disturbing news on plastics

hello
say no to plastics
thats easier said than done
atleast avoid the
thin only once usable kind..
lest they become fish food...
here is some disturbing news..

NaturalNews) A mass of plastic debris twice the size of Texas is still growing in the Pacific Ocean, fueled primarily by plastic trash generated on the land. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch consists of 3.5 million tons of trash, 80 percent of it plastic, floating in a rarely-traveled portion of the Pacific Ocean between Hawaii and San Francisco.

"With the winds blowing in and the currents in the gyre going circular, it's the perfect environment for trapping," said Marcus Eriksen, director of research and education at the Algalita Marine Research Foundation in Long Beach, Calif. "There's nothing we can do about it now, except do no more harm."

According to Chris Parry, public education program manager for the California Coastal Commission in San Francisco, the garbage patch has been growing tenfold every decade since the 1950s. This corresponds with an equivalent increase in worldwide ocean debris.

The debris is highly dangerous to ocean life. Birds and marine animals may injure themselves by swallowing hard, indigestible shards of plastic. Animals like sea turtles, which mistake plastic bags for jellyfish, may also eat plastic that is less immediately harmful but just as fatal in the long term.

"These animals die because the plastic eventually fills their stomachs," said Warner Chabot, vice president of the Ocean Conservancy. "It doesn't pass, and they literally starve to death."

Plastic, which is synthesized from petroleum, can persist for decades before beginning to degrade, making it nearly impossible to get rid of once it is produced.

Parry and Chabot agree that the best way to keep the Great Pacific Garbage Patch from growing is to reduce production of plastic waste and use fewer plastic products at the consumer level as well.

"What we can do is ban plastic fast food packaging," Chabot said, "or require the substitution of biodegradable materials, increase recycling programs and improve enforcement of litter laws."
natural news..


sathya

Yes we have to reduce the use of plastics....in India use of plastic bags is very common and we always see people saying give each item in a different plastic bag.

During heavy rains one reason of water logging is plastic bags which clogs the drainage and makes it difficult for the free flow of water.

How many of you have started using bags made of cloth while going to the market for groceries??? This is a good way as you can wash these bags hence resuable and also more hygenic.

Even if each member starts this...we are considerably reducing the use of plastic and also spreading awareness around...so seeing us atleast few people may follow suit.

We keep couple of cloth bags in the car too so in case we are out and wish to buy something these bags are at our disposal.

hello roopa


the world around
has to take notice
and carry bags
of jute, cloth
baskets for buying
grocery/veg etc...
but the world is going so fast
you think they will notice...
if he is using why cant i
attitude is growing...

sathya

Dear sathya,
Thanks for alerting us on the bad effects of plastic.Now many textile showrooms use paper bags for packing the purchased items.It is the best way to avoid plastic .

BC

hi sathya,
definitely this is a disturbing news!!!!
here in the uk they provide bags for life like cloth bags or bags made from recyclable plastic in exchange for plastic bags!!1also they have recycling skips here where u can put ur milk cans,tins,glass bottles,cardboard paper for recyling!!!
in India as roopa suggested we can carry our own bags to avoid plastics and also in india we get money when we put glass bottles,papers etc for recycling!!!
regards
pavi

hello bhargavi

thats nice to know
they are giving it in paper bags
paper bags must be made
more attractive
so that people will want it
in lieu of plastic ones

sathya

hello pavithra

sure is good to know
atleast the plastics is kept
in use for sometime
or we will sure end up
with a new plastic garbage
island..

sathya

Here we get an option of either taking the groceries on paper bags or plastic ones,and on my part I try to help by always choosing the paper bag option.
Though I always knew the harm plastic causes,the article still disturbed me a lot specially the part about the turtles and other sea creatures starving to death.We are indirectly causing it and the worst part is that most people are totally unaware of this.

hello janaki

na dont feel bad
we usually put our good hearts
to dry up up in the tree
(if you can find a tree...!!)
then go about doing everything
to drown us in our own
making...
god help us help ourselves
soon...

sathya

bangalore is suffocating because of this and all vendors have the thin ones they insist on it, each time we run in to get our bags or take his tray to empty it inside...akka