What is being done to clean the Great Pacific Garbage Patch?
The catalyst behind the cleaning is The Ocean Cleanup, a nonprofit trying to rid the world’s oceans of plastic. It hopes to deploy enough cleaning systems to reduce the size of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch by 50\% every five years and to initiate a 90\% reduction in floating ocean plastic by 2040.
What is currently being done to stop ocean pollution?
Stricter government regulations on industry and manufacturing is one large scale solution. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has enacted several laws to help protect beaches, reduce pollution from ships, reduce marine debris, and prohibit ocean dumping.
What is being done to stop plastic pollution?
Carry your own utensils or a wooden spork and avoid using plastic utensils. Review restaurants and cafes and recognize them when they avoid straws and plastic packaging – and let them know you want them to do better when they don’t. Use reusable water bottles, coffee mugs, and bags.
Who is responsible for the Great Pacific Garbage Patch?
But specifically, scientists say, the bulk of the garbage patch trash comes from China and other Asian countries. This shouldn’t be a surprise: Overall, worldwide, most of the plastic trash in the ocean comes from Asia.
What is Boyan Slat doing now?
He is the founder and CEO of The Ocean Cleanup, which develops advanced systems to rid world’s oceans of plastic.
What is being done about pollution?
These steps include: reducing toxic emissions from industrial sources; reducing emissions from vehicles and engines through new stringent emission standards and cleaner burning gasoline; and addressing indoor air pollution though voluntary programs.
How does recycling help the ocean?
Recycling helps keep plastics out of the ocean and reduces the amount of “new” plastic in circulation. It’s also important to check with your local recycling center about the types of plastic they accept.
How does recycling help the environment?
Recycling prevents the emissions of many greenhouse gases and water pollutants, and saves energy. Using recovered material generates less solid waste. Recycling helps to reduce the pollution caused by the extraction and processing of virgin materials.
Is ocean dumping illegal?
Ocean dumping of certain harmful wastes is banned. The Ocean Dumping Ban Act of 1988 amended the MPRSA and now prohibits the ocean dumping of municipal sewage sludge and industrial wastes, such as wastes from plastics and pharmaceutical manufacturing plants and from petrochemical refineries.
How big is the Pacific Garbage Patch 2020?
1.6 million square kilometers
The patch covers an estimated 1.6 million square kilometers—roughly three times the size of France—and currently floats between Hawaiʻi and California.
What does The Ocean Cleanup do with the plastic?
The Ocean Cleanup can significantly reduce the concentration of plastic in the ocean garbage patches and work with stakeholders all over the world to intercept plastic in the world’s most polluted rivers. With the application of these solutions, our aim is to reduce 90\% of the floating plastic pollution by 2040.
How much plastic has The Ocean Cleanup collected?
During testing, the organization reported that the half-mile installation pulled a whopping 20,000 pounds of plastic from the ocean.