Letter to an elected official

To Norman D. Dicks (WA), Chairman of Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies.

Delia Scott, Subcommittee Clerk

Room B-308 Rayburn House Office Building

Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-3081

Dear Mister Chairman,

I am writing to bring attention to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a plastic waste dump that is rapidly filling the oceans of the world. When I learned about this plastic wasteland floating in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, I was shocked at the level of pollution the world really has. Plastic is a material that doesn’t decompose, it photodegrades, which means that when it is exposed to large amounts of sunlight, it just keeps getting smaller and smaller. The tiny particles of plastic floating in the North Pacific Ocean are being mistaken for food by sea life and in turn it is fatal to those consuming it. The North Pacific Garbage Patch is continuously growing and is now approximately twice the size of Texas.

This patch of plastic floating around the ocean not only demonstrates the problem with our countries’ dependency on plastic and the detrimental effects it is having on the Earth, but it also shows what poor recycling systems we have in place. San Francisco is the only city that has actually passed legislation concerning the use of plastic bags, the biggest contributor to the garbage patch. They made it so that grocery stores are not allowed to use plastic bags anymore and thus encourage people to start using recyclable bags. If there is to be any difference made in the garbage patch, it must start at legislation. The only way to calm it and keep it from growing is to reduce the amount of plastic waste people put out by making it not available to them.

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a beacon of pollution worldwide. To know what it is, and to understand how it was created should be enough of a wake up call to people around the world. Pollution isn’t something we just forget about, and this garbage patch is a perfect reminder of the effects human industry is having on the Earth. If moves are not made soon by those who can make a difference, like you Chairman, the garbage patch will continue to grow and pollute the ocean and all life that is in it. Soon our beaches will be garbage dumps if action is not taken soon.

Sincerely a concerned citizen,

Eve W.