fishing it out of the L.A. river by the backhoe full
Plastic is the gift that keeps on giving. Here are some of the ways it does that:
- Every piece of (petroleum-based) plastic ever manufactured still exists.
- Plastics, like diamonds, are forever because plastics do NOT biodegrade. No naturally occurring organisms can break these polymers down.
- Over 300,000 pieces of plastic per square mile have been found in the middle of the North Pacific Ocean. Eighty percent of the plastic comes from land-based sources.
Where Does All That Plastic End Up?
It all ends up in the North Pacific Gyre. Twice as big as Texas and 300 feet deep. (Oh, and there’s one in the North Atlantic too…)
read the full article | chronicle graphic by john blanchard
So, what can you do about it?
See: A Day at the Beach
Watch: The Story of Bottled Water