Pacific Garbage Patch Update

One of the reasons I started my business was because of the Pacific Garbage Patch. I was working on a school project with my oldest and we were learning about all the Garbage in the ocean. What was the main cause? Plastic. So, I started going thru our recycle bin and figuring out what was most of our plastic. I also was more aware of single use products and got rid of as many as possible. We found a good portion (besides plastic wrap) that we used was our shampoo and soap bottles, so we replaced those with Shampoo bars and soap bars from local small businesses. I began to make beeswax wraps to replace our plastic wrap and a business was born!

The Ocean cleanup started to clean up the garbage in the ocean in 2021. They have learned and grown. Adparting to setbacks when garbage was going over the zones and coming up with solutions. As of July 2022, they have removed 108, 526 kg of plastic. They are also adding their third system to collect the garbage.

So how much more is to go? When they started mapping the area in 2018, they calculated that there is 79,000,000 kg or 100,000,000 kg of plastic accumulated. So they have a ways to go! Roughly extracting the same amount they have already, another 1,000 times!

So what have they learned from the plastic that they have extracted? 75% to 85% of the plastic extracted is from fishing activities at sea. Plastic emissions from rivers remain the main source of plastic to the oceans. Plastic lost at sea has a higher chance of accumulating offshore than plastic emitted from rivers. New findings confirm the ocean garbage patch cannot be cleaned solely through river interception and highlight the vital role of fishing and aquaculture on ridding the world’s oceans of plastic.

So what’s the oldest peice of plastic they have found? Most of the plastic found is from the 20th century. But, the oldest is buoy dating back from 1966! This underscores how long plastic can remain in the ocean and why we need to change our habits. Cargo lost at sea is also a big contributor. Remember in 1992 when rubbers ducks were washing up on shore? That was from a cargo that was lost on a ship and dumped 28,000 rubber ducks and bath toys.

What we still need to do is to demand change from big corporations. We also need to continue to replace our single use products with reusable or eco friendly packaging. Monitoring what you are buying that comes in plastic and finding ways to replace it. Refill shops are a great way to refill containers. There are a lot of companies making changes and offering alternatives. Shopping local is still a great way to reduce our carbon footprint and small businesses are the leaders on bringing eco friendly options. So, remember to do a bit of research. Take it a step at a time. Every change you take, does matter.

If you want to learn more you can follow TheOceanCleanup on social media or check out their website. https://theoceancleanup.com/updates/