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What is Pollution?

Pollution is the introduction of harmful materials into the environment. These harmful materials are called pollutants.

Air Pollution
Water Pollution
Land pollution
Specific types of pollutants like noise pollution, light pollution, and plastic pollution

Plastic Pollution is the accumulation of man-made plastics into the environment reaching a point when they wreak havoc on ecosystems and the wildlife that inhabit them. Plastic pollution is widespread throughout the planet ranging from the summit of the highest peak in the world, Mt. Everest, to the Mariana Trench, the deep point in our oceans.
Plastic does not break down like other organic waste but turns into microplastics which is then easily mistaken by fish and invertebrates as plankton. The consumption of plastics by fish,caught for food for humans, allows plastics to travel up our food chain. Health consequences include ingesting the carcinogenic pollutants that attach to microplastics.
Factors such as ocean surge and ultraviolet light will accelerate the breakdown of the original product, but what remains are microplastics which are consumed by plankton, fish larvae which work their way up the food chain until they end up on dinner platters in our favorite neighborhood seafood restaurant.
Each year 1.2 trillion gallons of untreated sewage, stormwater, and industrial waste are dumped into water
Children make up 10% of the world's population, More than 3 million children under age five die annually from environmental factors.

Fertilizers and pesticides from agricultural and urban sewage seepage from the groundwater enter lakes and cause elevated levels of nitrates and phosphates. This is harmful to aquatic life and human health.
Plastic pollution flows out from our shorelines because we leave it there.This plastic travels through local watersheds ; beaches into the lakes before flowing with currents downstream.