So that's where the plastic goes......

[joystershell]

2nd. we need to spread this!

Agreed! And I'm referring to this news, not the plastic.

 

[novicediver]

Truly disgusting, but reality is that people don't care, not even our fellow divers. You see it every day in posts on the forums where facts are disputed regarding overfishing, coral bleaching, offshore drilling, global climate issues, etc. As long as it remains out of sight, it will remain out of mind.

 

[Shaka Doug]

Truly disgusting, but reality is that people don't care, not even our fellow divers. You see it every day in posts on the forums where facts are disputed regarding overfishing, coral bleaching, offshore drilling, global climate issues, etc. As long as it remains out of sight, it will remain out of mind.

I'd say you're right on there. I see the apathy all the time when it comes to environmental issues. A lot of people will tell you they are sympathetic to the cause (whatever it is) but when it comes time for some action, they always seem to slip out of sight. It would seem as though it's only a few dedicated folks that end up doing all the work.

Well, if any of you liked Obama's speech last night then you know what you need to do. Get involved, help out, donate time, money, effort, energy to acheiving the goal. It's time for people to get up off the couch and start living for the future and begin making serious changes in our lifestyle and habits to preserve and protect what we still have left.

You want to make a change today that will actually help? Stop taking plastic bags when you shop. It's that simple. Get and use reusable shopping bags. It will remind you each time you shop that you are working for a solution and it will stimulate you to find other ways that will help that will become easy for you to adopt and before you know it, you're making a big difference and helping to inspire others to follow. It's contagious. Tell the folks in line at the store about the Plastic Trash Vortex while you're waiting in line with your reusable bag in hand. Tell the cashier why you choose your own bags in casual conversation to make her aware of how doing this really will help.

I've been noticing lot's more smaller pieces of plastic on my dives here on Maui now that I'm sensitized to the trash vortex issue. I've been looking for the miniscule pieces and in some places it really accumulates. This stuff is pretty much going to be impossible to clean up.

My idea is to go out there into the middle of the vortex with some kind of factory ships that could somehow collect and process the plastic into a modular floating island. (Ooh, I just thought of this...We could call this island 'Shaka Doug's Island' and it would be a cool place to stop for a cold one as you crossed the Pacific. Yeah? No? Maybe??) The ships could produce huge hollow geodesic cells that could hook together and float. It could take forever to fully realize this but imagine if they could build sections that linked together and eventually build a base station or maybe even someday a landing strip...completly out of plastic!

This idea sounds crazy I know but it may not be too far fetched. If this trash accumulation is the size of the state of Texas and growing all the time, it should make sense that there's at least enough plastic resource to build a floating island like I'm describing. They could fashion the plastic into rafts or barges maybe too. It would make sense to try to do something with the plastic that is collectible "on site" rather than to transport it and then process it back on land. The time and expense and fuel involved to haul everything back to shore a boatload at at time is unimaginable.

Since plastic doesn't biodegrade, our only choice is to recycle as much of it as we can and reuse it for something that won't be mistaken for food. Plastic packaging is at an all time high these days. Where is all that new stuff going to go when we're done with it? We need to get away from that method of packaging or start using different materials. Don't they make a 'plastic' type product out of soy now?

It's that or just let the problem get worse and kill all the fish, marine birds and marine mammals in the sea. Then we're next.

What do you guys think? How would you get rid of this problem?

Plastic trash swept up by booms on the Los Angeles River - photo by the Algalita Marine Research Foundation.

 

[UnderwaterBumbleBee]

After I read your original post on this Shaka Doug (and before Obama's speech) I decided I am going to buy the cloth bags. No more plastic which I just toss anyways. It's a sad sight to see what we are doing to this planet. How can anyone dispute that that photo above or any trash in the ocean isn't a problem that will have repercussions?!

 

[clgsamson]

from here This JunkÃÔ not Chinese Sea-Fever blog

"Next month a new ocean adventure will get underway in order to raise awareness about plastic marine debris. The Algalita Marine Research Foundation is dedicated to the protection of the marine environment and its watersheds through research, education, and restoration.

