Humans have been living on Earth and not taking care of it as they should. All of the trash and pollution have a negative impact on the environment. Items that people use in their everyday lives, such as plastic, can not only harm the Earth, but the animals living on it.

Change is possible, there is always something you can do at home. If you go out to eat at fast food restaurants often, then you are constantly using plastic straws, not to mention cups and other containers.

An estimate says that the average number of straws used each day in America is over 500 million. These straws may seem like no big deal, but they often cause pollution and kill marine life.

Even if you recycle your plastic straw, most of them are too lightweight to make it through the mechanical recycling sorter. They often get disposed as garbage. Once this plastic reaches the ocean, it breaks down into microplastics.

Once a fish eats microplastics, another fish can come along and eat that one. This means the cycle continues and harms more fish. This is why you should use metal straws and water bottles as a great eco-friendly, reusable substitution.

If you are always busy and rely on fast stops for packaged drinks and snacks, I wouldn’t if I were you. Plastic bottles not only pollute the environment, but aren’t biodegradable. This means they never get broken down by living organisms, so they remain on Earth forever. On the positive side, you can recycle your plastic bottles.

If it’s too difficult to completely cut out plastic bottles and straws, I recommend at least cutting down on the amount you use. Do not rely on plastic bottles, especially if you are not in the habit of recycling.

It’s important that if you use a material or come in contact with one that harms the Earth, that you take the proper precautions to dispose of it. Do the research and be informed so you don’t harm the Earth or the animals on it.