IT WOULD TAKE 79,000 YEARS TO CLEAN UP THE OCEANS - FISHING FOR LITTER

 

 

Plastic breaks down into minute particles. I know this from personal experience. I once used green plastic bags to cover a window in my storage room. When I went to remove them, they disintegrated to tiny particles that clung magnetically to everything, including my arms and legs. It was a nightmare.

 

It is estimated that it would take 79,000 years to clean up the oceans to a healthy state .... Unless someone invents equipment to sweep and filter the world's oceans.

 

Phyllis Carter

 

 

Every year, almost five million tons of plastic waste winds up in the ocean. Now Fishing for Litter, an initiative started by fishermen, has declared war on marine pollution.

Only a small portion of the plastic waste in the sea can be seen floating on the surface; most of the garbage lies on the sea floor. Many marine animals suffer painful deaths as a result. At the other end of the food chain, little is known about the effects the waste could have on humans. Now fishermen from the Netherlands have begun collecting the garbage that gets caught in their nets. The initiative is growing, with hundreds of fishermen now collecting tons of plastic each year. Still, at the current rate, it's estimated that it would take 79,000 more years to rid the oceans of plastic waste.

http://www.dw.de/european-journal-the-magazine-from-brussels-2014-05-28/e-17620778-9798