Effect of Litter on the Ecosystem

Majority of the litter in Chek Jawa are plastic.

Party balloons

Birds may choke to death by mistaking plastic litter as food and consuming it.

Marine animals and birds may get entangled in plastic or trapped in items like plastic bottles.

Also, chemicals that are added into plastic bottles to give it certain properties such as giving the plastic bottle flame resistant property require the addition of flame retardation chemical which has known effects on the endocrine system of animals.

There are also toxic monomers that are released when polymers used to make plastic are broken down by factors such as heat, UV radiation, mechanical action and other chemicals. These toxic monomers can cause cancer and problems in the reproductive system of animals.

These chemicals can enter the body of animals through a number of pathways, the most common pathway would be through ingestion. This will result in bioaccumulation as it goes up the food chain as these chemicals usually cannot be removed by natural means in the body of animals.Thus, they stay in the body of animals and accumulate in animals at a higher levels in the food chain as they prey upon animals which have ingested these harmful chemicals.

Furthermore, when animals ingest plastics, it will block their digestive tracts and reduce their appetite. In most cases due to its indigestibility, the animals’ health will be affected due to getting insufficient nutrients.

Plastics can also be broken down into microplastics with the aid of UV radiation. Microplastics have more significant chemical and physical impact in living things. Also, if the plastic in Chek Jawa is left to decompose, it may cause greater harm to the ecosystem. Decaying plastics have become a globally widespread and abundant marine environmental contaminant and a major source of persistent organic pollutants and heavy metals.

Batteries, used computer equipment and leftover paints or pesticides can also produce toxins. If these wastes are buried in the ground, or present in water bodies, in groundwater for drinking water, they are toxic to humans, animals as well as plants. The toxic heavy metals like Hg accumulate in the aquatic system, and can be toxic to humans or animals when we eat fish. More often, the heavy metals are mixed in fertilizers. However, the toxic levels of such metals are absorbed by some plants, ultimately consumed by humans resulting into detrimental negative effects on children. With increasing heavy metals in the environment, these elements enter the biogeochemical cycle leading to toxicity in animals, including fishes. Hence, we should think twice before we litter, and remember how litter will affect you, your loved ones, your future generations and the entire ecosystem.