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.