Causes

Even though 99% of plastics are recyclable, very little actually gets recycled. That’s why the Rise Above Plastic’s mission is to raise awareness about the dangers of plastic pollution and to advocate for the reduction of single use plastic, like plastic water bottles and grocery bags.

Plastics don’t biodegrade. Instead, they photodegrade, which means they break down into smaller and smaller pieces with exposure to the sun. The problem is that they never really go away, they just get smaller. The scariest news is that with the exception of the few plastics that have been incinerated, virtually every piece of plastic ever made is still here in some form.

There is a section of the Pacific Ocean the size of Texas called the Pacific Gyre. Within it, 100 million tons of plastic swirl in a vortex of currents. There is so much plastic in the water that it outnumbers zooplankton by six to one! This plastic ends up in the stomachs of marine birds and animals. In fact, one million seabirds and 100,000 marine mammals die globally each year due to ingestion of or entanglement in plastics.

You can make a difference for our world’s oceans, waves and beaches — pledge to rise above plastics today. Start using reusable bottles for water and other drinks, use cloth bags for groceries and other purchases, and recycle the plastic bags and bottles you already have.

Click here to take the Plastics Pledge.