Plastic Debris: A problem on land and at sea

One of the most common items in everyday life is plastic. It is in water bottles, computers, clothes, packaging materials, toys, artificial limbs, microwave ovens, furniture, and automobiles. What happens to plastic when people are done using it?

According to the Environmental Protection Agency the U.S. generated about 30 million tons, 11.7 percent of the total waste stream, of plastics in 2006. Surprisingly, only about five percent of all plastics produced in America are recycled, according to the Energy Information Agency . One reason for such a small percentage is the high cost of recycling plastic. New plastic materials are cheaper than recycled materials for manufacturers, according to the EIA.

Plastic waste fills America’s landfills and litters the roadsides. One of the largest landfills isn’t even on land, but is floating in the middle of the ocean. It lies about 1,000 miles west of California and 1,000 miles north of Hawaii, according to an article by the San Francisco Chronicle.

The accumulation of plastic gathers together because of ocean currents, the article reports, bringing the debris from all over the world. The mass of plastic and debris is about twice the size of Texas, and is estimated to weigh 3 million tons. It floats just under the surface of the water, varying from an inch thick to about 300 feet thick.

Cleaning up the mass of plastic and debris would be more complicated then it sounds, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. The mass is not only huge, but also very delicate and remote. It is mostly made up of fine plastic chips and would be impossible to skim out of the ocean. It is also a week’s journey by boat from the closest port, which would make it difficult to transport the trash.

This huge collection of plastic speaks volumes about the amount of plastic waste carelessly thrown out and forgotten. Cleaning up all that garbage will be no easy task, and it is one that shouldn’t be necessary. While cleanup efforts are desperately needed, they still aren’t enough. It would much easier to recycle plastic waste before it ends up in landfills and floating around the ocean.

Healthy Or Not?

One of the first remarks to newcomers on campus is a warning about the Red Cedar River. They are told that the river running through campus is dirty and unhealthy to swim in. Rumors of large amounts E-Coli and other horrifying diseases have run rampant through campus. These rumors, not surprisingly, are old and not up-to-date. The river, while not perfectly clean, is not as dirty as it is made out to be.

In 2007, the levels of E. Coli per 100 millimeters in the Red Cedar in the East Lansing area ranged widely. The levels tended to increase after heavy rainfall, when run-off from farms added fecal matter to the water. After one such rainfall on June 4, 2007, the E. Coli levels were at 6100 bacteria per 100 millimeters. But levels that high are rare. Most recorded levels are around 100 to 200 bacteria per 100 millimeters.

The Environmental Protection Agency Water Quality Standards for Michigan said that surface waters for total body contact should contain no more than 120 E. Coli per 100 millimeters, and at no time should contain more than a maximum of 300 E. Coli per 100 millimeters. Partial body contact regulations said that surface water should not contain more than 1000 E. Coli per 100 millimeters.

The Red Cedar is not perfect, but it is getting healthier. Volunteer efforts, like the biannual Red Cedar Clean Up, help keep the river clean of trash and debris. It takes time and effort to keep the Red Cedar clean, but with the help of volunteers, it will slowly get healthier.