The Great Pacific Garbage Patch. The Pacific Trash Vortex. The Plastic Island in the Pacific.
All describe the same (un)natural phenomenon occurring in our Pacific Ocean where an estimated 1.8 trillion pieces of plastic combine to create a mass, or island, almost two times the size of Texas.[i] First described in a 1988 paper by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and subsequently researched in more detail during the 1990’s and 2000’s, in-depth studies focused on creation of the garbage patch and its contents, the impact of plastics on oceanic life and the food chain, and future mitigation.[ii]
The United Nations Environmental Program estimates that, for every square mile of ocean, there are 46,000 pieces of plastic[iii], and the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is not unique. There are two “plastic islands” in the Pacific Ocean, and similar patches can be found in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans and in the South Pacific, all formed as a result of pollution captured by ocean currents moving debris towards a common mass.[iv] Of the estimated 100 million tons of plastic generated annually, roughly 10% ends up in our oceans.[v] In fact, plastics and Styrofoam are the main source of marine pollution at almost 90 percent.[vi] Research shows these plastic garbage patches are growing exponentially. The United Nations Ocean Conference estimated there may be more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050.[vii] While studies show fishing gear, lines, nets and buoys make up a large percentage of marine pollution,[viii] much of the trash in the Pacific Garbage Patch is from consumer goods, such as plastic lighters, toothbrushes, pens, water bottles, baby bottles, plastic bags, single-use food and beverage containers, and cell phones.[ix]
Generally misconceived and perceived of as a giant island of large floating pieces of trash, the Pacific Garage Patch is made up, primarily, of small to microscopic pieces of plastic.[x] Unlike natural fibers or goods, most plastics do not break down, or biodegrade, but, instead, disintegrate into even smaller pieces.[xi] Of the plastics that do decompose due to a process known as photodegradation, chemicals such as BPA, an endocrine disruptor, PCBs, a potential carcinogen, and polystyrene’s, or Styrofoam, a carcinogen and neurotoxin, release toxic chemicals into the oceans.[xii] These concentrated plastics float on top of waters and, mistakenly identified as food sources, are ingested by birds and fish, ultimately becoming part of the food chain.[xiii] California environmental initiatives like the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act are directed at minimizing or eliminating harmful, toxic chemicals from the manufacture of plastic products and regulating polluting chemical discharges into the State’s waterways.[xiv] Efforts on the federal level, such as the Federal Trash Free Water Initiative, overseen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the Federal Clean Water Act, look to stem the tide of pollution at its source, offering information for consumers about the health hazards posed, detailing scientific analysis and research, and listing current clean-up efforts.[xv] Most recently, on February 11, 2020, Senator Tom Udall (D-NM) and Representative Alan Lowenthal (D-CA) introduced the Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act.[xvi] If passed, this groundbreaking legislation would require product-packaging/container manufacturers to create and manage their own recycling programs.[xvii] It would also ban one-use non-recyclable plastic products, place fees on plastic carryout bags, prohibit shipment of plastic waste to developing countries, invest in a national recycling and composting program, and temporarily pause the creation of new plastic facilities until the Environmental Protection Agency creates new regulations for these facilities.[xviii] To date, the two bills, H.R. 5845 and S.B. 4263, have more than 35 House and Senate co-sponsors.[xix] For more information on this potentially groundbreaking legislation and for a list of organizations who support the initiative, go to congress.gov/bill/house-bill/5845.
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[i] Akpan, Nsikan (March 22, 2018.) “Great Pacific Garbage Patch Weighs More than 43,000 cars and is way bigger than previously thought.” Pbs.org/newshour/svcience/the-great-pacific-garbage-patch-weighs-more-than-43000-cars-and-is-way-bigger-than-previously-thought.; Un.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pacific_garbage_patch. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
[ii] National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Oceanservice.noaa.gov.
[iii] United Nations Environmental Program, unenvironment.org.
[iv] NOAA Marine Debris Program, Office of Response and Restoration. Available at marinedebris.noaa.gov/info/patch.html. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
[vi] Bernstein, Michael, American Chemical Society, A.C.S. (March 23, 2010) “Hard plastics decompose in oceans, releasing endocrine disruptors.” www.acs.org/content/acs/en/pressroom/newsreleases/2010/march/hard-plastics-decompose-in-oceans-releasing-erine-disruptor-bpa. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
[vii] Wright, Pam (June 6, 2017.) “UN Ocean Conference: Plastics Dumped in Pceans Could Outweigh Fish by 20250, Secretary-General Says.” The Weather Channel. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
[viii] Eriksen, Marcus; Lebretin, Laurent C.M.; Carson, Henry S.; Thiel, Martin; Moore, Charles J.; Borerro, Jose C.; Galgani, Francois; Ryan, Peter G.; Reisser, Julia (December 10, 2014). “Plastic Pollution in the World’s Oceans: More than 5 Trillion Plastic Pieces Weighing Over 250,000 Tons Afloat at Sea.”
[ix] Environmental Protection Agency. Available at www.epa.gov/trash-free-waters/sources-aquatic-trash. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
[x] “Great Pacific Garbage Patch” (July 5, 2019.) Caryl-Sue, National Geographic Society, Producer; Evers, Jeannie, Emdash Editing, Editor. National Geographic. Nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/grea-pacific-garbage-patch. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
[xi] Bioplastics Guide. Available at bioplastics.guide/redf/fossil-based/non-biodegradable. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
[xii] Bernstein, Michael, American Chemical Society, A.C.S. (March 23, 2010) “Hard plastics decompose in oceans, releasing endocrine disruptors.” www.acs.org/content/acs/en/pressroom/newsreleases/2010/march/hard-plastics-decompose-in-oceans-releasing-erine-disruptor-bpa.; Gaukel, Candice, “Plastics and PCBs: Ocean Pollutants Causing Big Problems” (August 27, 2019.) nathab.com/blog/plastics.; Broad, William J. “In the Sea, Not All Plastics Last Forever” (October 19, 2019) New York Times. Available at nytimes.com/2019/10/11/science/plastics-ocean-degrade. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
[xiii] “Marine biologists discover rubbish haul in stomach of dead whale in Taiwan.” ABC, October 27, 2015.; Borenstein, Seth (August 31, 2015) “What’s in 90 percent of seabirds; guts? 1 Word: Plastics”. AP News. Retrieved May 6, 2020.; Moore, Charles (November 2003.) “Across the Pacific Ocean, plastics, plastics, everywhere.” Natural History Magazine.
[xv] U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Trash-Free Water Initiative, More information available at epa.gov/trash-free-waters. Retrieved May 6, 2020.; U.S. Clean Water Act (1972), 33 U.S.C. 23 § 1151.
[xvi] Congress.gov/bill/house-bill/5845, February 11, 2020. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
[xvii]Id.
[xviii]Id.
[xix] Surfrider Foundation; surfrider.org/coastal-blog/entry/federal-break-free-from-plastic-pollution-act-introduced (2020). Retrieved May 6, 2020.
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