The North Pacific Ocean unfortunately occupies heaps of trash known as The Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
The size of the masses of trash is two times larger than the state of Texas and it’s a shame that’s not the biggest problem.
Although it’s referred to as a patch of garbage, it’s not an island of trash floating on the ocean. In reality, it’s actually small pieces of microplastics. The pieces of microplastics are mixed with larger items such as fishing equipment and plastic cups.
The full size of the garbage patch is not actually known.
Oceanographers believe that the bottom of the ocean in the affected trash area is also a heap of sunken trash and about 70% of marine debris sinks to the seafloor, according to National Geographic.
Denser debris can sink from right below the surface to above the seafloor making the vortex’s area impossible to calculate. However, the problem is much more complex than just the trash.
The location of this widespread trash mass is in an area of the ocean not claimed by any nation’s government. It’s because of this that no country is taking responsibility for this neglected disaster.
Cleaning up this degree of trash would most likely bankrupt any country that tried to do so.
Developing nations can’t afford to resolve this issue and the nations that can, aren’t taking action. No country is putting in work, no leaders are speaking out, no one seems concerned when they should be.
It only takes one country to take action before others begin to follow.
