Several U.S. states and cities

 Plastic waste. /VCG

 Several U.S. states and cities have banned plastic straws because they pollute oceans and waterways and harm marine life. Some restaurants no longer automatically give plastic straws to customers. But plastic straws are only a small part of the problem.

 The environment is littered with single-use plastic food and beverage containers -– water bottles, takeout containers, coffee lids, shopping bags and more.

 Around the world, the equivalent of one garbage truck of plastic enters the ocean every minute from a range of sources, including plastic bags, toothbrushes, bottles, food packaging and more, experts say.

 As those materials break down in the environment, microplastics are turning up in the stomachs of fish, birds and other animals, as well as in human blood and tissue.

 More than 390 million straws are used every day in the United States, mostly for 30 minutes or less, according to advocacy group Straws Turtle Island Restoration Network. Straws take at least 200 years to decompose and pose a threat to turtles and other wildlife as they degrade into microplastics, the group says.

 "To prevent another sea turtle from becoming a victim to plastic, we must make personal lifestyle alterations to fight for these species," the group said in a statement.

 Every year, the world produces more than 400 million tonnes of new plastic. About 40 percent of all plastics are used in packaging, according to the United Nations.

 Globally, nations are creating a treaty to address plastic pollution. Leaders met for a week in South Korea late last year but didn't reach an agreement. Talks resume this year as more than 100 countries pursue a pact that limits plastic production as well as tackles cleanup and recycling.