Huge (Texas sized) garbage patch breeding ground for insects

[Twiddly]

http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/201...new-bugs-video


Ugh, sometimes I find it hard to believe just how much we pollute, I mean there are estimates that range from "slightly bigger then the area of texas" to "over double the size of texas" for this gigantic thing of garbage. Could you imagine just swimming around and seeing something that huge of garbage?

And in before futurama "shoot it into space" jokes :P

[Isotope]

You realize that this is over the course of our entire human race. All the trash gets pooled to that one point. Is it sad, yes. Is this just over the last year, no.

My only wonder is why they don't set that stuff on fire to clear it out.

[Twiddly]

You realize that this is over the course of our entire human race. All the trash gets pooled to that one point. Is it sad, yes. Is this just over the last year, no.

My only wonder is why they don't set that stuff on fire to clear it out.

Pretty sure that plastic has not been around for the entire course of the human race, but I get what you are trying to say.

And lighting something the size of texas and made of plastic on fire? Sounds like a bad idea to me. It is not a sold mass, it is a loosely jumbled together assortment of trash.

[Catta]

I find that Japanese house floating in the Pacific amazing...


Imagine some person in Peru sitting on the beach wishing for a better place to live and BAM - that house floats up on the beach... Beach front property

[BLCalliente]

You realize that this is over the course of our entire human race. All the trash gets pooled to that one point. Is it sad, yes. Is this just over the last year, no.

My only wonder is why they don't set that stuff on fire to clear it out.

How much non-biodegradable trash were we producing more than 100 years ago (before the commercialization of plastics)?

[Deleted]

My only wonder is why they don't set that stuff on fire to clear it out.

i think the word patch is a little misleading, its not as if there are large pieces of trash such as cans and packaging, its been trashed around in the ocean over quite a while and is mostly very small particles and its not floating on the surface, its suspended within the water below the surface

[Powerogue]

it mentinoed one woman trying to clean that up.

More power to her. Where will she put all that crap though?

My only wonder is why they don't set that stuff on fire to clear it out.

assuming much of that heap is even flammable, then we'd have more air pollution to deal with.

[obdigore]

it mentinoed one woman trying to clean that up.

More power to her. Where will she put all that crap though?

She is a hoarder. She can fit it all into her one level 3 room house.

[Deleted]

You realize that this is over the course of our entire human race. All the trash gets pooled to that one point. Is it sad, yes. Is this just over the last year, no.

My only wonder is why they don't set that stuff on fire to clear it out.

and it isn't all of it, the plastic does break down but into very very fine particles that's why its so detrimental to the ocean.

[Atrea]

Being Canadian, I've always found comparisons to the size of Texas rather humorous.

Almost all of our provinces are significantly larger; Ontario is almost twice the size, and Quebec is more than twice the size.
So when someone says, "It's the size of Texas!", my first thought is usually, "Aww, it's so little."

Just something I thought I'd share.

[obdigore]

Being Canadian, I've always found comparisons to the size of Texas rather humorous.

Almost all of our provinces are significantly larger; Ontario is almost twice the size, and Quebec is more than twice the size.
So when someone says, "It's the size of Texas!", my first thought is usually, "Aww, it's so little."

Just something I thought I'd share.

Yet your entire nation only has about 36million people, where Texas has 25 million by itself. So... breed more I guess?

Also only 5 of 13 of your provinces are larger than Texas, whereas only One is larger than Alaska. Of course I prefer Alaska to Texas in pretty much every way, but to each their own.

[Atrea]

Yet your entire nation only has about 36million people, where Texas has 25 million by itself. So... breed more I guess?

Also only 5 of 13 of your provinces are larger than Texas, whereas only One is larger than Alaska. Of course I prefer Alaska to Texas in pretty much every way, but to each their own.

What does that have to do with anything?

[Jaxi]

Being Canadian, I've always found comparisons to the size of Texas rather humorous.

Almost all of our provinces are significantly larger; Ontario is almost twice the size, and Quebec is more than twice the size.
So when someone says, "It's the size of Texas!", my first thought is usually, "Aww, it's so little."

Just something I thought I'd share.

I'm sure if the article was written by a Canadian for Canadians it would have a Canadian territory for size comparison, but since it is an American article it is easier to get your point across with a land mass people are familiar with.

And Alaska. Checkmate. Unless you have a territory larger than Alaska, in which case, shit.

[obdigore]

What does that have to do with anything?

What does the fact that you have provinces larger than Texas have to do with anything? I mean really...

[Nigeldruid]

What does that have to do with anything?

The exact same could be said about your post :P

[leviathonlx]

http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/201...new-bugs-video


Ugh, sometimes I find it hard to believe just how much we pollute, I mean there are estimates that range from "slightly bigger then the area of texas" to "over double the size of texas" for this gigantic thing of garbage. Could you imagine just swimming around and seeing something that huge of garbage?

And in before futurama "shoot it into space" jokes :P

I tend to piss off a lot of people at work when I refuse to waste plastic bagging things that don't need bagged or when I double bag things I make them heavy enough to make it worth it. Course I at least knew a lot of the people at my old store actually did recycle but I know the people at this new store I'm at in Cleveland sure as hell don't recycle.

[Lollis]

It's over-packaging that is the problem. Bags inside bags, pieces of meat in plastic wrapped polystyrene trays that you could fit another three steaks in, fruit packed in plastic bags;



There is no need for it what so ever.

[Colbor]

Well, we could always take all of our garbage and launch it into space. It'll be awhile before it comes back and threatens to doom us all, but that's okay.

[Arkenaw]

I know this is a real thing, but I absolutely hate the news. Look at this image. Last I checked, Texas was not the size of the entire United States.

[Deleted]

Well, we could always take all of our garbage and launch it into space. It'll be awhile before it comes back and threatens to doom us all, but that's okay.

This may very well be one of the few viable options left if the pollution of the planet continues to get out of hand. I'm almost certain that the problem is greater than the mainstream media make it out to be.