How do all of the plastics end up in the ocean?

[Andrew NDB]

I'm being serious here.

Let's say I take a fist full of plastic straws, a handful of plastic bags, put them all in the recycling -- or even for the sake of argument, the trash. Right? Now it's garbage day and the garbage truck takes it all to the dump or the landfill or the recycling center.

How do those straws and plastic bags I put in the trash end up miles and miles away in the ocean? Where is the disconnect here? Are there, like, reports ofrogue garbage/recycling trucks that don't go to the dump or to the recycling center, but to the pier instead?

[IndigoErth]

I'm sure there are multiple ways. Probably wind in some cases like plastic bags. Some beach towns have a lot of shopping opportunities, and food, and that means plenty of plastic bags (and other trash) left here and there. People who don't clean up after themselves at the beach or those who just dump their garbage there are probably a big factor, and eventually may get washed out into the ocean. And lets not forget all the waterways that empty into the oceans. All the crap that ends up in rivers, bays, etc., washing down stream until it ends up in the ocean. And some of those rivers flow through a lot of heavily inhabited areas and could easily pick up a lot of debris, both accidentally and from people just dumping their trash in.

Not everyone disposes of their garbage the way they should.


edit:

Looked up one of my local rivers and found pics (scrolled through via clicking on it or "next") of the Delaware River, which at it's northern most end starts in NY and exits into the Delaware Bay and out into the ocean.

Spoiler:

Passing through many towns and cities of NY, PA, Jersey, and my state DE, it's bound to pick up a lot of trash, sad to say.

I found this "Delaware River Trash Survey – 10/13/14" and it's ONLY focused on an area of New Jersey where the trash has been washed up on land, presumably from storms.

Spoiler:

And to think that is just one area of one state. Imagine how much may make it out to the ocean.

Since it's so apt to float, plastic stuff in particular is probably vulnerable to getting washed into bodies of water like that from storm runoff. And repeat that with other rivers, bays, and whatnot all over the world.

[FredWolfLeonardo]

To be honest, I don't know the specifics but Shailene Woodley seriously does need to be in tmnt 3.

I find it weird how if plastic bags are so bad, why isn't there any outright ban on them in some capacity (or atleast a restriction on their production), instead of charging extra for them like what is done in some countries (New Zealand, UK)?

[MsMarvelDuckie]

They tried that here in Texas. Didn't hold up in court or something. Basically, nobody wanted to ban them. So here they stay.

[IndigoErth]

Originally Posted by FredWolfLeonardo

I find it weird how if plastic bags are so bad, why isn't there any outright ban on them in some capacity (or atleast a restriction on their production), instead of charging extra for them like what is done in some countries (New Zealand, UK)?

Some places are starting to actually. I overheard in a store that has already gone back to paper bags that supposedly all stores in my state are going back to paper Jan 1st. I don't know if it's quite a ban, per se, but hopefully at least a going out of use.

[Powder]

Witches & communists.

[Candy Kappa]

Originally Posted by FredWolfLeonardo

I find it weird how if plastic bags are so bad, why isn't there any outright ban on them in some capacity (or atleast a restriction on their production), instead of charging extra for them like what is done in some countries (New Zealand, UK)?

Most plastic bags in Norway are made from recycled plastic and are more environmental friendly then paper bags. But hilariously enough, "eco savvy" people have been whining about getting paper that we're now selling paper bags, and not only are they not eco friendly, they're also more expensive then plastic bags.

[IndigoErth]

Should start making the bags out of edible plastic-like materials. (Like the biodegradable/edible packing peanuts). That way the bag you took your groceries home in is itself a free snack for later. lol Well... if you like the taste of the trunk of your car.

[DarkFell]

Strong storms in the nearby affected areas also play a part. Trash and other debris are picked up by tornadic storms, carried off by fast moving flood water, ect.

Basically, if any trash is dumped off near rivers that feed into our oceans, garbage in the sea is a result.

[Andrew NDB]

My thing is just, the people who aren't throwing bags and straws into streams or leaving them strewn on beaches... you know, the regular people who put their garbage in the garbage and the recycling into he recycling -- these people often remark that they are heroically "doing their part" by not using plastic bags or straws and such so thereby not contributing to the garbage in the ocean... and yet whether these particular people use plastic straws or bags or not does NOTHING to alleviate that.

