Plastic Soup Anyone?

Ever heard of The Great Pacific Garbage Patch? According to this CNN news story, the U.N. has been petitioned to consider it an official country with citizens and currency in the form of debris. This continuously growing garbage patch sits in the Pacific Ocean between Southern California and Hawaii. It’s most recent measurement tracks the patch at 1.6 million square kilometers, or roughly three times the size of France. Or just cover the midwest states of MN, WI, IA, IL, MO, KS and NE!  The composition of this plastic soup consists mainly of ghost nets and discarded fishing nets, accounting for almost half of the huge, swirling pile of trash. The rest of the debris is a mixture of plastics big and small, along with items lost to sea from the 2011 Japanese tsunami.

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch was first discovered in 1997 by oceanographer Charles Moore when he sailed home to Southern California after finishing the Transpacific Yacht Race, from California to Hawaii.

 

Confronted with the alarming fact the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is growing faster than anticipated, scientists and researchers are looking for ways to expel the plastics from our ocean’s ecosystems. Microplastics are now even being found in human food sources and bottled water.  Microplastics are the result of the breakdown of all the plastic waste that makes its way into landfills and oceans. A recent study by microplastic researcher Prof. Sherri Mason of State University of New York revealed several known brands of bottled water contained a percentage of plastic. Some of these brands included Nestle Pure Life, Aquafina, Dasani, and Evian.

Our love affair with making single-use disposable plastics out of a material that lasts for literally centuries — that’s a disconnect, and I think we need to rethink our relationship with that,” observed Sherri Mason in this article about the study.  

Microplastics are also being consumed by bird and aquatic wildlife to disastrous consequence. Habitats are being altered with the introduction of plastic and the oceans are showing signs of that effect. Aquatic species are ingesting plastic as a mistaken food source and are slowly being poisoned. Commercial fish sources have also tested positive for plastic. Predictions by scientists conclude that within three decades, there will be more plastic in the oceans than fish.

To further complicate the need to consume less and recycle more, China announced to the world at the beginning of 2018 that they would no longer accept dirty plastics from several countries, including the U.S. Only two years ago, China was responsible for processing at least half of the world’s exports of paper waste, metals, and used plastic. As a result, a backlog of plastic products in need of recycling has started to build up.

In response to this growing crisis, a group of more than 70 engineers, scientists, and researchers founded The Ocean Cleanup. Their number one task is to address the largest cleanup in history. They estimate over 5 trillion pieces of plastic currently litter the ocean. By using technology and the currents of the oceans,  The Ocean Cleanup will funnel the plastics into a concentrated area for extraction and shipment to land where it can be recycled. There are five garbage patches around the world, with The Great Pacific Garbage Patch being the largest. It will take a concerted effort to clean up this plastic soup, learning from initiatives like The Ocean Cleanup. This ABC article shows a video model of the technology used along with more photos from the organization.

In celebration of April and all things Earth Day, the 2018 Earth Day Film Series premiered “A Plastic Ocean” April 6th, but you can check it out on Netflix if you missed it. Look at our webpage for more info on upcoming films in the Earth Day Film Series. 

Then check out the Eco Challenge 2018 and challenge yourself to learn more about bioplastics and how to eliminate toxic plastics from your everyday life with Challenge #47.