Drowning in plastic
5:05 PM Tue, Feb 05, 2008 | Permalink
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As someone who likes the ocean and sea life, I was upset to read this story in Britain’s Independent newspaper, describing a swirling trash dump in the Pacific as a “plastic soup” that stretches from Hawaii to Japan, covering an area twice the size of the continental United States. Furthermore, the article says, “According to the UN Environment Programme, plastic debris causes the deaths of more than a million seabirds every year, as well as more than 100,000 marine mammals.” Not. Cool. It's another reminder that, as the article points out, everything we throw out is not “out of sight, out of mind”. Whether it’s plastic, pesticides or household cleaning products, dilution is not the solution to pollution. Not forever. As you plan your garden, or your spring cleaning, or clear out your garage, think about where you can donate, recycle or responsibly dispose of the things you want to get rid of. There’s still time to do some planning, to find out where you can drop off toxic materials, get a new recycling bin or take items you want to donate. Rhode Island Resource Recovery, the folks who run our overburdened landfill, can offer advice, or take advantage of FreeMarket, their exchange for unwanted items. Today we're the Ocean State. Let's not become the Swirling Plastic Trash Dump State. 
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Geez. Just when I think I know everything bad about how we've trashed the planet, this comes along.
I really wonder if there is any chance of preventing wholesale destruction of the ecosystem. There would be, if everyone and every government decided to be part of the solution instead of part of the problem.
One way is to never ever accept plastic bags again at a store. There are plenty of places that sell reusable canvas bags, and it's easy to get in the habit of using those at the supermarket or drugstore.
One might wonder why the attorney general's office is not enforcing the law that big businesses (like CVS and RiteAid) have to offer paper bags as an alternative to plastic.
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No doubt plastic debris is an eyesore at least since it often floats and doesn't break down easily.
However "statistics" like 100,000 dead marine mammals are simply made up and have no basis in fact. If that is so, where is the proof?
Certainly torn and discarded fishing nets and lines cause more animal misery than plastic trash. This is true in your local ponds and rivers as well as at sea.
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Duane, If you google, you will find some studies, such as at Midway that seem to support these numbers. In fact, I suspect the actual numbers are worse, since there are undoubtedly deaths that leave no evidence on land.
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Why not participate in the self-recycling technique of winter sowing? Sure beats SAD and gives all that plastic a new use!
WinterSown
or
Gardenweb wintersowing forum"
What's better than tons of sprouts in spring and playing with soil in the middle of a blizzard?
:)
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