The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

As people living on the earth, its is very easy to recycle. It’s so easy that all you have to do is set your recycling bin outside for the weekly curbside pickup. However, there are also places you can go and take everything you wish to recycle and the recycling plant will even pay for your recycling. However it is not as convenient if you are not taking large amounts and just taking your weekly recycling supplies. A majority of items that are produced can always be recycled and used again. It is extremely easy for anyone to recycle and help the Earth.

In order for environmental change to happen society needs to see the significance of trash. To make sense of that recall a time were you forgot to take the trash out and days later were reminded by the rotten stench? Now multiply the stench of that 1 bag 2 million times. To help you further understand let’s put this in mathematical terms. Let’s say on average 1 garbage bag weighs 20Lbs. that equates to 1bag=20lbs x 2,000,000 = 40 million putrid bags. This equation has opened my eyes. Rogers’s argument that Landfills should be in public places is a good one. Society is sheltered from Landfills: so they are out of sight therefore out of mind. If we can’t see the pollution we can’t change our carbon foot print.

Recycling has been the environmental crusade to reducing the human footprint, with it’s spotlight shining down on in recent years. It was the noblest of causes, recycling being a great idea for the environment and society; but it is being handled poorly. Its modern descendant has turned into a corporate scheme with recycling becoming a business, instead of being about the environment because marketers are using environmentalism as a excuse for overconsumption, recycling products are only being recycled for profit, and cities & big business use inflated numbers to attain media attention. Let’s now take a look at the bread and butter of

Light needs to be shed on the reality of the recycling process as to where all of our trash

Plastic comes in innumerable shapes and sizes; it is used for various purposes. We use it to bag our groceries, pay with it, drink from it, occasionally eat off it or unwrap it to get to food, etc. The functionality of plastic is continual and surrounds us, so what is the con of plastic? When plastic cups, bottles, and bags are abandoned in the street, the wind transports and the rain seizes them into storm gutters, tributaries and eventually the ocean. When rubbish and plastic originate from terrestrial territory and enters the sea it is swept away by an eddy vortex called the North Pacific Gyre. Charles Moore discovered the North Pacific Gyre, or also known as “The Great Pacific Garbage Patch” in 1997. This garbage patch stretches hundreds of miles off the shoreline of California and Hawaii. Scientists estimated its size to be twofold the size of Texas or maybe even more substantial. This garbage patch contains some ten million tons of litter. According to Lindsey Blomberg, who wrote the article titled The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, writes, “What is known for certain is that the marine debris in the North Pacific Gyre is 80% plastic and it's mostly coming from land.” (1) Although the trash is in the ocean, it not only affects us but, wildlife on land or in sea too. Furthermost of the waste in the ocean consists of "microplastics" which according to Kitt Doucette, who wrote the article titled An Ocean Of Plastic is, “Larger chunks of waste that have been reduced to tiny

Recycling is one of the most common ways to keep America clean. The recycling bins are one of the most recognizable logos across the world. People all across the U.S. have recycling bins, inside of their household. The sad thing is most people do not use them, they most of the time just throw stuff in the regular trash that could be recycled. For example, plastic, paper, cans, glass, cardboard, and even computer hardware (www.recycleacrossamerica.org). People don’t realize that they could be doing the world a big favor, just by recycling these everyday items.

Americans have yet to face the unnerving reality of the fact that “in 2008 only 7.1% of the 30.05 million tons of plastic waste in America was recycled” (Linn). This low percentage is shocking, outrageous, and should terrify the American public, but this number can change. Recycling is not just a feel good experience; it is a way to help save energy, space, and money. However, with the enormous amount of trash being thrown out each year, landfills are increasing in size creating numerous issues. The staggering amount of waste increases greenhouse gases, contributing to global warming and building up dangerous toxins that sink underground into our soil and water, overflows into wildlife habitats and oceans, and costs a large amount of money to remove. By fining residents who incorrectly dispose of recyclable goods, implementing recycling as a requirement in educational institutions and other business and residential settings, categorizing the

