Great pacific garbage patch

By: Piyush Sanjay Bartakke,Government engineering college,Auranagabad, Maharashtra, India

(All Images are taken from Internet)

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Objectives:a) To study the concept of garbage patch and develop a

broader universal approach towards it.b) To study briefly the photo-degradation of plastic and

its contribution to extinction of marine life. c) To educate students about detrimental

environmental impacts of the Great Pacific garbage patch.

d) To compare possible solutions to the garbage patch including banning the use of polystyrene and direct partial cleanup of the garbage patch.

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Importance of Observation as a method of Data collection• Directness- The main strength of this method is that it provides

direct access to the phenomenon under consideration.

• Diversity, flexibility and applicability- Observation can take diverse forms through tightly structured procedures and can yield associated diverse types of data, both qualitative and quantitative.

• Complimentary with other approaches- Another strength of observation is that it can effectively complement other approaches and thus enhance the quality of evidence available to the researcher.

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What is a garbage patch?• The garbage patch is a concentration of marine debris in the

ocean.• The garbage patch contains a high concentration of pelagic

plastics, material in the open ocean, rather than near the shore, in comparison with other ocean areas.

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Patch Name Geographic location

Surface Area (Sq.km)

Particle Density (pieces/Sq.km)

Amount of plastic(ton)

Eastern GP North Pacific Ocean 8,095,000 25,000 20,240

Western GP South Pacific Ocean 715,520 40,000 2,860

Atlantic GP North Atlantic Ocean 3,625,753 25,000 9,064

Atlantic GP South Atlantic Ocean 1,296,180 20,000 2,590

Indian GP Indian Ocean 2,183,480 10,000 2,185

Total 15,915,933 36,939

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How it works?

Land sources

Tires and

tubes

Bottles

Carry bags

Sea sources

Fishing Equipme

nt

Oil platform

sShips

Garbage Patch

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• Plastic constitutes 90% of all trash floating in the world’s oceans.

• In some areas, the amount of plastic outweighs the amount of plankton by a ratio of six to one.

• Of the more than 200 billion pounds of plastic the world produces each year, about 10% ends up in the ocean. 70% of that eventually sinks to the ocean bed.

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The problem with Plastic:• It doesn’t bio-degrade, instead it photo-degrades.

• The small bits of plastic produced by photo degradation are called “Mermaid tears” or “nurdles”.

• Nurdles also have property of soaking up toxic chemicals diffused in sea water.

• Plastic has acutely affected “Albatrosses”. On “Midway island”, albatrosses give birth to 5,00,000 chicks every year. 2,00,000 of them die, consuming plastic.

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Midway island catastrophe:

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Environmental effects :• In total, more than a million birds and marine animals

die each year from consuming or getting caught in plastic and other debris.

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• Besides killing wildlife, plastic and other debris damage boat and submarine equipment .

• The trash litters beaches and discourages swimming.

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• Harms commercial and local fisheries.

• The 19 islands of the Hawaiian archipelago, including Midway island, receive massive quantities of trash shot out from the gyres.

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• Some beaches are buried under 5-10 feet of trash, while other beaches are riddled with ”plastic sand”, millions of grain like pieces of plastic that are practically impossible to clean up.• 80% of ocean trash originates on land. The rest comes

from private and commercials ships, fishing equipment and oil platforms et cetera.

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Garbage patches and Human health:• Certain chemical compounds found in plastic such as BPA, PBDE,

tetrabromobisphenyl A (TBBPA), and phthalates disrupt the endocrine system in marine animals and humans.

• Endocrine Disrupting Compounds (EDC’s) may cause premature development among human females, and a decline in sperm count and abnormal reproductive tract development in human males.

• Humans who eat contaminated fish and seafood caught in Pacific Garbage Patch, are at risk of exposure to increased levels of EDCs.

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Pote

ntia

l So

luti

ons

Source Reduction

EducationImproved

Waste Management

RecyclingBio-

degradable plastic

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• Source reduction:

The most effective solution for slowing the accumulation of marine debris.

Begins by first reducing demand for plastic products. Reducing consumer demand is one method of indirectly slowing the accumulation of marine debris in the garbage patch.

A reduction in packaging materials can decrease the amount of waste produced.

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• Education:

One method of increasing public awareness of marine debris is to address the harmful effects of plastic on human health.

Media plays an important role in increasing the public awareness about the garbage patch, and the harmful effects of plastic

Environmental education at an early age can instill a sense of responsibility and appreciation in children for nature.

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• Improved Waste Management:

Another solution consists of improving waste management techniques in order to mitigate debris loss.

Posting signs to deter littering, and increased amounts of waste receptacles can decrease acts of littering.

Also increasing the number of times waste receptacles are emptied and cleaned prevents trash and litter overflow.

Another proposal for better waste management presents a tracking system for plastic products, where companies that produce disposable plastic products are held accountable for the overall lifecycle of the product.

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• Recycling:

Material recovery is a significant solution to reducing the amount of plastic debris that enters the oceans.

Advancing recycling technologies that include more types of plastic goods and mixed plastic can increase the amount of material being recycled.

Increasing public knowledge of recycling programs, and making recycling a convenient option for small business and homes is another way to increase the amount of plastic material that is recycled.

The success of plastic recycling initiatives depends on the development of a market for products made from recycled plastic materials.

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• Bio-degradable plastic:

Biodegradable plastics can contribute to used-material recovery, a reduction in landfill space, and the implementation of renewable resources.

Truly biodegradable plastics decompose into carbon dioxide, methane, water, inorganic compounds, or biomass by the enzymatic action of microorganisms.

Compostable plastics are a subset of biodegradable plastics, which decompose in a compost site, the plastic cannot be visually distinguishable, and it breaks down to carbon dioxide, water, inorganic compounds and biomass.

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• Conclusions:There are four main dimensions to the problem of the plastic trash patch:

Plastic is extremely diffused in the oceans

It does not bio-degrade

It affects the marine as well as land ecosystem

It is a global issue