The Great Pacific Garbage Patch
Posted byThe Great Pacific Garbage Patch
The “Great PacificGarbage Patch”
Following upon my earlier post about landfills – it is important to note that not all ofour garbage ends up in landfills. Unfortunately, it also ends up in “Earth’sLargest Dump”, the ocean.
The marinepollution, discovered in 1997, had accumulated over a long period of time andfounders dubbed the phenomenon, “The Great Pacific Garbage Patch”. This waterlogged stew of trash is located inthe northern part of the Pacific Ocean where several ocean currents cometogether marking the end of the line for garbage floating the world’s oceans.
Many debateshave contemplated the true length of the Garbage Patch, but the Garbage Patchstretches hundreds of miles across the ocean. It is hard to pinpoint the true size of theGarbage Patch because as the patch continues to drift, the ocean currentcarries some fragments away while about 70% of the plastic garbage sinks to thebottom of the ocean floor.
Did you know…?
The floating dump coversan area one and a half time the size of the USA.
The GarbagePatch consists of several types of trash, primarily plastics (90% plastics). The marine debris causes environmentalproblems when these plastic nets, bags, or other debris entangles seals, sea turtles,and other ocean animals. Photodegradationbreaks down the plastic which then absorbs pollutants like PCB’s from theseawater and marine life can accidentally ingest the contaminated plasticbefore entering the food chain.
Did you know…?
Greenpeace estimatesthat over a million sea-birds and one hundred thousand marine mammals and seaturtles are killed each year by ingestion of plastics or entanglement.
So, what canwe do? The problem is that the Garbage Patch may be almost impossible to cleanup. We, as consumers, need to change our behaviors so that we can prevent theGarbage Patch from growing any larger. Look at items made from plastic that you use every day and compare the benefitslike convenience against the harmful effects of garbage and pollution. We need to change our thinking and look atour household waste as a resource and identify ways to reuse the plastic bagsand bottles. Manufacturers need to produce plastic that can be re-used.
Did you know…?
Plastic is manufacturedfrom oil, a natural resource with limited availability.
We knowwhere the problem begins – we manufacture plastic for consumers to use. We, as consumers, are the source of thisproblem and we have the power to change it. If you do not want to contribute to the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch”,the easiest solution is to stop using plastics, especially plastic bags andbottles, because plastic does not biodegrade naturally. Ultimately we need to recycle more plasticsand develop wider uses for biodegradable materials as we continue educatingothers on the harmful long-term effects of plastic pollution and properdisposal.
References
http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/translating-uncle-sam/stories/what-is-the great-pacific-garbage-patch
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/environment/5208645/Drowning-in-plastic-The-Great-Pacific-Garbage-Patch
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/campaigns/oceans/pollution/trash-vortex/
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