People have been abusing plastic. If you look around you, there is no doubt you will see plastic trash even inside your home. This manmade material is continuously polluting our planet. And one of the most affected is our bodies of water.

Caroline Power, a photographer who has dedicated her career to spreading awareness about the “plastic problem” captured images off the Honduran island. Her photos will surely break your heart. That is because these images will show you how plastics can destroy our environment.

Caroline is an underwater photographer but what she saw was just above the ocean – a scene that shocked too. What she captured was miles of what she calls a “blanket of plastic waste” floating off her previously beautiful island home. Caroline discovered this “Great Caribbean Garbage Patch” about 15 miles from a 12-mile long island in Roatan, a place which was often described as what paradise would look like.

During her interview with Telegram, she said, “We were on a dive trip to a set of islands that don’t quite break the ocean surface. They are one of the most pristine dive sites in this part of the Caribbean.” She explained that her dive team passed through a “nearly five miles” of floating garbage. She added, “Everywhere we looked, plastic bags of all shapes and sizes: chip bags, zip locks, grocery, trash, snack bags, and another packaging. Some were whole, and the rest were just pieces.”

In fact, there was a point where her team reached denser areas of about two miles wide of different kinds of trash that stretched from horizon to horizon. They saw plastic of different shapes and sizes including chip bags, grocery, zip locks, trash, and even snack bags. She also saw so many plastic forks, spoons, and plates. There were also broken soccer balls, a television, toothbrushes, and a lot of shoes and flip flops.

Blue Planet Society, a non-profit organization is doing everything they can to end the exploitation fo the ocean. They described the photos taken by Caroline’s team as “unbelievable.” According to the organization, the garbage probably came from the Motagua River in Guatemala and washed into the ocean during the heavy rains.

When trash ends up in the ocean, it would be difficult and very costly to remove. Caroline insisted that people should be more educated on how to properly manage their wastes. She explained, “There is a lack of infrastructure and education, so many people either burn trash or throw it into rivers. This is a developed nation (first world) problem as well. We need to improve waste management, environmental education, and recycling facilities on a global scale.”

Plastic pollution is a worldwide problem. No matter where you go, plastic pollution is one of the major problems that a government has to deal with. These plastics are already destroying not only our oceans but also our wildlife and even our own habitat.

More and more establishments these days are implementing their zero-plastic policy. Even in our own little ways, we can help. Reduce or possibly eliminate the use of plastics. There are other alternatives if you only know how to look. You would see the severity of this problem if you would start to acknowledge it.

How about you? What can you do about plastic pollution?