For years the content of this massive heap has been growing, thanks to everyone who throws there garbage in the ocean. The toxic plastic/ garbage island is now twice the size of Texas, and until it can be taxed, U.S. officials will continue to ignore it. Eighty percent of the island is plastics and weighs over 3.5 million tons. A report found that 80% of the oceans litter originated on land, while ships dump the occasional load (sometimes on purpose and illegally) most trash start onshore. Chris Parry (public education program manager with the California Coastal Commission in San Francisco) said the patch has been growing, along with other ocean debris worldwide, tenfold every decade since the 1950's. Though cleaning it up is not an option we can still try to keep it from growing. For example, using canvas bags to carry your
groceries instead of plastic bags is a good first step; buying food thats not wrapped in plastics is another. "The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is particularly dangerous for birds and marine life", said Warner Chabot, vice president of the Ocean Conservancy, an environmental group. "Sea turtles mistake clear plastic bags for jellyfish. Birds swoop down and swallow indigestible shards of plastic. The petroleum-based plastics take decades to break down, and as long as they float on the ocean's surface, they can appear as feeding grounds." The Greenpeace report found that at least 267 marine species had suffered from some kind of ingestion or entanglement with marine debris.You can help to limit the ever-growing
patch of garbage floating in the Pacific Ocean.
IDEAS ON HOW TO HELP:
- -Limit your use of plastics when possible. Plastic doesn't easily degrade and can kill sea life.
- -Use a reusable bag when shopping. Throwaway bags can easily blow into the ocean.
- -Take your trash with you when you leave the beach.
- -Make sure your trash bins are securely closed. Keep all trash in closed bags
pictures from resourceactitionprograms.org
