our society, we need to inform the public in a more effective manner explaining the pros of tap water opposed to bottled water. On average, the price of 1,000 gallons of water used in the U.S. costs about $1.30. Tap water quality is also government regulated. By choosing to drink tap water over bottled water, the public could be greatly decreasing the effect that bottled water has on the environment. The monetary cost of bottled water is also much greater than drinking from the tap. Hopefully, by driving these points to consumers, as well as what you have listed above, we might be able to change the mindset of the consumer and ultimately reduce bottled water use around the world to create a healthier environment for everyone.
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