RE the trash islands....
https://www.thoughtco.com/trash-islands-overview-1434953
Quote:
After studying the trash found in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, Moore learned that 90% of the trash found there was plastic. His research group--as well as NOAA--has studied the Sargasso Sea and other patches around the world and their studies in those locations have had the same findings. It is estimated that 80% of the plastic in the ocean comes from land sources while 20% comes from ships at sea.
The plastics in the patches consist of items like water bottles, cups, bottle caps, plastic bags, and fish netting.
It’s not just large plastic items that make up the trash islands, however. In his studies, Moore found that the majority of the plastic in the world's oceans is made up of billions of pounds of raw plastic pellets called nurdles. These pellets are a byproduct of plastics manufacturing.
While the bags that get triple used and disposed of full of kitty litter and bin waste end up in my local landfill, and those of the irresponsible still won't make it the 100+ miles downstream to the ocean...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastic_resin_pellet_pollution
Quote:
Nurdles are a major contributor to marine debris. During a three-month study of Orange County beaches researchers found them to be the most common beach contaminant.[6] Nurdles comprised roughly 98% of the beach debris collected in a 2001 Orange County study.[7] Waterborne nurdles may either be a raw material of plastic production, or from larger chunks of plastics.[8] A major concentration of plastic may be the Great Pacific garbage patch, a growing collection of marine debris known for its high concentrations of plastic litter.
Nurdles that escape from the plastic production process into waterways or oceans have become a significant source of ocean and beach plastic pollution. Plastic pellet pollution that has been monitored in studies is mainly found in the sediments and beach areas and is usually polyethylene or polypropylene, the two main plastic polymers found in microplastic pollution.[9] Marine life is severely threatened by these small pieces of plastic; the creatures that make up the base of the marine food chain, such as krill, are prematurely dying by choking on nurdles.[10]
Nurdles have frequently been found in the digestive tracts of various marine creatures, causing physiological damage by leaching plasticizers such as phthalates. Nurdles can carry two types of micropollutants in the marine environment: native plastic additives and hydrophobic pollutants absorbed from seawater. For example, concentrations of PCBs and DDE on nurdles collected from Japanese coastal waters were found to be up to 1 million times higher than the levels detected in surrounding seawater.[11]
Plastic microbeads used in cosmetic exfoliating products are also found in water.
I'm not much of a buyer or disposer of nurdles.
The bags are the poster child of the movement, the straws the next...
Ban the nurdle !!!
