I keep hearing things about this on NPR. Plastics are entering the water and being constantly reduced to smaller and smaller fragments, to the point where they're interfering with the digestive and reproductive systems of the creatures who live there. I don't know a whole lot about this, but discussion can help us all to gain a better understanding.
There will be more plastic than fish in the worlds oceans by 2050... Report: Plastic to Outweigh Fish in Oceans by 2050 January 19, 2016 - There will be more plastic than fish in the worlds oceans by 2050, according to a report by the World Economic Forum released Tuesday.
Real pollution that we really need to address. I have a close relative that lives on a boat and sails the seas and he says the trash out there hundreds of miles from shore is amazing. I think NYC still dumps all there trash in the ocean.
There have been water samples taken near the Pacific Garbage Patch which contain more plastic particles than plankton particles. Google Pacific Garbage Patch... It will shock you. There are islands of plastic and other trash in all oceans, but the pacific one looks like Texas.
seems pretty simple to me. Stop using so much plastic and what we do use do something else with it than throw it in the ocean. For all the pseudo environmentalists out there try to remember that the next time you buy bottled water. There are all kinds of solutions to this but they will have to be brought forth by those that actually want to fix the problem and not for some political gain. as far as other countries doing it..... thats an even easier fix.
The only solution lies I the minds of men. As long as man chooses to ignore it. There is no solution.
Granny say she glad she ain't the one to have to clean it up... Remote island has 'world's worst' plastic rubbish density Tue, 16 May 2017 - The uninhabited Pacific island is littered with 37.7 million pieces of plastic debris, scientists say.
This is a major problem, and it's worldwide. Bottled water is the norm in some countries. Plastic recycling is sporadic, and prone to contamination which results in landfilling it, even in the US. Plastic grocery bags are totally unnecessary. We use reusable shopping bags. They hold a lot more, and it is such an EASY thing to do.
4 year Study says Plastic Pollution Is Killing Coral Reefs... Plastic Pollution Is Killing Coral Reefs, 4-Year Study Finds January 25, 2018 - Millions of tons of plastic waste end up in the ocean every year. And the trash stays there: Whether it's grocery bags or water bottles or kids' toys, plastic is practically indestructible.
According to this article, the problem is far greater than we think and the U.S. is one of the worst places of contamination. - https://www.theguardian.com/environ...es-found-tap-water-around-world-study-reveals
Report projects 3 times the amount of plastic in the ocean in 10 years... Ocean plastic could treble in decade 21 March 2018 - The amount of plastic in the ocean is set to treble in a decade unless litter is curbed, a major report has warned.
We could maybe put vibration motors into the ocean to collect it better? Then, it would cost less to collect it all. There is a lot of recycle potential to attract investors to this, to compensate them somewhat.
what's required is a cultural shift and global education...how often have you seen someone just toss litter to the ground? it's a problem in countries where people know better... it's a bigger problem in countries where they don't and everything gets tossed into the rivers...the entire planet needs to reeducated...and that's a huge task.
'A single piece of plastic' can kill sea turtles... 'A single piece of plastic' can kill sea turtles, says study 13 Sept.`18 - A new study suggests that ingesting even a single piece of plastic can be deadly for sea turtles.
90% of all of the plastic in the oceans originated from Asia and Africa, most of them being shithole countries. The turtle with the straw in the nose...ends up the turtle eventually died of a cocaine overdose. Drug smugglers are responsible for 99% of all cocaine that has been dumped overboard into the oceans.
Most (86%) of that plastic in the oceans is coming from Asia. For the most part, the western world is pretty good about either recycling or keeping our garbage contained. https://www.theoceancleanup.com/sources/
Not any more. NYC ships their garbage to landfills as far as 600 miles away. They stopped dumping it sometime in the 1990s. https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2016/oct/27/new-york-rubbish-all-that-trash-city-waste-in-numbers
I have come close to fist fights, with fools that I told NOT to sweep plastic pellets who cares where, when spilled. It is common to spill them. And at scummy plastics mfgs, they just leave it to wash down the drain, or gutter. Which makes it to the ocean. Then there is CAPITALISM. And disposable luxury. We don't make products to fix, just throw away. We could make stuff good enough to fix, and, create jobs for the disabled. This is a whole diff way of thinking. OLD FASHIONED. We need to think about plastic like Aluminum. 93% of aluminum gets recycled.