Marine waste from the Pacific Ocean brought ashore. Source: US Coast Guard. This image is part of the public domain.
Imagine an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, what would be the first image that comes to mind? I guarantee that the Trash Isles was not the first island you would have thought of. The Trash Isles was declared an actual place by environmentalists who wanted to raise awareness about the issue, but is more commonly known as the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP)”. The GPGP is located between California and Hawaii, covering about the same area as Afghanistan, however, it includes a high concentration of plastic waste. Little was actually known about the GPGP until it recently became the target of a $32 million effort by Ocean Cleanup, a Dutch non-profit organization, to rid the world’s oceans of plastics.
Location of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Source: Wikimedia Commons. This image is part of the public domain
What Does the GPGP Consist Of?
The GPGP contains about 79 000 tons of plastics, ranging from fishing nets and bottle caps to crates and oyster spaces. Moreover, scientists found that the vast majority of plastic in the GPGP were made of polyethylene and polypropylene, materials that are synthesized artificially, and as a result, cannot be broken down naturally because there is no naturally-occurring mechanism to initiate it. Surprisingly, scientists also found that 46% of the plastics found in the GPGP was related to fishing nets and gear, however, the researchers attribute part of this percentage to the 2011 Japanese tsunami.
The Problems
Plastic pollution in the ocean causes the deaths of thousands of seabirds, seals, turtles, and other marine mammals every year. These marine species ingest the plastic items which often results in choking, starvation, and other impairments that eventually lead to their demise. For example, sea turtles often mistake floating plastic as food and eventually choke on the plastic, killing them. Additionally, researchers at the University of California, Davis found plastic debris and fibres in more than 25% of the fish and shellfish that they bought from markets and fishermen. These researchers believe that this plastic debris has infiltrated marine food-webs such that it can have adverse effects on human health.
Possible Solutions?
All of this information is extremely concerning, but is anything actually being done to stop this growing issue? In the context of the GPGP, Ocean Cleanup is utilizing a 600-m floating tube that sits at the ocean surface, and a 3-meter-deep skirt attached below that moves with the current to collect plastic. This system is currently being used in the GPGP and is estimated to complete the cleanup process in about 5 years. On a larger scale, our actions on a day-to-day basis can help change the Earth for better or for worse. Assuming we choose the former, little things like using reusable bags for groceries, recycling plastic, and bringing your own reusable take-out containers can help reduce the flow of plastic into the environment and make the environment a cleaner place!
~Austin Chang
