There’s no denying that plastic pollution is a real problem. In the US alone, less than 5 percent of our plastics are recycled, with dire consequences for the environment. A plastic bottle discarded in the trash will eventually make its way to the ocean, where it may break down, but it will never completely degrade. When a plastic object hits the ocean, sunlight breaks it down into tiny pieces, many of which are floating just below the surface of the water rather than on top. Many animals mistake these bits for plankton, constantly ingesting a gruel of deadly plastic that outweighs plankton by 6 to 1 in the Pacific gyre alone. With odds like that, it would seem marine ecosystems hardly stand a chance.
Scores of marine creatures, including sea birds and turtles, are dying of starvation with their stomachs full of plastic. Because of their high density in the ocean, plastics are invading every level of our food web, creating a tragic cycle of being poisoned by the very pollutants we produce. This video takes a gritty look at the severity of the plastic waste situation in an effort to open people’s eyes to the reality of our disposable world.
Image via Kevin Krejci
I enjoy grubbing for old beer cans and glass bottles…I’ve managed to grub up some hutchinson soda bottles, 50s milk bottles, pepsi bottles of varying vintages, and a couple wonderfully preserved steel beer cans.
Sure the by catch is only living things in the ocean. It’s time to start kicking people’s asses that litter and getting rid of nets
Trying to share, but FB won’t.
No we don’t need tog get rid of nets. People just need to be aware of their ocean and its resources. We are too privileged i And the trawling for plastics would be good, but how will one do that without hurting the environment and fish even more. Because one would probably have to dredge also, because most of that plastic is probably on the sea floor.
Long overdue
How depressing! I must say I ALWAYS have more recyled “trash” than regular trash, sometimes one bag of garbage to a whole barrel of recyled and I only have pickup once a week. I hope everyone joins eventually in the recyling and trash collecting efforts!! For those who already do, the world thanks you!!!
people need to learn that it all flows downstream, and we are trashing our oceans as a result of it : (
Here is an answer to it: One Earth One Ocean
http://www.facebook.com/pages/One-Earth-One-Ocean/163573257046660
There needs to be better options for recyling. Where I live at there is recycling but they don’t pick it up you have to drive it to the dump or some place where they have recycling bins. Most people don’t want to be inconvienced with having to take it some where or don’t have the time so they just choose not do it instead. I am guilty of this myself. If there was recycling pick up from your home in more areas then people might be more apt to recycle. I know I would recycle more if they had home pick up.
Don’t know how many turtles, birds, etc. I’ve had to cut loose from plastic over the years! If people would just think!
It’s a sad day when people are this lazy & uncaring!
It’s a sad day when people are this lazy & uncaring!