According to Eco Watch, the average American throws away about 185 pounds of plastic a year, and only about 35% is actually recycled. Most of it is thrown in with trash and sometimes even compost. Sometimes it doesn't even make it to a bin, it just gets tossed on the ground. The Ocean has turned into a big dumping ground for people to throw their trash, mostly plastics. According to a study that was done in 2019, there are currently more pieces of plastic in the ocean than fish. The most common Plastics found in the ocean are plastic bottles, bags,  and straws. Even though these are considered single-use plastics,  there are many ways to give these items a second life. The best thing to do to help eliminate the amount of plastic is to not buy in the first place. If you do, however, have these items in your house you can re-fill your water bottle, or go shopping with your old plastic bags, you can even rinse and re-use your straws.

https://www.insider.com/litter-worse-th … ery-year-3
https://www.titlemax.com/discovery-cent … uces-year/