The plastic you see and use every day is killing endangered birds, sea turtles and seals by the hundreds of thousands. Every year animals get tangled up in plastic, or eat it, with fatal consequences.

Plastic makes up 60 percent to 80 percent of ocean debris; there are 3 million tons of it in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. In parts of the ocean this means there is six times more plastic than plankton, the base of the marine food web. The same durability we value in plastic makes it a persistent pollutant.

Plastic doesn't belong in our oceans; it doesn't belong in the diet of baby sea birds like this Laysan albatross chick; and it doesn't belong wrapped around endangered seals. That's why we're asking the federal government to establish water-quality criteria for plastic pollution.

Please join us in asking the EPA to get plastic out of our ocean ecosystems.

Letter Subject: Our Oceans Need Protection From Plastic Pollution

I'm concerned about the deadly toll plastic pollution is taking on our wildlife. The EPA has a responsibility to prevent these plastics from polluting our oceans and beaches and to stop them from snaring or poisoning marine animals.

[Your comment will be added here]

The EPA should establish water-quality criteria for plastic pollution. I urge you to create a strong standard of zero plastic that will prompt action under the Clean Water Act. This would improve the monitoring, cleanup and prevention of plastic pollution.

But most importantly, it would save wildlife and keep America's coasts beautiful.

Thank you.


Sincerely,
[Your name here]