13 Ways Every Plastic Bottle You Throw Away Puts Animals in Danger

At the moment, humanity makes about 300 million tons of plastic every year. And half of it is used only once (like bags and wrapping). Only 10% of it is recycled and the rest goes to garbage dumps and rivers. According to a recent study, 10 rivers (2 in Africa and 8 in Asia) transport 90% of all the plastic that ends up in oceans. The scale of pollution is awful and many of us don’t even realize how bad the situation is.

Bright Side has collected 13 photos that will show you what a terrible place we have turned our planet into. Saying that we were shocked by the pictures we saw is a total understatement. And the video in the bonus section will leave you speechless.

1. We have produced more plastic in the past 10 years than during the entire 20th century.

2. An albatross died because of plastic it accidentally ate.

3. This young turtle got stuck in a piece of plastic.

4. And this poor turtle got stuck in the remains of a plastic bucket.

5. Turtles really have a hard time out there.

6. This stork got wrapped in a plastic bag.

7. A duck got stuck in a piece of plastic.

8. This bird made a nest of plastic waste.

9. Beaches are so polluted that plastic becomes a home for many creatures.

10. This fish got stuck in a bottle tag.

11. Microplastic gets inside fish that we catch and eat later.

12. How would you like swimming in water like this?

13. Surfing in Indonesia

Bonus: A British diver made a shocking video while swimming in a sea of plastic waste near the coast of Bali.

There are other photos of the terrible influence plastic waste has on animals but we decided not to include them all on the list. We hope that the human race will live long enough to see the moment when all the plastic we produce will be recycled and the environment will be safer for animals.