Out of any posts I have ever written or will ever write, this one may be the most disturbing- it’s about a floating garbage patch in the middle of the ocean TWICE THE SIZE OF TEXAS. Called the great Eastern Garbage patch or Pacific Trash Vortex, the collection of debris sits in the Northern Pacific Ocean, between California and Hawaii. Discovered in 1988, more than 10 years ago, the Great Eastern garbage patch has just recently begun to receive public attention.
It is located in the Northern Pacific Gyre. Gyres are systems of rotating ocean currents or vortexes. These currents carry trash and debris to their center, creating giant garbage patches. There are multiple, but the Eastern garbage patch is by far the largest. The garbage patch is mostly made up of plastic debris- estimated at over 100 million tons. 80% of the plastic in the Garbage patch actually comes from land source, not boats. This results in a collection of plastic that ranges from bath products to toys to plastic bottles and bags. This giant garbage patch has been referred to as eerily quiet. The wildlife that ventures into the waters of the Eastern Garbage patch risks ingesting the plastic or getting caught in the dense debris.
I think the fact that we've produced enough plastic waste to cover Texas twice is astounding and really puts our consumption into perspective.
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