If you eat any type of seafood, you’re most likely also eating illegally dumped garbage. Trash dumped into the world’s oceans and other bodies of water is a huge problem that we’ve discussed here at Trash Talk before. It’s hard to fully understand the scope of the problem, but an infographic created by MastersDegree.net helps put things into perspective.

Floating trash, particularly plastic waste, looks like a tasty meal to an unsuspecting fish, turtle or seabird. However, plastic trash, such as bottles and plastic grocery bags, can be toxic to these animals. Now think about that plate of fish sticks you had last night for dinner – probably not very appetizing anymore!

The average person eats about 36 lbs. of seafood per year, according to MastersDegree.net. Considering there’s an estimated 3.5 million tons of trash floating in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch alone, there’s pretty much no doubt that some of the fish you eat contains toxic elements.

Even if you don’t eat seafood, illegal dumping and littering also affects land animals and crops. If the soil is tainted with toxic chemicals caused by decomposing trash, like plastic or rubber tires, the fruits and vegetables will also contain these substances. The vicious cycle continues when livestock eat the tainted feed and we then eat the livestock or the fruit/vegetables directly…And on, and on, and on…

The solution is not to quit eating seafood (you’d have to quit eating all food to make this work!). Seafood is an excellent source of protein and healthy fats. Instead, try these tips:

1. Make sure your trash ends up in the garbage can!
2. Quite buying plastic water bottles; use reusable water bottles instead
3. Report illegal dumping sites to the area authorities
4. Recycle plastic bottles/bags if you do happen to use them
5. Inform other people about this issue to help spread awareness

Created by: MastersDegree.net