What Lies Beneath
York, ME
2015, Junior, Creative Writing
It is quite sad that something with so much positive potential is abused in such a cruel way. I am intensely aware of what I am capable of, whether that be good or bad. The way the humans misuse my versatility and extraordinary aspects is extremely disappointing, but I cannot do anything about it. I am a piece of plastic, floating and swirling in the vast ocean. I am the one who takes the blame for changing the lustrous, glistening waves into a dumping ground. The problem is how I am mistreated, improperly disposed of, and overused by humans. I have witnessed the ocean change over time. The ocean can be tranquil like a deep slumber, or violent as a raging battlefield. The elegance and grace of the sea is slowly vanishing. Surging waves will soon uncover the truth about what lies in the depths of the vast oceans. As the wave of time rolls along, the dazzling beauty of the sea will fade.
It began in 1978, when low density polyethylene was established. There were massive amounts of this plastic, making it very cheap and consumer-friendly (History). Plastic became labeled as a miracle product, and it started to replace other materials at a rapid speed. Humans were in such awe at this marvelous substance that nobody noticed the negative aspects. Looking back on those years, I don’t think anybody even cared. Plastic production and sales were skyrocketing, and by the 1980’s it became the most used material in the world (History). Soon, the inevitable question arose: where does this plastic go? What do we do with it? Humans rely so heavily on plastic. If we were to completely ban plastic, which would be virtually impossible, the world would be stripped away of their most used substance. Just as cells are the building block to life, plastic is the backbone of our modernized planet. Look around at all the products used daily by an average consumer. Food is packaged in plastic, eaten with plastic utensils, and thrown away into a plastic garbage bag. There are multitudinous forms of plastic, and it is in nearly everything we use today. With such a widely used product, there has to be downfalls. One massive complication is the disposing of plastic. When people throw away plastic, it doesn’t biodegrade like an apple or a sheet of paper. Plastic never disappears. The same plastic you threw out the window 30 years ago will come back to haunt your great-grandchildren. Plastic never gives up. It can be shredded into a thousand microscopic pieces, but even those don’t decompose (Ecology Center). Plastic doesn’t die. It will seep into your water supply, it will float into the ocean, or it will live in a landfill, but it will never die.
In my opinion, the biggest issue facing our planet today is the impact plastic has on the ocean. The ocean is rapidly becoming the most substantial and harmful landfill on Earth. Landfills are a popular place for disposed plastic to reside, but the ocean is also a surprising home for trash. Of the 100 millions tons of plastic that is made each year, 10 million tons end up rolling about in the waves (The Ocean). That is troubling for both humans and sea creatures. People go about their daily lives without knowing the impacts of what they do. Perhaps the damaging effects plastic has on marine life could open the eyes of consumers. Many people have heard tales of turtles mistaking hopping bags for jellyfish and devouring plastic as their midday meal. Though that is a despicably common scenario, there are phenomenons worse than that. When sunlight hits plastic, it degrades into tiny pieces called micro plastics (22 Facts). Micro plastics release unhealthy toxins into the water, which can potentially be fatal for marine life. It is unavoidable for the animals to inhale micro plastics, considering there are six times as many plastic bits than plankton in the North Pacific Ocean (Burns). This part of the ocean also is the home of one of the most disgusting, revolting sights in our world: the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Contrary to popular belief, this garbage patch is not only made of ancient bottles and tattered plastic toys floating in a herd (Great Pacific Garbage Patch). It is far more dangerous, and mainly compiled of minuscule pieces of plastic and toxic chemicals. If you were to see a satellite image of the garbage patch, it would look like an enormous cloud intertwined with larger items such as fishing nets and shoes (The Trash Vortex). Though the issue involving micro plastics is utterly dreadful and alarming, it is only the tip of the iceberg. The ocean is a complex ecosystem, and each organism has their role to play to maintain the food chain and habitat. What would happen if some of the essential jobs performed by these organisms suddenly came to a halt? That would wreak havoc on the creatures living in that ecosystem, causing imbalance to a previously stable environment. Plastic can become a mode of transportation for microorganisms. The tiny organisms can latch onto plastic, giving them a one way ticket to wherever the plastic may drift to (Five Reasons). Currents and wind carry the passengers across the ocean into a different ecological community, where the tag-a-long organism will find a new home.
The problem is that each ecosystem already is at full capacity and cannot accommodate an uninvited guest. These foreign species can become invasive and will attack their newly inhabited ecosystem at an alarming speed. (Five Reasons). New species throw off the balance of a system, which can disrupt the ocean as a whole. Commercially available plastics have been around only for several decades, and the horrendous impacts are shocking and distressing.
