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 * Climate Change
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 * Plastics
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SAVE OUR OCEANS FROM SINGLE-USE PLASTIC

Millions of tons of plastic enter oceans around the world each year. Since they
often can't be or aren’t recycled, single-use plastics are among the main
offenders. It's happening in New York and around the world. Plastic pollution in
our waterways is deadly for local turtles, whales, fish, and birds. They can't
help getting tangled in it or mistaking it for food. Join us and let's make a
difference together.

Are you a potential partner?

Join the Effort


PLEDGE TO DO YOUR PART

The world's oceans are drowning in plastic. Commit to decreasing your reliance
on single-use plastics and help address the problem.

Act Now


SUPPORT

At the rate we’re polluting, there will be more plastic in the ocean by weight
than fish by 2050. Make a tax-deductible gift today and you’ll join a committed
group that’s working to secure a future for wildlife in the ocean and beyond.

Donate


ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN

Photo Credit: Julie Larsen Maher © WCS

Give a Sip is a Wildlife Conservation Society campaign based out of the New York
Aquarium. Our conservationists there work to protect our local waters and marine
wildlife through local field research, policy initiatives, and public outreach.


Beginning in 2018, Give A Sip grew out of an effort to dramatically reduce
single-use plastic straws at NYC restaurants and bars. We launched the campaign
with help from the New York Aquarium’s Youth Ocean Advocates (formerly Wildlife
Conservation Corp) and restaurant, bar, and NGO partners to address the plastic
pollution crisis in New York City and beyond. This was built upon our public
commitment to eliminate single use plastics at our NYC zoos and aquarium that we
helped develop with other Aquariums around the country through the Aquarium
Conservation Partnership.

In May 2021, the New York City Council passed Int. 936A which restricts food
service establishments from providing non-compostable, single-use plastic
straws, stirrers and splash sticks to customers. This bill reflects consensus
reached by leaders of the environmental, accessibility and hospitality
communities and is a great show of leadership by our City’s advocates and public
officials. Once signed by the Mayor, the law will take effect by the end of
2021.


WHY WE GIVE A SIP

Single-use plastic straws are just the tip of the iceberg. We have a plastic
waste crisis right now. At the rate we're polluting, there will be more plastic
in the ocean by weight than fish by 2050. And we show no signs of stopping.
Experts expect plastic production to increase by 40% over the next decade due to
a rise in manufacturing.


Through the Give a Sip campaign, WCS and partners are supporting efforts in New
York City, New York State and at the federal level to promote alternatives to
and reduce the consumption of single-use plastics. Recycling, while important,
is not enough. With rapid growth in plastic use, many single-use plastics never
really go away. Instead, they can end up in our waters where they do deadly harm
to our local wildlife.Sea turtles, birds, and fish can't ask us to stop
polluting. They often can't avoid getting tangled in plastic or mistaking it for
food, either. An estimated 71% of seabirds and 30% of turtles have been found
with plastic in their stomachs. And when an animal ingests plastic, it's often
fatal.

Be part of the solution. Join us today and help reduce single-use plastics.


FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS


WHAT’S THE PROBLEM WITH PLASTICS?

Plastic was first developed in the 1860s ironically as a substitute for elephant
ivory in billiards. After WWII, plastic became widely available as a substance
that was cheap, lightweight, durable, and could be thrown away after use. Now,
more than a half century later, we know that there is no "away” plastic hangs
around in the environment. Today, the world produces hundreds of millions of
tons of plastic each year (370 million tons in 2016*), but upwards of 90% of it
never gets recycled.**


*Association of Plastics Manufacturers. (2017). Plastics—the Facts 2017 PDF
**The History and Future of Plastics; Geyer, Roland; Jambeck, Jenna; Law, Kara
Lavender (2017). Production, use, and fate of all plastics ever made. Science
Advances. 3, 7.



DOESN'T RECYCLING KEEP PLASTIC OUT OF THE ENVIRONMENT?

