Barge of Debris, Aug. 10

There’s a garbage patch floating in the middle of the North Pacific Ocean. It is debris from boats and humans and it is caught up in a large swirling patch several football fields in size. The Japan Earthquake & Tsunami of 2011 added to the debris patch and now some of it is being collected for proper disposal. The State of Alaska catches much of the loose drift as it washes ashore. A large barge recently arrived in Seattle, WA from Alaska filled with hundreds of tons of marine debris collected along the states beachfront and also from the shores of British Columbia. It’s a small dent into the floating garbage, in fact officials estimated the full barge represents about one to two percent of the debris field. In Seattle, volunteers will sort through the white, heavy-duty bags to separate recyclable material from rubbish. Items to be disposed of will end up like most Seattle’s garbage, on a train to Northeastern Oregon and a landfill. The Japanese government allocated $5 million following the 2011 disaster to assist with debris cleanup in the Pacific Northwest. The barge load cost an estimated $900,000.