The effects of plastic are extensive and can even be seen at sea.
Wildlife could consume the unassuming plastic packaging littered across beach coastlines.
For example, loggerhead sea turtles often mistake plastic bags for jellyfish, their primary food source. As a result, these turtles may ingest plastic products, causing them to suffer from internal injuries and intestinal blockage. With an accumulation of plastic in their stomachs over time, it may even cause starvation and death. Marine animals and seabirds also risk getting killed when they are entangled and trapped by plastic litter, such as plastic rings. On the East Coast of Singapore, a wild dolphin was sighted to be entangled in 8 kg worth of fishing lines and nets.
Video by ACRES.
The plastic packaging we dispose of may break down into molecules, known as microplastics, and enter wildlife. Microplastics will accumulate in their bodies, affecting the mobility, reproduction, and development of these organisms. These organisms will then be fished and ingested by humans. A study by the University of Newcastle found that people could consume approximately 5g of plastic every week, mainly through drinking tap water, bottled water, and shellfish. The health effects of microplastic are still unknown and are still under research.
However, potentially harmful chemicals are often added to plastics, such as phthalate, which can have endocrine-disrupting effects.
Furthermore, microplastics in the ocean may also be ingested by phytoplankton, interfering with the ocean’s capacity to absorb and remove carbon dioxide. This further contributes to global warming and climate change.
Plastic packaging can also devastate coral reefs. Plastic waste covers corals in Singapore, destroying them or denying them of sunlight to grow. The rise in sea temperatures due to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change may also result in the bleaching and calcification of coral reefs (when they die).
This could potentially mean a loss of nursing grounds and habitat for fish that Singaporeans eat locally.