Once plastic trash gets into the ocean, it is hard to get it out. What can we do to solve the problem? Collecting plastic trash on beaches is one way to reduce waste in the sea because about 80% of plastic in the ocean is from the land.
　There are three principles for reducing plastic known as the three Rs: reduce, reuse, and recycle. Reducing the amount of plastic we use involves cutting down on such things as packaging. Reusing can be done by making use of plastic shopping bags for other purposes, for example. Recycling requires the processing of plastic so that it can be used again. But that is not enough. We also have to apply three other principles. First, refusing such things as plastic straws. Second, repairing broken items such as umbrellas. Third, rethinking whether you really need something before buying it. Together, there are six Rs we should live by: reducing, reusing, recycling, refusing, repairing, and rethinking.
　There is a Native American saying that goes, “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we only borrow it from our descendants.” It is our responsibility to protect the planet’s natural environment for future generations.