Trash Island Mon, Jul 23, 2018

The world’s largest collection of ocean garbage is growing. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a collection of plastic, floating trash halfway between Hawaii and California, has grown to more than 600,000 square miles. Winds and converging ocean currents funnel the garbage into a central location. The trash comes from around the Pacific Rim, including nations in Asia and North and South America. The mass is estimated to be twice the size of the state of Texas and weigh over 80 tons. As the trash breaks up into microplastics it is eaten by marine life and the trash could potentially end up in your food. Yes, this is bad news that the size of the garbage is growing at an alarming rate, but hope is not lost, there is a way that we could help slow down the growth. The easiest way you can help is to use reusable items and limit your use of onetime-use plastic items such as straws, bags, and water bottles.