The Great Pacific Garbage Patch Is Growing

Read this and weep! The world now produces over 320 million tonnes of plastic every year. Much of it is stuff we use once and chuck away - bottles, bags, ties, wrapping, meat trays, one-time knives and forks - you name it. And a huge proportion of it ends up in the sea.

This paper looks at just one particular accumulation zone but I wouldn't mind betting that the results are applicable to other build-up areas. The authors show that this zone - the so-called Great Pacific Garbage Patch - is growing exponentially.

So, don't put the fruit and veg you buy in the supermarket in their helpful little plastic bags - they survive just as well loose. Don't just chuck away your yogurt pots - they make good seed pots.

Remember the old mantra:- REDUCE - REUSE - RECYCLE