What’s the purpose of a straw? Some would say to drink out of, but a beverage can be drinken just the same without one.

After realizing approximately 260 million tons of plastic ends up in the oceans, many people have decided to evaluate their consumption and find alternatives to common plastic items like straws and plasticwear.

Restaurants are creating an impact in this ecofriendly movement by eliminating straws from their establishments, or asking their customers if they would like a straw. Most places even offer paper straws that are better for the environment in place of those made with plastic.

Due to ocean pollution, over 100,000 sea mammals have died and/or been injured. Just imagine how many innocent sea creatures, such as turtles and dolphins, could be saved by cutting down on the amount of plastic used.

The reason plastic usage is a prominent issue is because it is easily blown away after it is disposed. Plastic that it is thrown in landfill bins, rather than recycle bins, will likely be blown away when it’s dumped in landfills. From there, it will then head towards the drains and will later be found in the ocean.

“Reduce, reuse, and recycle” is the saying every child has been taught from a young age, but it is not followed by everyone. If this saying was regularly practiced, less materials that are not easily biodegradable — such as plastic bottles that can take up to 1,000 years to decompose — would avoid landfills altogether. All in all, this change would diminish the amount of waste that ends up in our oceans.

Plastic isn’t the only thing that’s harming marine animals, but it plays a large role. If plastic usage decreases, the environment and the creatures within it would be a lot more grateful.