It is a hot day. You buy a bottle of your favourite soft drink and gulp down the sweet, fuzzy liquid. You then dump the bottle in the nearest garbage bin and are good to go.
But happens to the piece of plastic bottle after you discard it? Is it the end of its journey or beginning of a new one?
What if you are were told that the plastic you just threw away could possibly end up on your plate?
A video released by Ted-Ed on the occasion of Earth Day explains what really happens to the plastic you throw away.
Yes, some are recycled. But a huge quantity lands up in our water bodies, making them toxic.
They take a painfully long time- as long as a thousand years- to decompose. Over time, it breaks down into smaller pieces called microplastics that can prove to be extremely hazardous to the environment.
Marine animals can eat the plastic pieces mistaking them for food and it can eventually even enter our food chain.
Many times plastic that lands up in our water bodies may ultimately get trapped in one of the five plastic-filled gyres in the world's seas, where the ocean currents trap millions of pieces of debris.
Most of the time, used plastic items are thrown away with all the other garbage. Many may simply not be aware that plastic items like delivery boxes, plastic bags, bottles can be reused or recycled.
This Ted-Ed video explains the harm caused when plastic is not disposed off properly.