Marine debris is a massive problem in all the seas of the world. Are we so blind to see the harm it is causing? It claims the life of many sea creatures including the turtle. Today a couple of shocking photos reveal a lifeless sea turtle, washed on a Maltese rocky beach. Plastic materials take ages to degrade and in the meantime they float around, on land and sea.

So what can we do? Whenever you are about to use a plastic bag, think about where and how it will be disposed off. At times I find myself seeing dozens of bags flying around near markets or near snack bars. All this can be avoided, if plastic bags are disposed of properly.

The harm caused by plastic in the sea has been studied by many scientists. According to Sea Turtle Conservancy the solutions lies in Education. The public can get involved in this issue by:

• Reduce, Reuse and Recycle plastics;
• Use reusable cloth bags instead of plastic bags when shopping;
• Support local, regional and nationwide bans on plastic grocery bags;
• Don’t litter. Instead, volunteer at local beach clean-up events;
• Make sure to properly secure your garbage to prevent any fly-away plastics;
• Don’t release balloons into the air. They travel far and end up in our oceans being;
• consumed by sea turtles that mistake them for food.

What a pity! Photo taken by Leander Mizzi

A dead turtle washed up the shore. Photo taken by Leander Mizzi

Reference: https://conserveturtles.org/information-sea-turtles-threats-marine-debris/