answersLogoWhite

0

Generally, trash stays in the ocean. Very little of it that washes up on the beach is picked up by citizens or paid employees of park, or city beach departments. (They tend to pick up only the larger items and leave smaller plastics behind).

Because of the circular circulation patterns (Gyres) of the world's major oceans, trash tends to gather in the center and stay there. (see "garbage gyre" or "northern Pacific trash gyre").

Plastics do not sink. Their density is less than that of saltwater and may eventually photodegrade but as they break up into smaller pieces they are ingested by oceanic birds, fish, whales, and turtles and often kill them.

Since the invention of plastics, they have been floating in the ocean. In the mid 20th century, it was commonplace to put trash on floating barges and dump it in the ocean. Some of that trash is still floating today.

Some efforts have been made to clean up the water with special conveyer-type trash picking boat/barges and have been successful in the areas they work, but this is only in bay areas, and not the oceanic garbage gyres. This is a big job. There is an estimated 3.5 million tons of trash covering an area twice the size of Texas in the north pacific gyre alone. (see Dr. Curtis Ebbesmeyer).

Advice: Go to the beach. Pay the price to park. Enjoy the beach! Then say thanks to the ocean and pick up some trash on your way out.

User Avatar

Wiki User

15y ago

What else can I help you with?

Related Questions

How does trash get into the ocean?

trash gets into the ocean by people that just go and put their trash there.


How does trash get into oceans?

trash gets into the ocean by people that just go and put their trash there.


Where is ocean trash?

in the ocean....


What percent of the ocean is comprised of trash?

Approximately 0.1 of the ocean is comprised of trash.


How much trash is currently in the ocean, measured in pounds?

As of now, there are approximately 150 million metric tons (330 billion pounds) of trash in the ocean.


What happens when people throw away trash in the ocean?

it pollutes the ocean.


How trash ends up in the ocean?

Trash can end up in the ocean through littering, improper waste disposal, and by being carried by wind, rivers, or stormwater runoff. In coastal areas, trash from beaches or coastal towns can easily get washed out to sea.


How do you save the killer whales from the pacific ocean?

by not putting all of your trash in the pacific ocean


Where does that trash that is dumped into the ocean end up?

in the middle of the ocean,in a grye,and in the middle of know where


What the meaning of Everything must go somewhere?

The term "everything must go somewhere" refers to the amounts of trash and waste that have to go somewhere but once they are out of our thoughts, we forget about them. In many cases, this trash ends up in the ocean, in water that may be the drinking water of someone else later on down the the river's path...it ends up in giant trash heaps that no one knows what to do with. The unsaid part of the saying "everything must go somewhere" is "and we are responsible for where it goes."


What is marine debris?

marine debris is trash in the ocean


Is it against the law to throw trash in the ocean?

Of course it is!