The human dependency on plastics has become the ocean’s biggest problem
The Tom Jones Story
When it comes to physical accomplishments, the feats Tom Jones endeavors to conquer are nothing short of insane. He is an extreme athlete, motivational speaker, martial arts expert, international kickboxing champion, endurance runner, inventor, humanitarian and child advocate. No matter where his head is, his heart is right on. Tom has dedicated his life to helping environmental and children’s causes.
Most recently, Tom paddled the entire 1,250-mile coast of California on nothing more than a 14- foot paddleboard. It is the first time anyone has done so and he did it for one reason… PLASTIC. His epic three-month journey was to raise awareness about the worldwide epidemic of plastic marine debris in our ocean environment. The journey began August fourth in Crescent City, near the California-Oregon border, and ended at the U.S. Mexican border in early November.
“My vision has been realized,” Jones said. “We not only accomplished this amazing feat, but along the way, we made people more aware and environmentally concerned and they have been moved to take action and solve these problems that plague our ocean.”
Everything Plastic
Look around you right now. How many things can you point to that are made from or contain plastic? If you can point to less than five, consider yourself one of the few. Simply put – our dependence on plastic and is slowly but increasingly affecting our world.
There are benefits to plastics. Our society would not be able to function to the high levels it does without the versatile characteristics of the materials used to make important pieces of equipment, medical supplies, food containers, etc. However, it is the excessive use and wasteful habits of people that turned plastics into the monster threat it is.
R.I.O. (Rest In Oceans)
The oceans are litter’s final resting place. There are two common ways plastics end up in the ocean.
Approximately twenty percent of the plastic in our ocean comes from pre-production plastic pellets, used to create nearly all commercially consumed plastic products. They are often carelessly handled in places where they are produced and transported, and are blown into our oceans from waterfront industrial plants and cargo ships.
The other 80 percent come from the basic neglect of the everyday person, as our waste finds its way down storm drains and eventually into the oceans.
Recyclable or Biodegradable?
What about recycling? Unfortunately, recycling plastics has had a less than stellar impact on the envrionment, although still better than new plastic. The biggest problem with plastic recycling is that it is difficult to automate the sorting of plastic waste, so it’s labor intensive. The energy required and pollution created to transport and put plastics through the recycling process doesn’t add up to an “environmentally-friendly” practice.
So far, biodegradable plastics have proven too costly and limited for general use. Critics have pointed out that the only real problem they address is roadside litter, which is regarded as a secondary issue. When such plastic materials are dumped into landfills, they can become "mummified" and persist for decades even if they are supposed to be biodegradable.
Endless Cycle… Not “Re” Cycle
No matter how large or small they are, plastic bits are not digestible by any creature on land, in the air, or under the sea. We are literally suffocating the planet with these plastic products, which can never re-enter the life cycle. Plastics that are in the ocean today will, in some way, stay there forever. After decades of floating about plastics break down into smaller particles, gets absorbed into the food chain or eventually sink and become part of the ocean bottom sediment.
At present, plastics in the ocean outweigh natural zooplankton by a 6:1 ratio. What does this mean for marine animals? It means that they are consuming way more plastic than zooplankton. Fish and other sea animals mistake plastics for food because plankton and plastic, when broken down or in pellet form, have very similar appearances. These plastics eventually find their way up the food chain into the foods that we consume.
The Dirty Facts about Plastic
• Estimates run as high as one million pieces of plastic per square kilometer floating in specific areas of the Pacific Ocean.
• In the Pacific Ocean there is a patch of plastics know as the “Eastern Garbage Patch” the size of Texas. This patch is a huge feeding ground for many marine animals.
• Shoppers worldwide are using 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags per year. This translates to about a million bags every minute across the globe. Plastic bags take 20 to 1,000 years to break down, are made from petroleum, a non-renewable resource, and they are very harmful to marine animals that ingest them.
• A one-liter bottle can break down into enough fragments to place a single fragment on each mile of beach in the entire world.
• More than 1 million birds, more than 100,000 whales, seals and turtles, and countless fish worldwide are killed by plastic debris each year. These deaths occur through entanglement, suffocation, and starvation by ingestion.
• Fishing line and nets, six-pack rings, rope and other rubbish can wrap around fins, flippers and limbs of other animals, causing drowning or amputation. Some debris can kill for decades — trapped animals often attract predators, which then become entangled too.
• Plastic’s primary toxic contents are phthalates and Bisphenol which have been found in every part of a person’s body unnaturally through blood, urine, and amniotic fluid. Bisphenol is used in plastic fabrications such as baby bottles, tin can linings, certain toys, and food storage containers.
How you can be part of the solution
• Bring your own cloth or recycled grocery bags to the store.
• Reduce, Reuse then Recycle! Buy in bulk. Re-use when possible. Reduce consumption by avoiding excessively packaged products.
• Think twice about buying "disposable" products. (They really aren't disposable and are extravagant wastes of the world's resources.)
• Avoid buying food or household products in plastic or Styrofoam containers. They can't be recycled, deplete the ozone layer, and are not biodegradable. While some alternatives promote themselves as eco-friendly, such as ‘bio-degradable Styrofoam’, even these products are not necessarily good for the ocean. Learn more at http://www.worldcentric.org/bio/index.htm.
• Buy paper products instead of plastic if you must buy "disposables." They break down better in the environment and don't deplete the ozone layer as much.
• Avoid buying bottled water. Invest in a filter system or go to your local grocery store and refill your water jugs.
• Keep plastic debris and other contaminants (leaves, pet waste, toxins) out of street gutters and storm drains. This eventually ends up in the ocean.
• Keep beaches clean. Plastics and other debris harm sea life and pollute the ocean. Clean up after yourself.
• Get involved! Participate in beach cleanups if you live in a coastal area.
• Educated yourself and think about where each product you buy will end up when you are finished with it!
This article was prepared with information and assistance from the San Diego Coastkeeper: www.sdbaykeeper.org
To find out more about the California Paddle 2007 visit: www.californiapaddle.com
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