Have you ever heard of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch? No? It's in the middle of the ocean, so most of us will never see it, but it's one of the largest man-made environmental disasters in the world. It is the world's largest landfill and it's getting larger every year!
The ocean is constantly moving. Ocean currents move the water in different directions depending on wind, temperature and other factors. The North Pacific Gyre is a place in the Pacific Ocean between California and Japan where many currents come together to form a giant, clockwise moving area of water.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, also known as the Pacific Trash Vortex, is located here in the North Pacific Gyre. It is literally a giant, floating patch of garbage twice the size of Texas and made up of millions of pounds of plastic, chemical sludge and other debris. Greenpeace has said that 10% of all plastic manufactured each year ends up in the ocean!
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch presents hazards to marine life. Plastic can end up in the stomachs of marine birds, sea turtles and fish. These toxic plastic pieces can also be eaten by jellyfish, which are then eaten by larger fish. When the larger fish are eaten by humans, these toxins can enter our bodies! All life on Earth is connected. Our abuse of the environment comes back to us full circle.
Be aware of your waste! Throw garbage in the trash, not on the ground! Recycle plastic disposable products when you can or avoid buying them altogether! The next time you see a piece of garbage about to blow into a sewer, a river or a stream, pick it up and throw it away. How big will the Garbage Patch get before we start to act?
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