The Great Pacific Garbage Patch: Expanding Islands of Trash

nytimes.com:

Light bulbs, bottle caps, toothbrushes, Popsicle sticks and tiny pieces of plastic, each the size of a grain of rice, inhabit the Pacific garbage patch, an area of widely dispersed trash that doubles in size every decade and is now believed to be roughly twice the size of Texas.

Read the whole story: nytimes.com

Comments

[BannedNBoston]

If Richard WIMP Branson really cared about the enviroment.
He would buy a 100 surplus barges and;

CHOP AND DRAIN THE PLASTIC.
MICROWAVE IT INTO DIESEL.

[research]

Yes!

BioChar is probably the easiest way to recycle this waste into energy and fuel.

We need to recycle ALL organic waste into energy fuel and charcoal, to stop polluting and to get all the fuels and energy the world needs when added to rooftop pv.

http://www.biochar-international.org/technology

also see my profile for more links.

[Spiky Kitten]

1. Bind it all together.

2. Relocate populations that will be affected by the sea level rise induced by global warming

Recite age old adage - one mans trash is another mans treasure.

[TAIsabel]

I have a home within the confines of a UNESCO Biosphere (grandfathered area within the biosphere) facing the gorgeous Caribbean Sea and everyday I kayak around the bay picking up all sorts of refuse, mostly plastic. Sadly though, it is not tourists or visitors that discard these offending articles, 90% of the crap I pick up is generated by the local fishermen.

They include, plastic bottles and containers used to mark their lobster traps, styrofoam trays (from baits), plastic ropes, plastic nets, plastic sheets....also, beer bottles, cans and just general trash. A friend and I once filled 10 large black garbage bags an afternoon on the beach.

[VOTER]

Thanks for your comment.
You are one "Lucky Duck" to have a home at such a beautiful location.
: )

How interesting and sad that so much of the trash is from local fishermen marking trap locations.
The fisherman may not understand how these practices are harming the area.
The easiest change is making them understand - PICK UP YOUR TRASH/TRAPS.

The world's most successful lobster industry is in Maine, USA.
Several years ago, it became vital for these fishermen to make changes in lobster trapping and
these hardworking fishermen did it. It wasn't easy but the payoff = Success!

Could there be a cooperative educational deal in the making?
Not sure how to go about it but perhaps you could start the ball
rolling by writing an article, with photos, and have it printed in a Maine Newspaper
asking for assistance­/suggestio­ns from Maine's lobster fishermen.

You never know until you try.

Best of Luck - small steps make a HUGE difference.

[shthar]

Thi is getting to be one of those 'slow news day' articles that get run every couple of months.

I'm not saying it's not an important matter, but each story is the same, they just make the size of the patch bigger.

[VOTER]

".........­..........­.....they just make the size of the patch bigger." Huh? Wrong!

THE POLLUTION CONTINUES & DUMP SITES GET LARGER.

BTW - You are on the Green Page. If you go to the Main, Politics, World
or Media pages, you will find out it is NOT a slow news day.

[emily00011]

that's sort of the whole point. it IS getting bigger.