Great Pacific Garbage Patch

[Paul Sylvester]

Google it and post your thoughts. Can this be true?And if so why isn't it a world superfund site?

[bob budd]

When I grocery shop I select products based upon recyclable packaging. I insist on paper bags, which we then use for recycling plastic, metal, and paper and even insist on repacking bag(s) when I was not asked prior by the bag packer. Those plastic shopping bags that do accumulate end up back at the grocery store where they are recycled. We put out one barrel every two or more weeks, mostly paper-heavy food refuse and hardened clay from kitty litter. We rarely throw away anything that isn't biodegradable. We don't discard fluorescent bulbs but wait for hazardous waste days to hand in the mercury (without staging a major digression this is more significant and imminent threat than the waste pile). Worse yet is the lead, cadmium, etc. released and absorbed by unprotected workers where these chemicals are being recycled and reclaimed. There I go digressing and I said I wouldn't.

[djlewis]

Google it and post your thoughts. Can this be true?And if so why isn't it a world superfund site?

Aieee!

Brings to mind that prescient scene from 1968...

Mr. McGuire: I just want to say one word to you - just one word.

Ben: Yes sir.

Mr. McGuire: Are you listening?

Ben: Yes I am.

Mr. McGuire: 'Plastics.'

Ben: Exactly how do you mean?

Mr. McGuire: There's a great future in plastics. Think about it. Will you think about it?

Ben: Yes I will.

Mr. McGuire: Shh! Enough said. That's a deal.

[Gcosloy]

In spite of humans highly evolved brain, we are still primarily designed to respond to short term concerns. Pollution, carbon emissions, self government and so many more complexities in modern life cannot be controlled or parried by fight or flight mechanisms. We need new mutations that allow mankind to evolve to postpone immediate gratification in order to reap future gains, even if it's only for the benefit of our children and grandchildren.

[ccarlson]

In spite of humans highly evolved brain, we are still primarily designed to respond to short term We need new mutations that allow mankind to evolve to postpone immediate gratification...

It's possible that those kinds of mutations did exist at some point but didn't survive. While they were ruminating re. postponing immediate gratification, sabre toothed tigers or the like ate them

[bazzert]

When I grocery shop I select products based upon recyclable packaging. I insist on paper bags, which we then use for recycling plastic, metal, and paper and even insist on repacking bag(s) when I was not asked prior by the bag packer. Those plastic shopping bags that do accumulate end up back at the grocery store where they are recycled.

In Ireland they introduced a 15 euro cent per bag tax (recently increased to 22 cent) which resulted in a 90% reduction in bag usage. People seem to adjust to using either paper or reusable canvas bags. When we were there last year no one seemed to complain about the tax.

I just finsiehd reading Alan Weisman's 'The World Without Us'. He quotes a study which reported that 80% of the plastic in the North Pacific gyre was originally disposed of on land and then was blown into the sea or into rivers. He also states that every year we manaufacture 250 billion (billion, not million) pounds of those little plastic pellets for packing annually, none of which will degrade in our lifetime. Even those so called bio degradeable plastics actually degrade into microscopic particles that enter the foodstream and will last an eternity.

[traction]

Any fairly large life form on a small planet would probably drastically change that planets ecosystem if there were over six billion of em.

I guess all we can do is try to tread as lightly as we can.

No easy task in this industrial / technological age.