The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Did you know that our oceans are not clean? In the middle of the ocean, there is a huge patch of garbage.  This is called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.  The Pacific Ocean has a clockwise circle of currents that traps the garbage in the center where the winds can't get it.  This garbage patch is the size of a continent and goes 100 feet down into the ocean.  It is full of  millions of pounds of garbage.  (See How Stuff Works)

The garbage patch is made up of little pieces of floating plastic.  This creates problems for marine creates and humans.  It effects the entire food chain, because little fish eats the plastic, bigger fish eat the little fish, birds or humans then eat those fish!    Another problem is birds are choking or feeding plastic to their young.  

So where does this trash come from?  80% of this trash comes from land.  

So what can you do?  Recycle, recycle, re-re-re-recycle!  Another way is to stop using plastic bags.  We can also encourage our legislatures to pass laws to keep our environment plastic free.

This problem isn't going to go away.  But, we can keep it from getting worse by encouraging friends and neighbors to do their part.

This is Addison. Signing off.