Why we need to avoid plastic trash

I have heard about this on and off, but just got around to reading a detailed article on the problem. It is another facet of our unsustainable behavior. For about 60 years now, we are accruing a larger and larger pile of plastic trash in our oceans. This patch has by now grown to spread 10 meters thick all the way between Japan and the USA, stirring around in circular currents. Fish and other sea creatures are severely impacted by our unnecessary packaging madness. We buy plastic wrapped goods, toss the stuff on the landfills from which they get blown out to see or directly dumped into the ocean illegally. Since there are no vacation resorts in that part of the ocean, no one cares. And there really is nothing we can do about it either.

Take a look at this article and I recommend watching the short, but thoroughly depressing TED talk below. Keep this in mind when making the next product choice, using the next plastic cup or fork...