Plastic pollution
- Olive ridley sea turtle entangled in a ghost net in the Maldives
- Plastic pollution of Sharm el-Naga beach, near Safaga, Egypt
- Piles of plastic waste on the government-authorized "garbage island" of Thilafushi, Maldives
- A tributary of the Wouri River in Douala, Cameroon, completely clogged with plastic.
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Plastic pollution is the accumulation of plastic objects and particles (e.g. plastic bottles, bags and microbeads) in the Earth's environment that adversely affects humans, wildlife and their habitat. Plastics that act as pollutants are categorized by size into micro-, meso-, or macro debris. Plastics are inexpensive and durable, making them very adaptable for different uses; as a result, manufacturers choose to use plastic over other materials. However, the chemical structure of most plastics renders them resistant to many natural processes of degradation and as a result they are slow to degrade. Together, these two factors allow large volumes of plastic to enter the environment as mismanaged waste which persists in the ecosystem and travels throughout food webs.