This problem does not have a simple solution. Even though many humans think it is the answer to the big plastic question, recycling does not resolve our issue. It teaches us that we can still use superfluous amounts of plastic as long as we toss it into the recycling bin. As Naomi Klein stated, “of the original three R’s – reduce, reuse, recycle, – only the third has ever gotten any traction, since it allows us to keep on shopping.” (Klein). In a world where anything we want is at our fingertips, shopping and consuming has become a part of our daily lives. Reducing and reusing is a struggle for modern day people, who have become accustomed to getting what they want, when they want. Humans that attempt to be green often turn to recycling as a way to help the environment, but that option often fails. Only 8% of plastics actually get recycled, which leaves 92% to end up with the same dreadful fate of being blown away to the ocean or hauled into a landfill. (22 Facts). The large industry of plastic creation rarely use recycled materials in their products. It is almost unfeasible to rid the ocean of micro plastics, but it is pragmatic to reduce the amount of plastic we dump into it.
Suppose I took you for a journey 100 years into the future. The problem of plastics in the ocean is still unresolved. I have been swirling about in the vast ocean for decades, as if my life was one big lazy river. Have you ever been in an extremely crowded room, or an overpacked airplane, or a congested car? That’s what it’s like in the ocean. Billions of plastic bits, ranging from car doors to microscopic particles, inhabit the same small area of the sea. I haven’t seen an inch of clear water for decades. I can barely tell if I’m in the ocean or on land because of how much trash is living in the ocean. Different materials come and go like the tides. When you’ve been traveling the ocean for over a century, it gets extraordinarily boring. Instead of noticing the details of what’s around me, I relax and let the current take me away. What’s the point of living if you will never die? Humans despise plastic, for our immortality is taking over their environment. Each day, new plastic inhabitants enter the dreaded muddle of litter.
It started just like any other day, until I heard the motors above me. Humans! I couldn’t recall the last time humans had ventured into the ocean. Activities like boating and fishing, though they used to be popular, were unheard of nowadays. It was far too difficult to travel through the plastic-filled water.
“Take a sample of the water. We didn’t come out here for nothing,” mumbled a firm, stiff voice. So they were conducting some kind of experiment with ocean water…interesting. Before I could realize what was going on, I was grasped by a metal net-like contraption. I had been captured my the humans! The boat began to move slowly through the thick water. I twisted and thrashed in a hopeless attempt to break free. It was slightly muffled inside the net, but from what I heard it seemed like the humans were going to release us! The people tipped over the net, and I spilled back into the ocean. Where we had been abandoned was extremely close to a beach. A large wave pushed me onto the sand…or so I thought it was sand. It was unbelievable to see, but the sand had transformed into tightly compressed trash that acted as the beach floor. The waves washed over the ground, bringing in more trash from the ocean. The reinvented beach was the trigger that made me aware of how much plastic was truly in our oceans. Instead of the beautiful tan color stretching as far as the eye could see, it was a jumble of colored wrappers and old plastic. The sight I saw was depressing and astonishing, and it caused me to feel ashamed. I sat in awe, mourning my relatives nauseating fate. Instead of brilliant blue, the sky was a muddy shade of gray. The air was heavy with smog and toxic fumes emitted from the plastic. Was this a dream? I clearly recalled what the beach looked like a hundred years ago. I remember the people frolicking in the water, the clear, clean water. Even though the heat was overwhelming, I didn’t see a single person cooling off in the ocean. Then, a new observation began to concern me. Why was it so dreadfully hot? It was the middle of January, which meant it was supposed to be the heart of wintertime. It only took me a moment to come to the sad conclusion that the climate had been changed dramatically
because of the ocean. The ocean used to regulate climate, but the plastic has made that job impossible. Because of plastic, the tides cannot move easily, and the oceanic ecosystems have completely changed the way the ocean works. In less than a century, our world had morphed into the most atrocious landfill I’ve ever seen. I was mortified. I couldn’t accept the fact that the beautiful ocean we once had was gone.
Plastic had taken over the ocean. The ocean had stopped functioning properly, and it had been stripped away of its beauty and worth. I had now seen what lies beneath the surface, and it wasn’t pretty. I wish I had noticed what was happening to the ocean many years ago, because humans could have changed their ways. Now, it was too late, and the damage was irreversible. If everyone made simple changes to their lives, our plastic waste could begin to diminish. Your world doesn’t have to end up like mine. In my world, plastic rules supreme. Your world doesn’t have to be like that, so start adjusting your plastic consumption. After all, it only takes one person to make a change. Be that person.
The ocean is relying on you.
Reflection
I had never really understood why plastics were such a big issue in our environment. I always thought that if I threw it away in a garbage can, it was gone. All my opinions changed this year because of what I learned about plastics and our environment.
Recently, my school has made many changes in an attempt to become more ecofriendly. With the help of Ms. Baxter and our school, our cafeteria banned single-use plastic utensils. This is especially important for my community, for we live right next to the ocean. Maine is known for its beautiful beaches, and I am someone who utilizes that gift of nature. For me, it is unimaginable that one day we could no longer have a beach, or be able to swim in ocean. Writing this story was extremely sad because one day we may not have the oceans that we have today. The main goal of my writing was to make people aware that if we don't do something about this problem, it will be devastating for us and our environment. Reflecting on the school year, Mrs. Baxter has made a huge impact on our school community by teaching myself and my peers about the damaging effects of plastic by incorporating a science topic in her class through reading and discussion. It was a pleasure to research and write about a topic I am extremely passionate about.