Coffee cups. Water bottles. Soda bottles. Straws. These everyday items can become deadly to the environment when they are not disposed of properly or recycled.

According to Greenpeace, the world produces 260 million tons of plastic every year. Of this, 10% ends up in the ocean every year. 70 percent of this plastic sinks and everything else is left on top of the water.

But how did it get this bad? In the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, scientists first started noticing the abundance of plastic in places where it should not be, according to britannica.com. The Science History Institute says that around 1980, people became more suspicious about plastic. Although very useful, it began getting a negative reputation as people learned it pretty much does not decompose.

To change this reputation, recycling plastic was developed. Although this process is very helpful with reusing plastic and limiting it from polluting the planet, “a whopping 91% of plastic is not recycled,” according to National Geographic.

Plastic and other waste found in the environment has detrimental effects on wildlife. Although it is portrayed often to the public, like the penguin in “Happy Feet” with a soda holding ring around his neck, or the infamous video of the sea turtle with a plastic straw stuck in its nose, filmed by marine biologist Christine Figgener, according to Time. That video received so much attention, it helped start a ban on plastic straw, and help endorse reusable ones made of metal or paper straws.

Based on the National Geographic, there has been approximately 8.3 billion metric tons of plastic produced in the few decades it has been prevalent. Most of his plastic is ending up in the trash. Because plastic is petroleum based, it doesn’t  decompose, or go away, like other materials can according to howstuffworks.com. In order to decompose, plastic needs sunlight to decompose, which does not come easily, and takes about 400 years.

Because plastic decomposes so slowly, it can end up in many different parts of the world. According to The Guardian, if plastic is thrown into the ocean from the coast of China, it can end up near the US coast.India produces a lot of the world’s plastic. The waste in their water can end up near the coasts of Madagascar or Bengal.

Many companies however are fighting plastic. Organizations like the Ocean Conservancy, go to some of many of the places that plastic in oceans ends up. These trips include taking volunteers to locations to clean up the acts of many.

Students can take action in many ways. This includes simply cutting down on garbage production, and recycling more often. Even just educating oneself about the environment and the horrific impact of plastic and waste being in the wrong spot can aid. Donations and volunteer work to clean up can help too.

If people do not take action, there will be no tomorrow. The world will be overrun with a material people put on themselves.