By Kathy Marks
Asia-Pacific Correspondent
and Daniel Howden
The Independent
Tuesday, 5 February 2008
A “plastic soup” of waste floating in the Pacific Ocean is growing at an alarming rate and now covers an area twice the size of the continental United States, scientists have said.
The vast expanse of debris – in effect the world’s largest rubbish dump – is held in place by swirling underwater currents. This drifting “soup” stretches from about 500 nautical miles off the Californian coast, across the northern Pacific, past Hawaii and almost as far as Japan.
Charles Moore, an American oceanographer who discovered the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch” or “trash vortex”, believes that about 100 million tons of flotsam are circulating in the region. Marcus Eriksen, a research director of the US-based Algalita Marine Research Foundation, which Mr Moore founded, said yesterday: “The original idea that people had was that it was an island of plastic garbage that you could almost walk on. It is not quite like that. It is almost like a plastic soup. It is endless for an area that is maybe twice the size as continental United States.”
***
Updated: Feb. 14, 2008
Deep Impact
Every spot on Earth has been affected
Dandelion Salad 
Of course, it is a terrible indictment of the west’s wastefulness and lack of concern for the planet. On the other hand, it is a great recycling opportunity in that all of this plastic junk has been gathered together and naturally processed for reuse by the actions of the sea!
Just an idea.
Dandi,
As sheppard and stewards of the Planet, the only one that “we” have, it is time for the “good” people to refuse Plastic(crude Oil Sludge), and return to bio-degradables. Unfortunately the Oil co.’s and Petrol Chem.’s Co.’s have too much too lose if they no longer have away to dispose of the sludge, it’s by you, and I.
Re-cycle, and refuse.
Not all Plastics are re-cycleable(?).
There are good laws, there are bad laws, there are good w/men, and bad w/men. The good w/men fight the bad laws, while the bad w/men enforce bad laws.
Time for “We the People…,” stand up and be counted, and bring about the change necessary to better the lives of the citizens, and care for what is our Planet, Now.
Evict all the Useless Incumbents in ’08
even so, chances are slim, to investigate.
Vote by Absentee Ballot, no morph test thuggery, or cage.
No Count ??
Nothing beats a failure, except a TRY.
I certainly agree, we need to clean it up. Any of the presidential candidates talking about this? I didn’t think so.
O M F G.
I have just nothing to say.
How could this happen.
Misanthrope is too pleasant a term for how I feel about humans right now.
People need to get out there and start cleaning, like it was the biggest oil-spill ever (which it is).