Why Do Garbage Patches Matter to Me? Part 2 of 2

Earlier this week we defined the garbage patch by what it isn’t.  If it’s your first time learning about the garbage patch, it helps to understand the many misconceptions surrounding it. Today we answer another question: “Why does it matter to me?”

And why does the plastic garbage patch matter to you, thousands of miles away from it? The effects on the environment are obvious (plastic never breaks down; wildlife often mistake it for food, eat it, and then die), but how does it affect you in your cozy apartment, thousands of miles away from the floating plastic soup? Here’s why it matters.

Here's why it matters to you:

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What isn't the Great Pacific Garbage Patch? Part 1 of 2

Marine Debris on Hawaiian coast; NOAA

If you travel out into the middle of ocean, thousands of miles from the closest continent, you’ll see a floating soup of plastic commonly referred to as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.  By some estimates, it’s twice the size of Texas. By others, it’s just really enormous. It swirls around in the middle of the ocean in what’s called a gyre, or an ocean current similar to a whirlpool.

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