Earlier this year, Maharashtra introduced a state-wide plastic ban to reduce the usage of single-use plastic from daily life. While plastic has several uses, it has detrimental and hazardous effect on the environment. There are hundreds of cases of reported on how the plastic pollution is killing marine life every year. The theme for World Environment Day 2018 was #BeatPlasticPollution. To highlight the effects of plastic on marine ecosystem, Indian sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik created a sand art at Puri Beach in Odisha which depicts that why it is necessary to reduce the use of plastic drastically. Plastic Ban in Mumbai & All of Maharashtra: Here's a List of Plastic Items That Are Banned and Allowed to Carry.

According to UN Environment reports, one million plastic drinking bottles are purchased every minute, while up to five trillion single-use plastic bags are used worldwide every year. As of today, we produce about 300 million tonnes of plastic waste every year. That’s nearly equivalent to the weight of the entire human pollution, observes UN. Plastic consumption by farm animals or fish who mistake them for food is further increasing the death toll and they find their way onto our dinner plates. A Sea of Plastic! Photo Showing Mumbai’s Juhu Beach Covered in Plastic Waste Goes Viral.

Sudarsan Pattnaik’s ‘Beat Plastic Pollution’ Sand Art

Sudarsan’s latest sand art depicts a dead fish with plastic bags found in the stomach and a plastic bottle found in the mouth. It sends across a powerful message to reduce the usage of plastic items especially single-use plastic items. If current trends continue, our oceans could contain more plastic than fish by 2050. With the growing awareness, many national and local governments are acting to reduce or ban the usage of plastic. Every change starts with a single individual. Make a pledge to keep your surroundings clean and help beat plastic pollution.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 24, 2018 09:54 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).