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Ocean Waste

Skyler O'Kelley

Mar 27, 2025

The ocean is the best indicator of the health of our planet. Everything from acidity to the rising sea levels tells the story of our climate. One issue that is glaringly obvious right now is the amount of waste in the ocean. We’ve all heard of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP), the massive floating island of garbage in the Pacific Ocean, but how did it get there? What does all that waste due to the little fishies that live there? In today’s Digest, we will be exploring the issue of ocean waste and the problems it causes not just for the creatures that live there but also for humans.

Let’s begin by exploring the different ocean waste types you’ll encounter. Ghost nets and plastic are the biggest polluters. First, we’ll focus on ghost nets. Ghost nets are fishing nets that get lost or dumped into the ocean which can cause problems for many aquatic creatures. Once released from human hands, the nets can drift through the ocean current. This leads to four endings for the net. The first option is for it to drift through the ocean, catching fish and strangling them to death. This can also combine with the second option, which is for the net to catch on a reef (usually destroying it) or some sort of rock. The net will usually continue to do its work of capturing fish who are unable to free themselves. Fish struggling in a net become easy prey and attract predators to the net, thus creating a vicious cycle where more aquatic life gets caught in the net because they are looking for an easy meal. The third option is for the net to be consumed because from afar it looks like food. This problem usually occurs when the net has broken up enough to appear as floating algae. Seabirds who skim the surface of the water will swallow these up which can result in them choking or starving to death. The final option for the net is to be picked up by humans, hopefully before it causes too much damage, but likely it has gone through at least two of the three options mentioned previously. 

Plastic is, by far, the biggest problem facing our oceans. On average, a truckload of microfibers and plastic waste enter the ocean every minute. This is equivalent to about 4.8 million tonnes of plastic every year. Let’s look at the impact this has on the aquatic ecosystem. Before plastic breaks down into microscopic little pieces (microplastics, no bigger than 5 millimeters) it enters the ocean as things like water bottles, plastic bags, and fishing nets. Plastic bags and nets can often confuse marine life like turtles and albatrosses into thinking it’s food. They gobble up the plastic which then sits in their stomach, preventing real nutritious food from entering. This eventually causes the animals to slow down or starve to death, becoming easy prey for other creatures. Some of this trash ends up in a circulating current that creates the GPGP. This massive floating island can be seen from space and is a massive cause of concern for our oceans. 

“But wait,” you say “then it’s a good thing the plastic breaks down into smaller pieces, less to fill their stomachs with!” There you would unfortunately be wrong. While yes, it would take up less space, those microplastics are small enough to slip into the bloodstream and tissues of the animal. Another side effect is consuming plastic with sharp edges that could tear tissue. The more an animal consumes, the more that builds up, which could result in things like increased stress levels and impaired reproduction. This is not only due to the foreign substance in their body preventing vital functions from occurring but also due to chemical contamination. Plastics are treated with all sorts of chemicals for all sorts of reasons, everything from coloring to shape. These chemicals don’t wash off once they enter the ocean, nor when they enter the body. They can, however, result in the body attempting to process the foreign substance and unintentionally integrating the chemicals into their system, essentially poisoning them.

“So, okay, boo hoo, some animals die, tragic. What does that have to do with me?” Well, if you don’t find any remorse in the loss of life, let’s shift the focus to what this plastic buildup in seafood does to humans. Say you enjoy seafood, as you consume fish you introduce the microplastics that have built up in their system into yours. What’s the harm in that? Although there haven’t been many studies done yet, as this is a relatively new issue, so far it’s been found that plastic in our system can cause problems like endocrine disruption, decreased reproductive health, weight gain, insulin resistance, and cancer. The American Lung Association says that “studies from the last few decades have consistently shown plastic particles found in the lung specimens of patients with cancer and chronic lung disease.” Not good for anyone involved.

What can we do to mitigate this issue? On the consumer level, we can choose products that don’t contain as much plastic, including everything from fashion to food, and be conscious about where our plastic items go at the end of their life. Search for products that can be composted or have a take-back program. Recycling isn’t a reliable way to ensure that plastic and other waste are disposed of properly, so I’d recommend researching to find better alternatives. Reducing plastic consumption is the first step. If you want broader climate action, you need to advocate for plastic to be banned across the board. This sounds scary, but without government regulation, the problem will only get worse. Additionally, you can also choose to consume less seafood to reduce the amount of plastic you’re consuming. This isn’t the end-all solution, since microplastics can come in a variety of forms from various sources, but it is a step.


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© 2023 by The Office of Sustainability at Rider University.

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