Waste, Trash and the Ocean (eat, island, plastic)

[Due]

Originally Posted by JoDan

The hike along the shore to the Green Sand Beach is horrific! The trash just continues to pile up.

Is this from tourists or local residents? Both?
Disgusting: in my opinion.

Due

[KaraBenNemsi]

Originally Posted by Due

Is this from tourists or local residents? Both?
Disgusting: in my opinion.

Due

Neither. It's from ocean drifts directly. Anytime there's a run-off from rain in Oregon, Washington, Kamtshatka, Japan, Korea or so garbage is washed into the sea. Sneakers, spatulas, packaging material...you name it. Ships lose & toss their fare share as well. That's also how the garbage patches in the Pacific and Atlantic grow.

[MKWC]

Originally Posted by mangodog

Some say there is a mass of floating trash the size of Texas floating on the ocean endlessly.

Mangodog - You're back!

[Due]

Originally Posted by KaraBenNemsi

Neither. It's from ocean drifts directly. Anytime there's a run-off from rain in Oregon, Washington, Kamtshatka, Japan, Korea or so garbage is washed into the sea. Sneakers, spatulas, packaging material...you name it. Ships lose & toss their fare share as well. That's also how the garbage patches in the Pacific and Atlantic grow.

Thanks!

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

Originally Posted by KaraBenNemsi

Neither. It's from ocean drifts directly. Anytime there's a run-off from rain in Oregon, Washington, Kamtshatka, Japan, Korea or so garbage is washed into the sea. Sneakers, spatulas, packaging material...you name it. Ships lose & toss their fare share as well. That's also how the garbage patches in the Pacific and Atlantic grow.

That's quite true, but we also get a disgusting amount of trash dumped by local residents. We periodically go to a beach that only locals frequent (Ka'alu'alu Bay) and always take a couple of large trash bags because we know that we are going to be cleaning up the debris left by campers and partyers there. Such a shame

[JoDan]

Originally Posted by Due

Is this from tourists or local residents? Both?
Disgusting: in my opinion.

Due

The vast majority that I see out there comes from the ocean. A few places are the result of locals fishing and camping, however, no comparison to what floats in from the ocean.

[mangodog]

Maybe we have stumbled on to something.... if we propose to throw enough trash into the ocean, and I mean if everyone does their part to contribute more, then by my calculations the mass of trash should continue to pile upon itself as well as enlarge. Eventually the mass should reach a critical stage that, getting deep enough to not only stand upon but give it time, we could build upon it. Almost free real estate it would be. Maybe a small country. But forbid that anyone fighting over this new territory would bomb it for rights, which might disturb the unanchored country yet to be named .

[mangodog]

Lets see, which countries might be willing to fight to claim this uninhabited land ? Who would claim ownership as it drifts about the world ever so slowly ?

[KaraBenNemsi]

It's been considered actually: Architects Propose Creating Floating Island from Plastic Waste the Litters the Oceans - Environment - InfoNIAC - Latest Inventions

[Fredesch]

Originally Posted by mangodog

Lets see, which countries might be willing to fight to claim this uninhabited land ? Who would claim ownership as it drifts about the world ever so slowly ?

China, they will claim anything, no matter where it is located.