A very exciting eco update!
The nonprofit The Ocean Cleanup has been successfully able to remove over 63,000 lbs of ocean waste from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch!
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a giant accumulation of plastics, fishing nets, trash and waste that is located in the Pacific Ocean. It is estimated to be 2x the size of Texas and ever growing as more and more waste ends up in the ocean.
As you can imagine, this patch is problematic for marine and humans alike. Marine animals often are killed by becoming entangled in ythe waste or eating it. The patch also blocks out the sunlight preventing disrupting the entire ecosystem. This turns into a problems for humans as well through interrupting tourism as well as our food supply. When we eat fish, we are ingesting the same toxic plastics and chemicals that they have.
This giant pollution patch has previously been thought to be impossible to remove as there is no large scale ways to remove the garbage. This is where The Ocean Cleanup comes in.
They have designed a new system that they just tested that involves 2 boats slowly driving a barrier through the patch and collecting as much of the garbage as possible. The garbage is then brought on board and taken to shore to be recycled. This development has given such hope in ocean cleanup measures!
Remember that the best way to help is to refuse plastic in the first place!
For further information please visit theoceancleanup.com