Sometimes it seems like single-use plastic waste is everywhere you turn—in parks, along roadsides, and in lakes, rivers, and oceans (see “The Truth About Recycling Plastic”). That’s because the average person in the United States discards about 110 pounds of plastic each year. And although the U.S. is making progress in recycling paper and metal, far less plastic is successfully recycled.
As a result, a huge amount of discarded plastic ends up in waterways. According to one recent study, about 8 million tons of plastic are swept into the world’s oceans from river systems every year. There, it threatens millions of birds and sea creatures. Some animals get stuck in plastic waste and suffocate or choke. Other animals eat plastic—mistaking it for food—and die of starvation as a result.
This cartoon addresses the way discarded plastic and other waste have transformed our seas. Study it, then answer the questions.
1. Where are these people, and what are they doing? How can you tell?
2. What were the people likely expecting to see? What are they really seeing?
3. How are the people reacting to what they see? How does the cartoonist show this?
4. How would you sum up the cartoon’s message?