Expert with the Illinois Environmental Council discusses plastic pollution in the Great Lakes, buying sustainable on Earth Day [Video]

CHICAGO (WLS) — Monday is Earth Day, and one of the easiest ways to help the environment is to reduce your use of plastic.

Twenty two million pounds of plastic waste end up in the Great Lakes every year. About half of that waste ends up in Lake Michigan alone.

A percentage of that pollution is made up of everyday items, like straws, single-use utensils and grocery bags.

Samira Hanessian, energy policy director with the Illinois Environmental Council, said plastic pollution affects more than just the water we swim in.

“Plastics never fully degrade. They break down into tiny pieces and do end up in our water,” she said. “We end up drinking that and taking that into our bodies.”

Hanessian suggests swapping single-use plastics for recyclable or reusable products to avoid contributing to the problem.

“Manufacturers are responsible for producing these [single-use plastics], but something we can do in our everyday lives …