The Trash Vortex

Check out this great interactive map from Greenpeace International that tracks the journey of coastal trash over time. For most people, when it comes to trash, the phrase “out of sight, out of mind” is quite applicable. But while one may think all trash is safely buried in a landfill, in reality, about 10 percent of the 100 million tons of plastic that are produced each year end up in the sea, according to Greenpeace.

Larger trash items that wash up on shore are actually indicative of a much bigger problem: what is called the Trash Vortex. At sea, sunlight, abrasion, and wave action simply break down big garbage items into smaller particles, since the items do not degrade the way natural products do. Those particles then accumulate in ocean areas where the currents and winds are weak, such as the North Pacific sub-tropical gyre. In the gyre, it is estimated that there are about six kilos of plastic for every kilo of plankton, resulting in a swirling area of trash equivalent to the size of Texas, earning the gyre names like “the Asian Trash Trail” and “the Eastern Garbage Patch.” Such a nasty accumulation has detrimental effects on marine life, with plastic being mistaken for food or sinking and smothering creatures on the ocean floor.
Hat Tip: Davin O'Regan