It is so disheartening when I see pictures and read stories such as the ones you have shared. Plastic does not go away and it is a shame humans are so irresponsible with their garbage. The bottom line is that it seems many people are lazy and apathetic. I always take reusable bags to market for my groceries. I am usually the only one with everyone else using those wretched plastic bags.
It takes little effort to remember the bags and I really have a hard time understanding why everyone still uses plastic...it is wasteful. It is no mystery what plastic does to the environment, its inhabitants and our ecosystems...I feel like they have taught us from a young age...still people make no effort to improve the situation.
Every little bit helps and it all adds up. We can not make people care but we can still educate and lead by example. When I go on hikes with my nieces and nephews, I pick up trash others have left behind on the trail. The young eyes see this and I hope it resonates with them throughout adulthood. The children are the future and introducing them to environmentally conscience habits now will hopefully produce environmentally conscience adults.
RE: A study of mesopelagic fish found that 73 % of them had plastic in their gut!