What really happens to plastic when you throw it away? Zylah

What really happens to plastic when you throw it away?

There are many things that can happen to plastic when you throw it away. Lets take a plastic bottle. The first thing that could happen to a plastic bottle when you throw it away is for it to be taken to a landfill. A landfill is a huge hole in the ground where tons of plastic and other waste is put. Once the waste is in the landfill, they cover it with dirt. The plastic sits there for thousands of years because it doesn't decompose. Rain water flows through all the waste and absorb's the waters soluble compounds (substance that dissolves in water). And some of those are very toxic. Together they create a harmful stew called lechate. Lechate can move into ground water, soil and streams. This harms ecosystems and wildlife. 

The second thing that could happen to a plastic bottle is for it to float down a stream which leads to a river and that river will reach the ocean. After months floating around in the ocean, it will be drawn into an enormous vortex. A vortex is a place where trash accumulates. The oceans currents attract millions of bits of plastic. Some animals like sea birds get tangled within the mess. Those birds, and other sea animals like turtles mistake the small bits of plastic for food. Plastic makes them feel full when their not, so they starve to death. The toxins from the plastic are passed up the food chain. For example, the plastic is eaten by lantern fish, and the lantern fish are eaten by squid, the squid are eaten by tuna, and the tuna are eaten by us. Most plastics don't biodegrade, which means that they will keep on breaking into smaller and smaller bits called Micro plastics which could rotate in the sea forever. 

The third thing that could happen to a plastic bottle is for it to be recycled. This is the good option. A person picks up the bottle and puts it into a plastic recycling bin. Next a truck comes to pick up all the plastic recycling and takes it to a place where it can be made into something else. First, the plastic bottles are squeezed flat and are compressed into a block. Those blocks are shredded into tiny pieces which are washed and melted so they become the materials that can be used again. Now the bottle that didn't get dumped in a landfill, or pulled into a vortex, can be made into something completely new. 

After reading this, I hope you will recycle as much as you can!

By Zylah