The Pacific Garbage Patch....Is that a thing?

I’m sure you've heard those rumors about the garbage island in the middle of the Pacific the size of Texas? Or many Texases? Or maybe Texai? What is the plural of Texas? Why is the official unit for a garbage patch Texas?

Anywho, unfortunately these rumors are true, and not only that, there is more than one. Due to the circular flow of currents, floating garbage (mostly plastic) concentrates into several patches between North America and Asia. It is difficult to estimate the actual size, as the patches fluctuates depending on the season, however there are reports of the garbage patches existing, and they are a HUGE problem that need to properly brought to the public’s attention.

National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration:  http://marinedebris.noaa.gov/info/patch.html 

Now you may say: Holy Texaseses Batman! Why hasn’t anyone cleaned this up?!? Well, this is not as simple as you think. It's hard to find a good photo of the problem, because the garbage patch doesn’t so look as much as this:

Photo by Leo Weiss

As it does this:

Photo of Charles Moore, man who actually discovered the Pacific garbage patch. Interesting interview with Charles Moore here.

More like a goopy plastic soup.

This is because plastics are so durable, they are incredibly slow, and in some cases impossible to degrade. Instead, plastic breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces, until you are no longer able to see them. The remaining plastic bits are called microplastics. This means that although the plastics are no longer visible, it doesn’t mean they’ve disappeared. 

Have you ever left a plastic bag in the sun? Eventually it disappears, but it doesn’t mean it is not there. Artwork from Archipelago Institute of Marine Conservation 

Long story short, the garbage patches are made up of very small pieces of plastic making the more like a plastic soup, and would require nearly limitless amounts of money, resources, and effort to clean up, which unfortunately makes it impossible. 

How does pollution spread? 

So how does all that get into the ocean, and make this giant mess? In this day and age, plastic is a HUGE part of our lives. It makes up just about everything you use in your everyday life, and is almost impossible to avoid. You can’t brush your teeth, wash your hair, or even watch television in without the use of plastic! That doesn’t mean all plastic is bad, there’s no denying, plastic is cheap, lightweight, durable, and can be easily mass produced. But all the reasons that make plastics so useful, are also the reasons that make plastic nature’s worst enemy.

Because it is so light weight, some of that plastic is going to escape despite people’s best efforts. Have you ever seen a runaway grocery bag, or an overflowing trash can? Better yet, just look outside your window next time you are driving on the highway. Often times this pollution accumulates in sewers, lakes, creeks, and rivers which all eventually connect to the ocean.

Photo by Roger Whiteway

How does this impact our wildlife?

While the impacts of pollution on wildlife are widely known (cue stereotypical picture of cute sea lion with a plastic soda can holder around its head), the sheer amount of pollution, particularly plastics, in natural habitats is widely under-publicized to the general public. 

Illustration by John Pritchett

While the garbage patches are incredibly freaky, and a total downer, it doesn’t stop there. Plastic pollution can be found just about everywhere. One study (Moser and Lee 1992) in North Carolina found that out of 1033 of sea birds, half of them were found to have plastic particles in their guts. Sea birds and other marine animals are commonly found to ingest plastic, which causes digestive problems which often leads to death.

Okay, who cares about those flying poop machines? How does this garbage patch affect ME?

Recent studies are showing that even plankton and fish are also ingesting those microplastics. Toxins increase exponentially through food chains, which can make our favorite fish potentially harmful to eat. One classic example is high levels of mercury in Tuna. The same can go for plastic toxins. One study found that the consumption of plastics by a type of plankton may be causing toxin buildup in Salmon. However, this is all very new research, and scientists are still working to understand the potential impacts on human health.

How do we fix this? Moderation is key.

Let’s face it, plastics are pretty handy and have contributed to a variety of incredible things that make this world awesome.

However, the amount of plastic we use and discard on a daily basis is unfathomable. Grocery bags, Ziploc baggies, straws, plastic wrap… all those things you throw in the trash are all never going away, and are difficult to recycle. 

In my opinion, the only way to fix this problem is moderation. I can’t ask you to cut plastic out of your life completely, because it is almost impossible, and honestly, most people, including myself, just can’t do it. But what you can do, is focus on reducing the disposable plastic you use, and then recycle what you can. Make a conscience effort and do the best you can, and that is a step forward in the right direction.

Some culprits that can be easily avoided:

The infamous plastic bags

Ubiquitous turtle photo from an unknown source (google search)

Note:

Make sure you are recycling properly! Every recycling center is different in every town. However, many recycling centers will not recycle things like grocery bags, since they gum up the sorting machine. However, many grocery stores will take them, so put them in a safe place until your next trip to get groceries!

Balloons

Photo by Balloons Blow

You should see the ocean after graduation season….all those balloons you accidentally let go end up somewhere! Are balloons really necessary?

Plastic straws

Photo by http://cboxplastic.blogspot.com/

Volunteers found 62 plastic straws on Huntington Beach, California in just one clean up. Next time you are at a restaurant, skip out on the straw and plastic lid.

Some awesome things I have found that can make a difference:

1. Reusable bags
2. Reusable produce bags 
3. Kick ass reusable water bottle that keeps your water icy cold ALL DAY 
4. Pyrex containers and Tupperware instead of Ziploc baggies or throwaway containers.
5. Reusable food covers instead of plastic wrap 
6. Recycled and reusable straws 
7. Newspaper (or any type of paper) instead of wrapping paper
8. “Green” plastics **Edit: Upon further investigation, I've learned that these "green" plastics are not exactly better options. They take extreme temperatures to actually biodegrade, so they do not degrade in normal waste treatment. In addition, they cannot be recycled. These should be avoided as well.  

Key references:

There are many blogs, fact sheets, and information sites on plastic pollution, however my goal for you in this blog was to provide only direct links to peer reviewed research and reputable resources, so you can have a direct link for all of my information.

Scientific papers I've used:

Derriak 2002

Lusher et al. 2013

Corzar et al. 2014

Moore et al. 2001 

Pierre et al. 2015 

Another article on plastic. It is very long, but for the most part, the sources seem legitimate:

http://coastalcare.org/2009/11/plastic-pollution/

Also, NOAA has its own great little fact sheet about the garbage patch.

http://marinedebris.noaa.gov/what-we-know-about-garbage-patches