October 23, 2007

Trash Island Growing In Pacific

Tons of trash is floating and expanding within a rarely seen part of the Pacific Ocean between San Francisco and Hawaii, reports the San Francisco Chronicle. Said to be twice the size of the State of Texas and comprised of about 3.5 million tons of plastic shopping bags and random pieces of trash, most of this lightweight and buoyant refuse is discarded onshore and carried out by wind and currents.

The patch has been growing, along with ocean debris worldwide, tenfold every decade since the 1950s, said Chris Parry, public education program manager with the California Coastal Commission in San Francisco.

The report found that 80 percent of the oceans’ litter originated on land. While ships drop the occasional load of shoes or hockey gloves into the waters (sometimes on purpose and illegally), the vast majority of sea garbage begins its journey as onshore trash.

We just hope you disposed of all of those unused plastic shopping bags properly after you bought your limited-edition Anya Hindmarch, anti-plastic tote bag.
San Francisco Chronicle

Article categories: Environmental, Ethical Consumerism