Plastics impact our ecosystem negatively by taking a very long time to decay and harming animals in their ecosystems, like birds and fish. The decaying process takes 100-1,000 years, and it takes 500 years to disintegrate. In the last 30 years, the number of plastic manufacturers increased by 70%. Microplastics are harmful because they can't be treated in sewage treatment plants. Because of this, sea animals are at risk of microplastics causing gastrointestinal problems if ingested. Due to the natural processes of the food chain, these microplastics reach us when we consume other animals. These microplastics can also leech into the air. This can affect our breathing by scratching the internals of our lungs and making more work for our bodies repair system. This may be an area of particular concern if we do not dispose of things properly, because it risks the health and safety of animals and even people. We can use more natural detergents and toothpaste altogether, rather than those that contain microplastics. I use natural detergent and toothpaste which don't contain any harmful products such as microplastics. Efforts to keep our oceans and communities free of macroplastic seem to get more frequent in recent years. I've seen local beach cleanups happen recently and internet celebrities do larger scale beach cleanups as well. Antiques cave started to come back into style. It reduces the production of plastics and are usually good quality and lasting items at a fraction of the cost.
