THE GREAT PACIFIC GARBAGE PATCH

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a collection of plastics and other human garbage accumulated over time in our oceans. Yes, there is a patch of garbage floating in the ocean twice the size of Texas.

THE GREAT PACIFIC GARBAGE PATCH
By Pierre Mouchette | Bits-n-Pieces

A "floating island" of trash dubbed the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) stretches 1.6 million square kilometers in the North Pacific Ocean.  The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a collection of plastics and other human garbage accumulated over time in our oceans. Yes, there is a patch of garbage floating in the ocean twice the size of Texas.  The Pacific Ocean is being treated like a giant dumpster!  Again, this island is more than twice the size of Texas (three times the size of France) and is growing every day.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch results from humans depositing waste into the ocean.  That waste is picked up by the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, a vortex of four currents that all meet in the North Pacific.  It is estimated that 80% of the trash in the patch comes from land, while the other 20% comes from marine ships.
It is a time bomb because the big stuff is crumbling down to micro-plastics.  ACT NOW!
 
The following are some ways that you can reduce the amount of plastic going into the ocean:

• Do not buy products packaged in plastic.  Drink from reusable water bottles whenever possible.  Do not use straws.
• Cut six-pack rings and the handles on plastic shopping bags before putting them into the trash.
• Bring reusable shopping bags to the grocery store instead of using plastic bags.
• Buy fresh food locally that has not been packaged.
• Recycle your plastic waste whenever possible.

If you want to help in the effort to clean up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, you can get involved with The Ocean Cleanup or donate on their website.