Come to a place like this and you'll see loads and loads of rubbish.
But it could be the trash you haven't seen that's causing the biggest problems.
Those little bright flecks you can see down there are called microplastic and researchers say this
miniature rubbish is causing some major problems.
Microplastics form when bigger bits of plastic break down into smaller bits.
They can even break off our clothes when we wash them! But some companies actually make
them too. You probably have some microbeads at home right now in your scrubs or shampoos.
In fact scientists reckon there are about 300,000 of them in the average bottle of face scrub!
300-thousand in a bottle!?
Yep, and even some toothpastes have plastic microbeads in them too!
Scientists say these microplastics are becoming a really big issue, especially in our oceans.
It is a huge problem. So if you look at the amount of plastic in the environment, over
85% of that is microplastic.
In case you missed that, he said 85 per-cent of plastic in our environment is tiny bits
of microplastic! That's really bad news especially for marine animals because those little flecks
look a lot like food to them!
Just imagine sitting down for lunch and munching away, only to realise a bunch of what you're
eating isn't really food. It's the same colour the same size and it looks a whole lot like
the regular food you might eat! But it's actually plastic! That's basically what's happening
to creatures that see microplastic floating in our oceans. That plastic can get stuck in their stomach
making it harder for them to digest food.
Another big problem is that plastic often has dangerous chemicals in it and they can seep
into the animal's body. This not only causes issues for them, but can also be a real danger
for the animals that eat them - including humans!
Unlike other rubbish, microplastic is just too small to get filtered out in water treatment
plants like this one, and that means they just end up floating straight out to sea.
So, many people reckon the best way to stop them is just to get rid of them altogether.
And in the US that's exactly what they've decided to do!
President Obama signed a bipartisan bill to phase out microbeads...
Here in Australia our two major supermarkets say they won't stock any products with microbeads
past the end of 2017 and the government and scientists are looking for ways to tackle
the problem too.
But for those who still like the idea of having little beads like these to wash your
face with, many cosmetics companies are now looking at natural biodegradable solutions,
things like seeds or other small bits of rough material.
There's still a long way to go, but the fight against this almost invisible enemy has well and
truly begun.