Plastic Marine Pollution: Killing the Oceans

Plastics: made to last for ever, designed to throw away.

Plastic garbage in the Ocean. (Photo in public domain).

I received this email from Dan Jacobson, Environment California Legislative Director.

“The Pacific Garbage Patch has grown to be twice the size of Texas. That’s why we’re calling for simple steps to cut the waste that’s fueling this enormous floating patch of trash. Unless California does something about our plastic trash it will only get worse. That’s why we’re calling for simple steps to cut the waste that’s fueling this enormous floating patch of trash. Every year, California uses 19 billion plastic bags – many of which find their way out to sea and ultimately to the Pacific Garbage Patch. – many of which find their way out to sea and ultimately to the Pacific Garbage Patch.

We’re calling for a small fee on plastic bags at the grocery store, to encourage reusable bags to encourage reusable bags. Join the call. Ask Gov. Schwarzenegger to put a fee on plastic bags. Environment California has launched a new effort – The Great Pacific Cleanup — to cut the waste that’s ending up in the Pacific Ocean.

Churned slowly by ocean currents, more than 100 million tons of plastic bags, bottles, toys, containers, packaging and other junk are swirling together, forming a moving island of trash off our coast that’s known as the Pacific Garbage Patch. Approximately 80% of that waste came from land. Cleaning up the mess poses an enormous array of challenges, but a few things are dead-certain: To start the cleanup, we have to stop generating so much ocean-bound waste. And California can lead the way.” Environment California has launched a new effort – The Great Pacific Cleanup — to cut the waste that’s ending up in the Pacific Ocean.

This is not breaking news for me, I have been following this story for some time now. It just gets more and more disturbing every time I read another article. So please click the link in the story and take some action right now! For a really informative low down on the pollution of the planets five gyres click here.