<I>Ÿe hope to share our clear message that this mounting issue is no longer ÅÐut of sight, out of mind.Æû/I>
​

Dr. Marcus Eriksen, the foundationÃÔ research and education director, will embark on voyage from Los Angeles to Hawaii in a 30&#8242; vessel constructed from 30,000 plastic bottles held together by fishing net. The vessel will be called Junk and it will sport a cabin fashioned from the fuselage of a Cessna airplane.
You can follow the expedition on their blog.(http://junkraft.blogspot.com/) and if you are interested in supporting this worthwhile mission, you can sponsor one of the 30,000 plastic bottles for $5. (here).
We wish Junk fair winds and following seas. Godspeed."

more images and vid here Images & video from the North Pacific gyre. The Coffee House

 

[shoredivr]

People can help individually. I use cloth bags for shopping, carry a stainless steel tea mug and water bottle.

What kills me is the extra packaging. Those dam* hard plastic shells over products that you can barely get into. Or things like shrink wrap on coconuts. Now, what food comes more perfectly self-packaged than coconuts? I've decided that I will avoid as much as possible things that are over packaged.

more ways to deal with plastic and other recyclables:

Plastic bags blocking drains helped to cause flooding in Mumbai
Plastic bag ban by Indian state | World news | The Guardian

BBC NEWS | Europe | Recycling around the world

BBC News | BUSINESS | Europe approves recycling law

 

[shoredivr]

You want to make a change today that will actually help? Stop taking plastic bags when you shop. It's that simple. Get and use reusable shopping bags. It will remind you each time you shop that you are working for a solution and it will stimulate you to find other ways that will help that will become easy for you to adopt and before you know it, you're making a big difference and helping to inspire others to follow. It's contagious. Tell the folks in line at the store about the Plastic Trash Vortex while you're waiting in line with your reusable bag in hand. Tell the cashier why you choose your own bags in casual conversation to make her aware of how doing this really will help.

[....]
My idea is to go out there into the middle of the vortex with some kind of factory ships that could somehow collect and process the plastic into a modular floating island. (Ooh, I just thought of this...We could call this island 'Shaka Doug's Island' and it would be a cool place to stop for a cold one as you crossed the Pacific. Yeah? No? Maybe??) The ships could produce huge hollow geodesic cells that could hook together and float. It could take forever to fully realize this but imagine if they could build sections that linked together and eventually build a base station or maybe even someday a landing strip...completly out of plastic!

This idea sounds crazy I know but it may not be too far fetched. If this trash accumulation is the size of the state of Texas and growing all the time, it should make sense that there's at least enough plastic resource to build a floating island like I'm describing. They could fashion the plastic into rafts or barges maybe too. It would make sense to try to do something with the plastic that is collectible "on site" rather than to transport it and then process it back on land. The time and expense and fuel involved to haul everything back to shore a boatload at at time is unimaginable.

Since plastic doesn't biodegrade, our only choice is to recycle as much of it as we can and reuse it for something that won't be mistaken for food. Plastic packaging is at an all time high these days. Where is all that new stuff going to go when we're done with it? We need to get away from that method of packaging or start using different materials. Don't they make a 'plastic' type product out of soy now?

It's that or just let the problem get worse and kill all the fish, marine birds and marine mammals in the sea. Then we're next.

What do you guys think? How would you get rid of this problem?

Plastic trash swept up by booms on the Los Angeles River - photo by the Algalita Marine Research Foundation.

I like the recycled plastic island thing...

I was looking for a shot of plastic getting into the waterways to post on the other thread....thanks.

And every time I don't take a bag, and pull out my own bag, I do talk to the cashier about why I'm not taking plastic.

It's gaining traction here, the awareness of not using plastic bags....

Here in Ontario, the provincially run liquor stores don't give plastic bags any more, all glass, metal and plastic booze containers are returned for a deposit, several of the major food chains are charging for plastic bags and not if you bring your own cloth bags. The City of Toronto is bringing in a plastic bag ban....

 

[cahaya]

I did a presentation on this in my oceanography class a few months back and the professor was astounded, he almost didnt believe it until he checked my facts and came back the next day even more astounded and commended me in class for bringing this issue up!

 

[fisheyeview]

I have a large collection of canvas bags from dive trade shows. We use these for shopping now. They are reusale, and a great conversation starter at the store.

Just be aware that you do need to wash them, as they can collect bacteria.

 

[scubadrewvideo]

I've gone from British Columbia to Hawaii on a boat several times and about halfway there I've seen the area described. It takes about a day and a half to get through it. It's not a solid mass of wall-to-wall plastic or anything, but there is a lot of stuff floating around (mostly bottles and styrofoam). I'm guessing most of the stuff is dumped from ships.

about 70% of the plastic in the pacific is land based...only 30% is from boats.
I will be verifying this stat when I go to the garbage patch in 12 days.