According to a new study, up to 90% of marine birds alive today may have ingested plastic, and by 2050, that number could be as high as 95%.

“That was shocking,” says Chris Wilcox, lead author of the study which appeared this week in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences.

“Essentially, the number of species and number of individuals within species that you find plastic in is going up fairly rapidly by a couple percent every year.”

The particular plastic items found inside the birds were shocking as well.

Study co-author Denise Hardesty recalls examining one bird that had consumed 200 pieces of plastic. Inside other birds, she found entire glowsticks, balloons, cigarette lighters, and toys.

Some seabirds eat so much plastic, there is little room left in their gut for food, which affects their body weight, jeopardizing their health.

When birds ingest large chunks of plastic they face a swift and painful death. Sharp-edged plastic kills birds by punching holes in internal organs. More often, birds will swallow very small plastic fragments, but these can still have health impacts.

In their paper, Wilcox and Hardesty reviewed studies conducted between 1962 and 2012. Within these studies, an average of 29% of birds had plastic in their gut. But using computer models that factor in where the birds and where plastic debris tends to gather in the ocean, the researchers demonstrated that up to 90% of marine birds could have plastic in their gut, if those same studies were conducted today.

“Essentially seabirds are going extinct,” says Wilcox. “Maybe not tomorrow. But they’re headed down sharply. Plastic is one of the threats they face.”

Fortunately, there’s a pretty straightforward solution: Stop using so much damn plastic. Bring reusable bags to the grocery store. Recycle everything you can. Only toss plastic in the garbage as a last resort.

“Even simple measures can make a difference,” Hardesty said.