Plastic in the Ocean

[longwhitecloud]

Great Pacific garbage patch sits just under the water (slightly submersed). Estimates 700,000 to more than 15,000,000 square kilometres.

Heading from japan towards Hawaii.

Just like something u should be far more worried about - a certain nuclear reactor, spilling out thousands of tonnes of highly radiative water into the ocean as we speak everyday all day- heading for Hawaii also.

People see it as Japans problem but reality is that other countries should be doing anything they possibly can to help cos it is gonna become a big problem for everyone.

Large powerful corporations - slowly fu3ing the world up bit by bit. Raping the land for your batteries (nickel) - u have no idea what teh land looks like afterwards - nothing grows... they flush it with mercury to leach out the nickel.., deforesting the world to get you cheaper fat to eat (palm oil - its in almost everything nowadays produced by the corporate food giants), holding locals at gunpoint while taking oil and at the same time polluting the earth they grow food on, the dutch with their largest fishing vessel in the world that can take the entire years quota of fish in new zealand in one mission and also went fishing a few times off the coast of africa and there are no fish left for the locals to eat, oh yeah and no fish in europe cos they all got eaten because greedy bastards didn't even consider sustainability / good quota limits till it was too late - so just go and take fish from 1/2 way around the world instead... The Americans with their sonar blasts so powerful it is suspected that they are responsible for killing thousands of sea mammals at a time...

All hippy bull5hit? find out for yourself, get educated!

[Ted B]

when I see plastic or trash in the water I put it in my pocket and throw it away later We here in Va. Beach have the VAKB (Virginia kiteboarding) and we have adopted a few streets at the beach that we use and try to clean them regularly!!!! Its a start we all have to do our part to save the seas and her life she supports!!!!!!!!

[Onda]

In Germany, we have to pay a 0,25 EUR deposit for each plastic or metallic beverage container we buy. No matter what size / volume. Sometimes this deposit is way over 100 % of the content´s value.

Result: Not a single plastic bottle is thrown into our environment any more. Or if this is done, "bottle collectors" (poor people actually...) come along and take them to the next supermarket to get the deposit.

As long as governments don´t install such a deposit system, it simply depends on the peoples attitute. Which is lazyness. And nothing but. And economics. Congrats... Bio degradable is always more expensive than standard (non-degradable). Calculate yourself.

[Toby]

Sweden started this already 30 years ago...when I was a teenager I collected the stuff myself and made some extra money...great system that works!

Try to tell this to Brazilian...or other countries. It would be there solution to finally have a clean environment, which is urgently needed.

[L0KI]

In Germany, we have to pay a 0,25 EUR deposit for each plastic or metallic beverage container we buy. No matter what size / volume. Sometimes this deposit is way over 100 % of the content´s value.

Result: Not a single plastic bottle is thrown into our environment any more. Or if this is done, "bottle collectors" (poor people actually...) come along and take them to the next supermarket to get the deposit.

As I said, we had this in USA in the 1960's and the deposit bottles never ended up on the ground for long.
Kids would pick them up for extra spending money.
Now the children are spoiled, so the homeless pick the cans for scrap value.

[POACHER]

I remember my trip to "X" country (omitted for confrontation purposes) several years ago. I worked a side job just to pay for this trip to a tropical paradise so I could escape -30F and get some winter kiting in. I was so stoked to NOT wear booties.........only to be told to WEAR BOOTIES because of all the broken glass, rubbish and the sunken engine block hiding somewhere in the shallows...........

I had never seen so much garbage on an otherwise beautiful beach in my life. It was a real eye opener. I couldn't believe that people wouldn't even make an effort to clean up the junk. Needless to say I haven't been back, and probably never will. What a shame, we had good kiting, food and overall a good time. But now married and with kid(s) I couldn't bring them to sit in a landfill while I kite.

[Dr Makani]

In Germany, we have to pay a 0,25 EUR deposit for each plastic or metallic beverage container we buy. No matter what size / volume. Sometimes this deposit is way over 100 % of the content´s value.

Result: Not a single plastic bottle is thrown into our environment any more. Or if this is done, "bottle collectors" (poor people actually...) come along and take them to the next supermarket to get the deposit.

As I said, we had this in USA in the 1960's and the deposit bottles never ended up on the ground for long.
Kids would pick them up for extra spending money.
Now the children are spoiled, so the homeless pick the cans for scrap value.

California and Hawaii have it - In Cali it's called 'cash value', 5c for cans and small bottles, 10c for bigger ones. Works here like a charm. Hoards of people roam the beaches and neighborhoods. Also a lot of cities in Cali have banned plastic grocery bags.

peace

[longwhitecloud]

reading all this i am lucky to live where i do. Leaving trash at beach in fact anywhere is really looked upon as really disrespectful to the land on which you live. Backpackers/campervans have come traveling to NZ and left rubbish out after they leave and not dug holes for theire toilet- you have no idea how much abuse they get!!!!!! People won't physically attack (i dont think..lol) them but jeez they get the wrath!