Sunny days spent building sand castles may lose their luster when your realize those plastic shovels and rakes will one day end up in the ocean. Washed Ashore hopes to draw awareness to the plastic problem with colorful sea creature sculptures made of toys that have washed up on Oregon beaches. Conceived by artist Angela Haseltine Pozzi, the sculptures are around four meters long and three tall.

The Spanish artist Joan Miro (1893-1983) spent his later days on the island of Mallorca. On walks along the beach, the sculptor collected items that had washed ashore and set to work creating monster-like sculptures. Painted brilliant, mostly primary colors, the artworks took on unusual shapes, many of which were life-sized and given human features.

Cologne-based artist HA Schult has become famous for his Trash People sculptures, such as those shown above in a building footprint near Berlin's Friedrichswerder Church. Using compacted trash, including soda bottles, the artist has placed rows of these life-size sculptures in natural environments such as in the desert near the Egyptian pyramids to draw awareness to their blight on landscapes.

Ghana-born artist Ed Franklin Gavua has made a name for himself creating Yiiiiikakaii masks out of waste. "My art work is used to create awareness for people to rethink how the waste they or their community makes, is used," he told DW. The masks, which usually take about a day to make, are unique and contain only materials that had originally been tossed away.

Canadian Robert Bezeau built this fortress on Isla Colon, the main island of Bocas del Toro province in Panama. With medieval elements, the castle is made of around 40,000 recycled plastic PET bottles stuffed inside a steel frame and cemented over. Decorating its facade are artworks illustrating how the world's oceans are being polluted.

Plastic in our oceans is not only something that artists have been concerned with; clothing companies as well are making concerted efforts to reduce waste. The sportswear company Adidas found one unique way to recycle the rubbish that already exists with its Adidas x Parley line of shoes, which launched in 2016. The sneakers are decorated with yarn made of reused plastic fishing nets.

Dealing with the problem of plastic has long been on the EU's agenda. In 2011, the work Plastic Bag Monster, comprising 40,000 used plastic bags and 7,500 plastic cups, was put up in front of the European Commission headquarters in Brussels. Many member states have since taken steps to ban the use of plastic bags. A draft law, if passed, could see the body banning single-use plastic like straws.

Billions of plastic straws end up as waste. The European Union wants to ban these and other single-use plastics, which end up in rubbish dumps or in our oceans. But for those who just can't stop sucking — like Marco Hort, who set a world record with 259 straws stuffed in his mouth — there are environmentally friendly alternatives.

Animals in the ocean often try to eat plastic straws. To protect the environment, you can now eat the straw yourself. The German startup Wisefood has developed an edible straw made out of the leftovers from Germany's apple juice production. Alternatively, you can also acquire a multiple-use straw made from metal, bamboo or glass.

There are no exact numbers of how many plastic forks, knives and spoons are used once and then dumped. But it's enough for the EU to want to say goodbye to them. If you need to eat on the run and can't use metal silverware, you might try edible versions. The Indian startup Bakey's offers forks made out of sorghum; the US company SpudWares, out of potato starch. Yummy!

Talking about eating your plastic alternatives: You might also like to try edible plates, since plastic plates will be on the way out under the EU's ban. The Polish company Biotrem has developed plates made from bran. In case you are already full from your meal, don't worry: The plates are organic and decompose after 30 days.

Besides banning the private use of disposable plastic products, the EU aims to encourage fast food chains, cafes and bars to curb the use of plastic cups. Half a trillion plastic cups are consumed every year — most of them being used for a single drink, then staying in the environment for eternity. Several companies now offer plant-based alternatives.

One of those companies is the Balinese startup Avani. It has developed a compostable bioplastic made from corn starch. Although, the cups look and feel like petroleum-based plastic cups, they are biodegradable. However, they decompose best in a commercial composting facility, and not in your backyard

The easiest way to replace plastic cups is by using reusable mugs. But we might not always have our personal coffee cups on hand while we are out on the streets. Berlin is among German cities testing out a pilot project allowing coffee aficionados to borrow a reusable bamboo mug for a small deposit, and return it at another cafe at a later point.

Another plastic product the EU would see gone are ear buds. When disposed of improperly, they end up in the ocean, where animals mistake them for food. There are plastic-free alternatives with the stem made from bamboo or paper. But hardcore environmentalists say it's best to stop using them altogether — you can use your towel to clean your ears.