As of recently scientists in India and around the world have been finding new and improved ways to try and make more products such as shopping bags, straws, and plastic bags biodegradable.
     Everyone knows about the increasing problem with sea turtles and other ocean life getting plastic straws stuck in their noses as well as intestines. While in some cases, issues like this aren't fatal because the animal gets help or the straw gets unstuck itself naturally, that's not always the case. Often complications such as the ones mentioned aren't only extremally painful but can prove to be fatal for the animal and its environment. However, more and more companies are trying to implement new sustainable practices to cut down on the number of straws they use. https://money.com/starbucks-hyatt-ban-plastic-straws/ For example, more restaurants have quit offering straws all together or they offer paper alternatives. While this is more common for beach front establishments, important companies such as Starbucks, American Airlines, and Disney have claimed that they will be banning the use of plastic straws within the foreseeable future.
     The problem with normal plastic bags is that they can travel extremally far and on top of that, look very similar to sea creatures. Jellyfish predators such as Sea Turtles, Sun fish, and Tuna fish end up mistaking plastic bags for their main food source. As if that wasn’t bad enough, plastic bags have been seen stuck on coral reefs and along the ocean floor. When these plastic bags get stuck on coral, they choke it out and cause it to die back, resulting in habitat loss and destruction. When plastic bags get stuck on the sea floor it can prevent some ocean species from burrowing and making dens in the sea sand, which, also in turn results in habitat loss and destruction. Not only are big name companies banning the use of plastic straws but, scientists have developed a substance very similar to the plastic used for making shopping bags that completely dissolves in water. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqE20TFl6cY These bags were originally designed to aid India in its plastic reduction, but environmental advocates are pushing for companies all around the world to adopt this much better alternative.
     Plastic utensils are dangerous to both humans and animals in a variety of ways. When plastic cutlery breaks, it sprays out micro pieces of plastic that dietary tracks can have difficulty processing and, in extreme cases, can cause bleeding. The same thing happens to animals like sea lions and dolphins that chew up plastic and cause it to break and splinter into bigger pieces that get lodged into their throat and stuck in their stomachs. To even further reduce plastic waste Bakeys, a company based in India, has created edible and durable utensils. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/12 … y-utensils  Their products don’t dissolve very easily in liquids and are made from rice, wheat, and sorghum flour. On top of that, the utensils have a shelf life of three years and don’t contain any preservatives. The company’s goals are to eventually eliminate the need for plastic utensils around the world.
     While the environment and the world are suffering from human impact and pollution, all hope is not lost. People are trying to correct mistakes and live more sustainably and on top of that, provide ways for the common consumer to lessen their environmental impact through small and attainable steps.
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Great post!