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Seaworld Ditches Plastic Drinking Straws, Shopping Bags

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ORLANDO (CBSMiami/AP) - SeaWorld parks have ditched plastic straws and plastic shopping bags.

SeaWorld Entertainment announced Friday that all 12 of its theme parks have removed all single-use plastic drinking straws and single-use plastic shopping bags.

"We see the harmful effects of plastic pollution in the animals we rescue and rehabilitate, and therefore, recognize the importance of doing our part to curb plastic pollution," said John Reilly, interim chief executive officer for SeaWorld Entertainment, Inc.

The Ocean Conservancy, a nonprofit environmental advocacy group, estimates that eight million metric tons of plastics enter the ocean each year, on top of the estimated 150 million metric tons that currently circulate the planet. This prevalence of plastics in the ocean has been making its way into the diets of marine animals that mistake it for food and become sick or even die.

"We've seen first-hand the horrific damage that plastic pollution causes to animals," said Jon Peterson, manager of rescue operations at SeaWorld Orlando. "Some studies have indicated that more than half of sea turtles out in the wild ingest some form of plastic. In fact, just this week, we performed surgery on a rescued sea turtle who became ill from ingesting plastic and other ocean debris."

SeaWorld joins the ranks of other organizations and government entities working to reduce the use of single-use plastics, such as Alaska Airlines, Hilton, and Hurtigruten.

(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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