[IndigoErth]

So they shouldn't bother trying? If we had fewer people who believed in properly disposing of this stuff, or skipping use all together, it probably would inevitably be worse, right?


But a 24/7 flow of it is going to continue piling up if there is no effort to try to clean up known problem areas, so sure it's going to seem like an issue that's never ending.

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by IndigoErth

So they shouldn't bother trying? If we had fewer people who believed in properly disposing of this stuff, or skipping use all together, it probably would inevitably be worse, right

Wrong. I'm not talking about people who aren't disposing of stuff properly... I'm talking about the people that do and don't use any plastics. My point is that even if these people did use plastics, they wouldn't be making any dent in the situation because their waste would already be going directly to the dump/recycling plant anyway, not into the ocean.

But a 24/7 flow of it is going to continue piling up if there is no effort to try to clean up known problem areas, so sure it's going to seem like an issue that's never ending.

Of course.

[MsMarvelDuckie]

Just because trash goes to the dump doesn't mean it STAYS here. Weather affects landfills too, and wildlife can transport it, too. (Raccoons and gulls are notorious for theivery, and that includes trash items that catch their attention or have food in or on them.)

[sdp]

Since you say you're serious about the topic then I suggest you read up on just how much trash we produce, even when you dispose of it correctly it finds ways to other places especially if the institutions to take care of it don't do it correctly which I'm guessing is far more common than you think. Did you know China actually bought like more than a third of the US's trash for decades? How much of that which was transported on ships somehow found its way to the sea? China is actually not buying trash from the US anymore and now the US has had a trash problem very recently since it can't dispose of it and the reason China is not buying as much is because the US was cheating and sending un-recycable trash along all the trash and they just got fed up with it. I'm not an expert on all the different ways it can get to the ocean but obviously it finds its way there, the majority of the trash in the oceans is coming from India and China but come on Andrew, are you really going to be so mediocre and think "my trash doesn't count so I can do what I want", one person not doing it because they're only one person is the mentality for idiots plain and simple. Plastic is a huge problem and if you think because you don't live near the sea it's not a problem well your convenience for using a straw or bag made of plastic is making a worse world for your kids.

Sorry but some of your responses read literally like this:

[Ninjinister]

I just wish people would take steps to prevent this stuff logically instead of jumping on whatever kneejerk hippie movement comes their way. There's an underlining problem that needs to be addressed and they're just slapping a wet bandaid over it.

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by MsMarvelDuckie

Just because trash goes to the dump doesn't mean it STAYS here.

Why would any trash leave a dump?

[IndigoErth]

She and sdp literally suggested some valid avenues in which it might. Including local recycling efforts too.

Now, my question is, how many waste and recycling facilities and landfills are located near waterways? Given that trash is often moved via barges it's likely that many are? Or most? Not to mention those that are essentially artificial islands built by landfill...




How frequently does this happen and how slim are the chances that nothing ever falls overboard or been blown off the pile by wind. Or snatched and dropped by a gull that thought it saw something promising.



edit: If gulls were smart enough it would be incredibly helpful if they could somehow be trained to pick up garbage (and deposit it someplace in return for a reward) the way some crows have been. Given the large groups of them there can be, they'd clean up an area in no time as long as the humans keep the food reward well supplied. AND they could pluck things out of the water, unlike the crows; at least the manageable floating objects.

[MsMarvelDuckie]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

Why would any trash leave a dump?

Are you SERIOUS??!! I JUST mentioned how it can leave. Wildlife, wind, heavy rain, etc. These things can cause it to be transported away from where it was intended to be, and end up in rivers, lakes, and yes, eventually the oceans. Heck, highway littering is still a common problem, too.

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by MsMarvelDuckie

Heck, highway littering is still a common problem, too.

But that's people intentionally throwing crap out of their window because it's 11 PM and nobody is watching. We aren't talking about those people.

[Candy Kappa]

"What's up with all that litter ending up in the ocean... no, let's not include litterbugs in the discussion." oh, Andrew, oh you silly goose