Recycling does help, but overall plastic production is far outpacing recycling
capacity in the U.S. and around the world. Furthermore, some single-use plastic
items, such as plastic straws, generally can't be recycled. Not using them is
the best policy.


WHAT HAPPENS ONCE PLASTIC ENDS UP IN OUR OCEANS?

The world's oceans are inundated with plastic. Studies have shown that roughly
nine million tons of plastic from land end up in the oceans every year, the
equivalent of dumptruck full of plastic every minute. If we don't slow this
rate, there will be more plastic than fish in the oceans by 2050.*

*World Economic Forum. (January 2016). The New Plastics Economy: Rethinking the
future of plastics


HOW DOES PLASTIC IMPACT FISH AND OTHER MARINE ANIMALS?

Today, discarded plastic is found in almost every marine habitat on Earth. Sea
turtles are known to ingest it because they mistake it for food. Birds, like
albatrosses, swallow it by accident because they skim the ocean and pick up
plastic when they hunt. Plastic can kill animals when it gets lodged in their
throats or stuck in their stomachs, which leads them to stop eating and starve
to death. The frequency of these incidents is increasing. As of 2015, all known
species of sea turtles, 54 percent of all marine mammal species, and 56 percent
of all seabird species have been affected by entanglement or ingestion.*
Scientists are trying to determine if the toxic chemicals that accumulate in
plastic in the ocean is also killing creatures living in or around the ocean.

*Gall, S.C.; Thompson, R.C. (2015). The impact of debris on marine life. Marine
Pollution Bulletin. 92, 170-179.


IS THERE PLASTIC IN THE FISH WE EAT?

There isn't a ton of existing scientific research to help answer this question
yet. However, for a 2015 study that was published in Scientific Reports, experts
examined fish from seafood markets in Indonesia and the U.S. About a quarter of
the 140 fish the researchers purchased had some form of garbage in their guts,
including plastic fragments and textile fibers.* It goes beyond the gut, though.
Other research has shown that ingesting plastic can also lead to a build-up of
hazardous chemicals in fish over time.

*Rochman, Chelsea M.; et al. (2015). Anthropogenic debris in seafood. Scientific
Reports, 5, article no. 14340.


DO WE KNOW IF INGESTING PLASTIC IS HARMFUL TO HUMANS?

Scientists are trying to find out. It is a fact that most humans have been
exposed to plastic and that it is showing up in our bodies. For example, the
Center for Disease Control found BPA (bisphenol-A), a common compound used in
the manufacture of plastics, in the urine of nearly all of more than 2,500
participants in a nationwide study of Americans over the age of six.* There is
growing concern about the different ways we are exposed to plastics and their
potential effects on human health. The best solution for us and for wildlife
going forward is to keep this stuff out of the environment in the first place.

*Centers for Disease Control. (February 2015): Fourth National Report on Human
Exposure to Environmental Chemicals PDF


WHAT IS WCS DOING ABOUT SINGLE-USE PLASTICS AT ITS ZOOS AND AQUARIUM?

At WCS, we've eliminated single-use plastic straws, cold drink lids, and
single-use carryout plastic bags from the Bronx Zoo, Central Park Zoo, Prospect
Park Zoo, Queens Zoo, and the New York Aquarium. WCS has also committed to
significantly reduce or eliminate single-use plastic beverage containers by
December 2020.


WHAT IS WCS DOING TO HELP NEW YORK’S MARINE LIFE?

Based at our New York Aquarium, WCS's New York Seascape Program is committed to
protecting the New York Bight—which encompasses more than 25,000 square miles of
coastal and ocean waters from Montauk, New York, to Cape May, New Jersey. These
waters are home to iconic wildlife, including sea turtles, whales, and sharks,
as well as nursery grounds and critical habitat for hundreds of other species.
Through local field research, policy initiatives, and public outreach, the team
seeks to protect and restore threatened species and critical habitat, encourage
smart ocean planning to ensure a safe place for wildlife in our busy waters, and
build ecological resilience in nearshore and river habitats.


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