Americans make more than 200 million tons of garbage each year, enough to fill Busch Stadium from top to bottom twice a day, that’s over 1800 feet! according to Ballparks. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that 75% of the American waste stream is recyclable, but we only recycle about 30% of it says Do Something. With the invention of the virtually indestructible material well known as plastic, on top of the rapidly evolving technological world, and the extreme reduction of locations where landfills can be built, it’s hard to believe that 75% of the waste stream in America alone is recyclable, and yet only 30% of it is actually recycled. Recycling is a beneficial solution to many of our increasingly important environmental

Ever since I was young, I’ve always wanted to change the world. I suppose I got this notion by watching superhero shows as a kid. However, unlike the heroes on television, I didn’t have any powers; therefore, I had to think of a new way to change the world. Thus, I came up with the idea of recycling. Annually, we dump over two billion tons of waste into landfills. The waste from these landfills contributes to environmental problems. Consequently, we can’t go a day without recycling, or we risk the chance of destroying the Earth through accumulation of pollution. Unfortunately, recycling is taken too lightly; that’s why I’ve made it my mission to inform my community of the necessity of recycling.

Ironically, everyone knows the benefits of recycling despite the astonishing amount of pollution created yearly in America. America started recycling in 1970 when recycling centers opened and by 2009 America had 9,000 curbside recycling trash programs plus 3,000 composting communities available (Palliser). According to the Janna Palliser, a 2013 study done by the EPA, deduced annually Americans produced 254 million tons of municipal solid waste while the recycled amount is a measly 87 million tons equaling 34.3%. Moreover, America should aspire to raise yearly recycling percentages considerably higher than “34.3 %”; however, the “34.3 %” concludes recycling prevented “186 million metric tons of carbon dioxide” from being expelled into the air

During the class presentation of the article Talking Trash, my fellow classmates presented their facts and opinions. For their powerpoint presentation, the two presenters expressed that when it comes to the topic of recycling, most of us would agree that it is good and necessary. Where this agreement usually ends, however, is the question of time. Whereas some are convinced that recycling is worth the extra spent seconds, the majority maintain their laziness. The presenters had personally admitted to this statement being true for themselves. Furthermore, while they did admit as much, many, themselves included, often take for granted recyclable products and tend to toss them into the garbage bin rather than where they belong in order to be recycled.

While a beautiful sunset on the beach can be astounding, a spectacular scene is not the only benefit oceans provide. Without the oceans, we would not have adequate amounts of oxygen to breathe or enough protein to eat. The Earth's climate would not be inhabitable for human beings and many animals. The oceans supply medicines, food and drinking water which arise from ocean processes. Out of the five oceans, the Pacific Ocean is the world’s largest and deepest ocean. It spreads over an area of 165.2 million square kilometers. More than 25,000 islands float within the Pacific. Within the Pacific Ocean lies an unusual island, an island that is more than twice the size of Texas and is earth’s largest landfill, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch

I grew up in a small, three person home in Chicago, Illinois. Besides occasionally recycling a glass bottle, as per our maintenance provider’s request, we did not recycle our waste. In fact it was not until I moved on campus at Bradley University, that I realized how important recycling was to some. Actually, one of my best friends here at Bradley is responsible for helping me realize the significance of recycling. This is still not to be confused with your average recycling advocate argument. I admittedly walk pass the blue bin and opt for the easy way out every chance I get. Which is why I plan on figuring out why some people choose not to recycle, like myself, while others choose to recycle. More importantly, I would like to figure out if and how waste affects our environment. Afterwards, I want to explore ways to move closer to a less wasteful society. Lastly, we must figure out how you, and the rest of our future educators at Bradley University, can help.

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is an accumulation of marine debris in the North Pacific Ocean. Marine debris is trash that culminates up in oceans, seas, and other sizable voluminous bodies of dihydrogen monoxide. Its also known as the Eastern Pacific Garbage Patch and the Pacific Trash Vortex. It’s located in a high-pressure area between the U.S. states of Hawaii and California. This area is in the middle of the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre. For many people, the conception of a “garbage patch” displays images of an island of trash floating on the ocean. In reality, these patches are conventionally composed of tiny bits of plastic, called microplastics. Microplastics that make up the majority of garbage patches can’t always be visible.

First off, the topic my group and I chose for our Project Work in JC was recycling and we researched for more than 6 months on this topic. As such, I hope that would prove my credibility on this topic.