Scenes of Our Present: The Plastic Vortex

Image from http://tigerpapers.wordpress.com/tag/trash-vortex/

Is this a site you would want to see on a regular basis? 

Approximately 300 million tons of plastic are produced each year, only about 10% of which is recycled. Much of the rest makes its way to the ocean by tides and rivers. The result is the Plastic Vortex, a mass of plastic material floating in the middle of the Pacific Ocean between Hawaii and the mainland. The mass is estimated to weigh approximately 4,000,000 tons and is twice the size of Texas! Unfortunately, the Pacific Plastic Vortex is not the only one. Plastic has also accumulated in the Atlantic and Indian oceans, which have their own set of currents. 

One of the biggest problems with the Plastic Vortex is that it is “out of sight, out of mind.” Because it is out in the ocean, most people do not know that much about it. However, it kills marine life, enters our food chain, and endangers public health. As the Vortex grows each day, so do these concerns. 

This image is not an image from the future--what could happen if we keep using plastic as we do--it is an image from the present. The Plastic Vortex already exists. Unfortunately, if our wasteful habits continue, this could be an image visible from the coast of some of our favorite beaches or the banks of our major rivers. 

Not a very pretty sight, is it?