Research team examines Pacific garbage patch / UNEP report on marine litter: Plastics waste a major problem / Disastrous consequences for marine life / BPF publishes manual to help plastics industry reduce pellet loss

摘要

Marine litter is nothing new but as the extent of the huge volumes of waste polluting the world's oceans is emerging, international calls for action are becoming ever more vociferous. One of the sites particularly affected is located in the Pacific Ocean. People have known about this so-called "Great Pacific Garbage Patch" for years; now US researchers are trying to get down to the bottom of this "plastics vortex" - a gigantic carpet of waste floating on the ocean. So far, there are no data on the composition of the waste or how many tonnes of it are floating in the oceanic garbage patch.