Climate change and global warming are sometimes things that it’s hard to put a finger on- what is it that each of us does everyday that contributes? You can think of the times you commute on public transit as saving gas, or turning off your tap when you brush your teeth as saving water. More hands-on are when you recycle a plastic bottle or choose to use a reusable cup to get your coffee in the morning.

If you live in San Francisco like me, recycling and composting is part of what you do with all of the trash you generate during the course of the day. Conveniently, the city has services that pick up trash, recycling and compost all separately. The best thing about this is that all we have to do is handle the separation within our home and the city takes care of the rest. Does that mean there still isn’t trash in the street? No. Does that mean people don’t throw their plastic bottles and other recyclables in the trash? Unfortunately, no. But it is a step. It means that we have the opportunity to make visible, tangible steps toward disposing of containers in a responsible way. It’s a step toward consciousness of the problem and an attempt at a solution.

With so much of climate change, both what is happening and what we can each do about it, being, literally, “up in the air,” some visuals are more striking than others. Seeing the weather patterns change or storms become more intense can be intimidating, and there is no one thing you can do to stop that.

It’s a much bigger issue and something that will require decades of lifestyle changes to do something about. Taking a plastic bottle and putting it into a recycling bin, on the other hand, is a concrete act and a decision each of us can make on a daily basis. (Or, better yet, choosing to use reusable containers instead).

A stark reminder of what happens when plastic bottles and other refuse are left in the street or not disposed of properly is the Pacific Garbage Patch. If you haven’t heard of it, watch this video for a great introduction. 7 million tons of floating plastic garbage covering an area double the size of Texas. A group of ocean scientists recently made a trip to the patch and found over 1,700 miles of plastic in the ocean, comprising what is commonly known as Pacific Garbage Patch.

Details about how it affects ocean life and the long term effects of this still-growing patch are few, but birds and fish mistake tiny plastic pieces for food and the plastics contain a slew of chemicals that are harmful to the environment. As Miriam Goldstein, chief scientist of the expedition, said:

[The] “vast majority of things we saw were small, about the size of your thumbnail or smaller. "We found a lot of particles that were about the size of the animals that are living out there, so that would certainly present a challenge to removing those particles.”

Exactly. The chief issue here is that disposing of the plastic when you use it has a tangible, meaningful impact- and cleaning up the tiny pieces it becomes when they are floating in the ocean is an incredibly more difficult option.

Want to know something you can do to battle climate change, reduce waste and help the environment? Recycle that plastic bottle. It’s a more powerful act than you may think.