#Pollution: This is why plastic is a major problem

THAILAND'S coastline is literally a death trap to countless species of marine life, of which hundreds die annually - the main reason behind this is the fact that the country is one of the planet's largest consumers of plastic.

The crisis was further exacerbated when, during the first week of June, an autopsy was conducted on a dead pilot whale which had been discovered near the Malaysian border - it was revealed later that the whale's death was most likely caused due to a large build up of plastic in its stomach.

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A total of 80 plastic bags had been removed from its stomach.

The Eastern province of Chanthaburi, on June 4, witnessed a similar sight when a protected species of green turtle washed up on a beach in the area.

It was later discovered that the turtle had consumed a large quantity of plastic, including rubber bands and balloons - the turtle died two days later.

Prior to the death of the turtle, veterinarians attempted to save it by feeding it intravenously however, this attempt failed - the content of its intestinal tract could only be removed after its death.

According to a veterinarian (Weerapong Laovechprasit) at the Eastern Marine and Coastal Resource Research and Development Centre, previously, 10% of green turtles which had been stranded along beaches in the area had come into contact, or consumed similar types of plastic waste however, this number has since increased to 50% during 2018 so far.

A 2015 Ocean Conservancy report revealed that 8-million tonnes of plastic waste is introduced into the ocean annually, of which more than half originates from Asian countries such as Thailand - others include China, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines.