Clean Up the North Pacific Gyre
- by: Sarah Reece
- recipient: U.S. Congress
The largest landfill in the world consists of non-biodegradable plastics floating in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
Between southern California and Hawaii is the North Pacific Gyre, where the water currents create a slow moving vortex. These currents have drawn in vast amount of garbage and plastic in the past 100 years, which has won it the name "The Great Pacific Garbage Patch".
The Eastern Patch alone is over twice the size of Texas and will surely grow if we do not take every effort we can to clean up this mess.
Not only is it a danger to marine life, but to tourists and fishermen. Plastics are not biodegradable, and so they may break down from sunlight over time, but remain plastic and release harmful chemicals. They are often mistaken as food by many marine animals which they may die from, or eventually get into the food chain.
The first step is to simply stop consuming so much plastic we know will stay here for such a long time. Use safer products like glass and do not buy products with extra packaging. Refuse to use plastic bags at the grocery store.
Secondly, we must make all efforts to begin the task of cleaning the ocean. Only about 20% of water pollution is cargo from ships. The other 80% comes from land. We must help fix what we caused.
Congress must see the importance of this issue. Please urge them to begin a cleanup and phase out of chemicals and pollutants in the Pacific Gyre.
Plastics will remain here for a long time as they are not biodegradable. Their particles will remain plastic and collect and release harmful chemicals.
As this garbage patch grows, more and waste is being washed up on shores and is steadly being injested through the food chains to humans. Down the line, these molecules of plastic may do great harm to our bodies and is likely to destroy the habitat of many creatures.
Tiny lentel-size plastic particles, called nurdles, are floating in oceans, creeks, storm drains, and all water sources. These come about from the breakdown of plastic pollution. Plastic acts as a sort of sponge, absorbing harmful chemicals like DDT and PCB, which were banned in the 70s, but never cleaned out. These nurdles have become supersaturated poison pills.
Nurdles are mistaken as fish eggs by many animals, and are even in our hair and skin. Over time, the effect of these chemicals could be neurological, reproductive, and developmental problems in marine life, and in humans.
We are urging you to make an effort to begin a clean-up effort of these areas. It will be a difficult and costly task, but can you really put a price on humanity and wildlife's healthy survival?
Thank you for taking the time to read and consider this issue.
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