Plastic pollution in
our soil

We are all affected by plastic bags litter no matter where we live. We see plastic bags littered on our streets, stuck in our trees and floating in our rivers, dams and oceans. The littering of Plastic bag is disrupting our finely balanced environment more and more each day. Our Terrestrial Wildlife is suffering daily. 

Our wildlife eat plastic while grazing on grass. This causes intestinal obstructions, and poisoning from the chemicals used to make the plastic. These problems often lead to a slow and painful death. Plastic getting caught in an animals digestive tract causes the animal to feel full and they either live with severe malnutrition or death due to starvation

It not only poses a great danger to our animals who become entangled or swallow the plastic, it also affects our soil. Once the plastic bags start to break down in our soil they release toxic chemicals. Very little of the plastic we discard every day is recycled. Much of it ends up in landfills, leaching potentially toxic substances into the soil and water.

“Studies has shown that even our tap water contains plastic pollutants.”

According to researchers the impact of microplastics in soils, sediments and freshwater could have a long-term negative effect on our ecosystems. It is said microplastic pollution  on land is much higher than marine microplastic.

“Your plastic litter lands up in our streets, seas and is killing our species”

Plastic can release harmful chemicals into the surrounding soil, which can then seep into groundwater or other surrounding water sources, and also the ecosystem. This can cause a range of potentially harmful effects on the species that drink the water.

Soil Pollution Facts

  • Soil is a non-renewable resource, vulnerable to further deterioration in its quality.
  • One of the most severe complications of this pollution is that the chemicals from the soil will contaminate the crops grown on them, and also the groundwater that is used for drinking.
  • The same contaminated soil also has the potential to seep into large water bodies, which will have an effect on the overall ecosystem, thus, becoming a major environmental issue.
  • Relatively little of our plastic waste is recycled because there are various types of plastic with different chemical compositions, and recycled plastics can be contaminated by the mixing of types.
  • Soil pollution affects the food we eat, the water we drink, the air we breathe, and the health of our ecosystems