Every time I order a cup of coffee, hold a grocery store plastic bag, or use a disposable fork, I think about The Great Garbage Patch (aka The Great Pacific Garbage Patch): A massive pile of microscopic trash choking the fragile life of the world’s ocean.
Regardless of what your political or religious beliefs are, you simply can not argue that it is ok for humans to fill the ocean with trash. If you have ever visited a city dump, you will realize that trash does not simply disappear. As a society, we’ve build up a massive amount of garbage that we simply bury in the ground, hoping that once it is out of sight, it will be out of mind.
But our rampant use of plastic materials and disposable items have polluted our beautiful oceans. Scientists have discovered a large collection of waste aimlessly floating in the ocean water. And because most of the waste is composed of pelagic plastic, chemical discharge, and other debris, it will take thousands of years before they naturally degrade.
So next time you choose a plastic utensil for your dinner party, be sure to buy a biodegradable one.