Eco-Awareness - Plastic Pollution in the North Pacific Gyre

I can't believe something like this has managed to escape my notice for so long:

Apparently, the existence of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch has been known for over two decades, but unfortunately, it seems like very little is being done about it. Estimates of the size of this floating patch of marine debris range from the size of Texas to bigger than the entire continental USA, but regardless of it's actual size, the environmental impact of the plastic waste is pretty clear:

The virtually indestructible nature of plastics means the waste just progressively breaks into smaller pieces, without ever completely degrading. These tiny pieces of plastic are easily mistaken by marine creatures as plankton, leading to plastic poisoning. That's not even taking into account all the pollutants that can leech into the ocean as the plastics break down. If you think the BPA scare was bad, just think about how this stuff might be affecting your seafood.

It's mind numbing to think that it has probably only taken about 50 years for a garbage patch this size to form and I shudder to think what another 50 years of this kind of behavior will bring. If you run a company and have not yet considered switching your customers to reusable alternatives, I hope this will provide sufficient impetus to change your mind. Using completely biodegradable products, like shopping bags made from jute, will go a long way towards preserving our environment.

For those interested in learning more about the Pacific gyre, the Agalita Marine Research Foundation has a very interesting blog called Junk detailing their work and adventures on a raft built out of plastic waste. TreeHugger is also hosting the first three videos of VBS.tv's informative 12-part series on the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. You can find them here.