Midway plastic invasion

SUBHEAD: On Midway Island literally every wave washes more plastic onto the beach.  

By Jaymi Heimbuch on 19 April 2012 for TreeHugger -  
(www.treehugger.com/ocean-conservation/on-midway-more-plastic-washes-up-with-every-wave-literally.html)


Image above: Still frame from video below showing tiny plastic as small as sand creating a new kind of beach. For many photos of beaches see original article.
 
There is only one beach on Midway that is clean, and it is the one beach that people are allowed to visit regularly. The residents on Midway do a great job keeping the debris that washes up under some control.

The other beaches are habitat for the endangered and threatened species of the atoll who need some space away from humans, so they are cleaned only when clear of animals like Hawaiian monk seals and Green sea turtles. There is time, then, for the sand to become rainbow colored, like in the image above.

One group decided to do a beach clean up on Midway and found out what an uphill battle it really is. Even after hours of cleaning up debris, they saw that each wave brought in more plastic, in pieces so small it is impossible to clear them all off the sand.


Video above: "Midway Journey - Plastic Beach". From original articla and (http://vimeo.com/8177268).

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