There is an estimated 1 million pieces of plastic per square mile.i This influx of plastic is due to the way we treat our ocean. Although the ocean might be a convenient place to dump our waste and trash, we shouldn’t pollute the ocean because it is harmful to wildlife, it’s harmful to the wellbeing of humans,
and it is destroying our environment.

When we pollute the ocean, the local wildlife is greatly affected. According to the organization EPA - Environmental Protection Agency - in 2017 more than 267 different species are affected by the pollution of plastic alone.ii When humans dump their trash and garbage, the trash that goes into the ocean is later eaten by different species of marine life which can kill the animal or cause it to obtain a certain disease due to the chemicals in the plastic. In an article by Kerry Taylor-Smith - a freelance writer who specializes in science and health related subjects – claimed that 90% of seabirds have at least of one piece of plastic in their stomachs which ends up being fed to their babies or caught in their digestive track.iii
This shows that not just animals that live in the sea are affected and the offspring of these animals are being killed due to the pollution.
Not only is the marine life affected by pollution, but humans are as well. The organization EPA infers that the large amount of trash can in the ocean can interfere with ship navigation and fishing.iv Due
to the absurd amounts of trash in the ocean huge masses of trash are formed and often interfere with fishing for food to eat as well with boats traveling the ocean. In an article created by Gianna Andrews, a student studying earth science at Montana State University, stated that some toxins found in plastic that
are dangerous to human health, have been found in many fish in the ocean.v The waste and trash that many fish mistakeably consume can contaminate the fish, and then humans end up eating the contaminated fish and can get seriously ill from it.

Besides humans and animals, the environment is also being influenced due to the mass amounts of plastic and trash. The organization EPA claims that as the amount of trash increases it accumulates in certain river and ocean habitats and over time modify the structure of the habitat. Due to the modifications of these habitats different animal species can come and go, and the homeostasis of the habitat could be affected. In an article from the University of California, San Diego, they state that due to a large accumulation of trash in the Pacific Ocean, an insect known as Halobates sericeus or water strider has taken advantage of this large accumulation of trash for a place to lay their eggs.vii This vast amount of trash in the ocean has caused some species to disappear and some to grow which has affected the food chain.

Some solutions that anybody can do to lessen the amount of trash in our ocean are volunteer in beach cleanups, use plastic alternatives such as reusable items, and spread the word about the affect waste and trash has on our planet's ocean. Helping with this cause will increase the life of all living creatures and help preserve the planet. If nothing is done about this issue, then that 1 million pieces of plastic  per square mile will continue to grow.

i Kerry Taylor-Smith, “How Plastic Pollution is Affecting the Ocean Wildlife”. AZO Cleantech (2018, June 12).

”Impacts of Mismanaged Trash”. EPA (2017, May 23). 
Taylor-Smith, How Plastic, 2018.
iv
EPA, Impacts, 2017
v
Gianna Andrews, “Plastics in the Ocean Affecting Human Health”. Teach the Earth. (2018, August 03).

vi
EPA, Impacts, 2017
vii
University of California, ” Plastic trash altering ocean habitats “. Science Daily. (2012, May 08).