https://themindunleashed.com/2017/10/shocking-sea-of-plastic-and-styrofoam-captured-in-pictures-from-caribbean.html
[Note focus on micro-fibres, which cannot be removed via 'garbage
trawls' using fishing nets. Better technologies need to be deployed.
links and images in online article]
Shocking Sea of Plastic and Styrofoam Captured in Pictures from Caribbean
Christina Sarich
Oct 27, 2017
Recent estimates suggest that 91 percent of all plastic created for
consumer use isn’t recycled. Scientists studying the plastic pollution
problem have been horrified by the sheer amount of the stuff in our
environment. Where does it all end up? Shocking photographs taken by
Caroline Power of an entire “sea of plastic” in the Caribbean, provide
compelling visual evidence that this environmental destruction must stop.
Jenna Jambeck, a University of Georgia environmental engineer who
specializes in studying plastic waste in the oceans says:
“We all knew there was a rapid and extreme increase in plastic
production from 1950 until now, but actually quantifying the cumulative
number for all plastic ever made was quite shocking.”
Jambeck also told National Geographic that this amount of pollution
would “break any system” that was not prepared for this level of waste.
Conceptualizing the billions of tons of plastic waste in our oceans has
been difficult for many of us, but Powers urges everyone to take this
problem personally, and to look at their own responsibility in
contributing to the problem. On Facebook, Power posted this comment with
her pictures,
Sea of Plastic Caught in Photographs by Caroline Power
“Think about your daily lives. How did you take your food to go
last time you ate out? How was your last street food served? Chances are
it was styrofoam and served with a plastic fork and then put in a
plastic bag. Do you still use plastic garbage bags? Plastic soda
bottles? Ziplock bags? Plastic wrap on your food?
Do you buy toilet paper that comes wrapped in plastic instead of
paper? Do you put your fruit and veggies in produce bags at the grocery?
I challenge every person and every business to keep your trash for
one week. Separate your organic and recyclables and keep everything else
for one week. You will be disgusted how many single use items you use.”
While Powers’ photographs add to the growing collection of visual
evidence of the problem of plastic, they sadly, don’t even begin to
touch the depth of the issue.
A recent University of Florida study found that despite all the plastic
trash we can see, plastic from our clothing – even those $100 yoga pants
you thought were environmentally sourced – are clogging our waterways
with plastic.
Funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA),
researchers conducted a two-year study to discover the source of the
micro-plastic pollution accumulating in the Gulf of Mexico. They found
that more than 80 percent of the micro-plastics found in the ocean are
actually micro-fibers from synthetic clothing.
Every time you wash your gym clothes, yoga pants, or any other garment
made from synthetic material, you’re shedding microscopic plastic fibers
— called “microfibers” into natural waterways, which eventually make
their way to the ocean.
These plastic microfibers are too small to be filtered out by tiny
plants and fish. An additional paper has shown that microfibers are
responsible for 85 percent of shoreline pollution across the globe.
In brief, it isn’t just the bottled we cart our shampoo home in from the
grocery store, or the take-out food packaging, or the plastic bags –
plastic pollution is even the clothing we wear that is polluting the ocean.
In addition to reducing plastic bag and plastic cup use, also consider
washing your clothes in a “guppy bag” that may catch up to 90 percent of
the microfibers, and simply opting to purchase clothing here on out made
only from natural materials like wool, cotton, hemp, bamboo, etc.
One thing is clear from all the studies, and the shocking photographs
taken by Powers – this must stop, but it won’t without some wide spread
change.
A recent University of Florida study found that despite all the plastic
trash we can see, plastic from our clothing – even those $100 yoga pants
you thought were environmentally sourced – are clogging our waterways
with plastic.
Funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA),
researchers conducted a two-year study to discover the source of the
micro-plastic pollution accumulating in the Gulf of Mexico. They found
that more than 80 percent of the micro-plastics found in the ocean are
actually micro-fibers from synthetic clothing.
Every time you wash your gym clothes, yoga pants, or any other garment
made from synthetic material, you’re shedding microscopic plastic fibers
— called “microfibers” into natural waterways, which eventually make
their way to the ocean.
These plastic microfibers are too small to be filtered out by tiny
plants and fish. An additional paper has shown that microfibers are
responsible for 85 percent of shoreline pollution across the globe.
In brief, it isn’t just the bottled we cart our shampoo home in from the
grocery store, or the take-out food packaging, or the plastic bags –
plastic pollution is even the clothing we wear that is polluting the ocean.
In addition to reducing plastic bag and plastic cup use, also consider
washing your clothes in a “guppy bag” that may catch up to 90 percent of
the microfibers, and simply opting to purchase clothing here on out made
only from natural materials like wool, cotton, hemp, bamboo, etc.
One thing is clear from all the studies, and the shocking photographs
taken by Powers – this must stop, but it won’t without some wide spread
change.