Okay NEWTs,

You have decided to take action on litter and plastic pollution this year.

First we need to get educated about the problem. Below are some links to websites that will show us just how big a problem plastic pollution in.

Let's get researching!

Giant Garbage Soup

The amount of plastic pollution in our environment has been growing as a result of the large amount of packaging that covers the goods we buy and because of the large amount of disposable items that we purchase.

From plastic forks to soap bottles, we have become a society that depends on single-use disposables, or items that we use, then throw away.

Many would say that the amount of plastic that we use and then dispose of is out of control with much of it filling landfills, washing into our rivers and eventually making its way into our oceans.

Once in the ocean, plastics often float just below the surface of the water, where a combination of sunlight and waves wear pieces of plastic down into smaller and smaller particles.
These particles end up in massive whirlpool-like currents in the oceans, called gyres. Gyres could be described as circulating clouds of plastic rubbish or a giant garbage soup.

There are five major gyres, but most of the research about how plastic pollution affects the ocean ecosystem has been done in the North Pacific Gyre.

Marine wildlife (fish, birds, and mammals) is impacted the most by the plastic rubbish found in gyres. When fish and seabirds mistake tiny pieces of plastic for food and ingest or eat it, dire consequences are the result. Consumption of plastics causes dehydration, starvation, and eventually death. Fish and birds are not the only animals affected, however. There are also human health hazards to consider when toxic chemicals enter the marine food chain, as they eventually come back to us when we eat seafood.

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a part of the North Pacific Gyre where trash has become so concentrated there is 40 times more plastic than plankton. This means there is 40 times more plastic than food for the marine animals living there to eat.

While some of the plastic floats close to the surface of the ocean, most of it eventually sinks to the bottom, making cleanup extremely difficult. The plastic also acts as a kind of chemical-sucking sponge, concentrating the most dangerous pollutants found in the world’s oceans (PCB, DDT) into its small particles. This means that any animal that eats these pieces of plastic will also be eating toxic pollutants.

Where does most of this plastic pollution come from? To find the answer, look no further than the person who is shopping in a store and chooses an item packaged in plastic or made of plastic that will be quickly disposed of. This rubbish will end up circulating in the ocean, eaten by sea life, and eventually, again by humans.

This plastic pollution is a serious problem, posing a tangible threat to our ocean ecosystem, and ultimately, to ourselves.

Have a look at these websites to learn more.

Surfers Against Sewage http://www.sas.org.uk/issues/marine-litter/ - how are they tackling the problem?

Quick facts on plastic http://bagitmovie.wordpress.com/2011/05/09/quick-facts-on-plastic-pollution-from-greenfeet-com/

Surfrider http://www.surfrider.org/programs/entry/rise-above-plastics

www.5gyres.org

www.greenpeace.org/international/en/campaigns/oceans/pollution/trash-vortex/

www.sierraclub.typepad.com/compass/2011/02/plastic-pollution-gyres.html

www.bagitmovie.com/about_issues.html

www.kokuahawaiifoundation.org

The dangers of marine debris to the albatross

Eco

Monday, 21 October 2013

Inspired by plastic?

Sunday, 6 October 2013

NEWTs - your mission this year

The dangers of marine debris to the albatross

Tuesday, 19 February 2013

It's spring and Eco Club have been as busy as bees!