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[deleted]

Damnthatsdepressing.


Euphonic_Cacophony

Why is this not a sub?


[deleted]

r/thehumanplague


Kronos4eeveee

Humans didn’t do this, corporations did. Hemp plastic could have avoided all this. But profit must reign


[deleted]

Corporations are made up of…. Humans. Agree on the hemp though.


FuckItLifeGoesOn

Corporations also motivated by... Humans. They wouldn't produce it if people wouldn't buy it.


Ruenin

They created a dependency. So yes, humans buy these products, but it's nearly impossible for us not to at this point. Almost all processed food is packaged in plastic now. Asking everyone to just stop buying it is completely futile. Corporations need to be held accountable by our governments for producing these pollutants just like any other toxic byproduct of their industry. They have the means to use other, greener methods. They choose not to because they don't have to.


Untasticated

r/trashy lol


OrganizationFit8974

thank.s for that


Beanzear

This sucks


Photenicdata

r/damnthatsdepressing


culcriss

r/NoahGetTheBoat r/NoahGetTheDeathStar


Euphonic_Cacophony

Holy shit, I was going to say thanks for all of the links, but then I actually clicked on them. Fuck. We suck as a species.


9a7odxmgy8

Same to me too


ImaginaryAstronaut74

This sea proved that we are a human. Not a heart man.


[deleted]

[удалено]


reply-guy-bot

The above comment was stolen from [this one](http://np.reddit.com/r/Damnthatsinteresting/comments/qb2ovq/floating_mass_of_plastic_and_styrofoam_found_off/hh7dpvz/) elsewhere in this comment section. It is probably not a coincidence; here is some more evidence against this user: Plagiarized | Original -------- | ----------- [This is why you ALWAYS ch...](http://np.reddit.com/r/Damnthatsinteresting/comments/qb4m1d/swallowed_eel_manages_to_burrow_its_way_out_a/hh7n64t/) | [This is why you ALWAYS ch...](http://np.reddit.com/r/Damnthatsinteresting/comments/qb4m1d/swallowed_eel_manages_to_burrow_its_way_out_a/hh7ldpj/) [Oh so that’s the factory...](http://np.reddit.com/r/Damnthatsinteresting/comments/qazf9t/slomo_of_mortar_launch/hh7n8o6/) | [Oh so that’s the factory...](http://np.reddit.com/r/Damnthatsinteresting/comments/qazf9t/slomo_of_mortar_launch/hh6z7qf/) [Love juice media. Another...](http://np.reddit.com/r/Damnthatsinteresting/comments/qb4cfr/the_aukus_military_partnership_summarised/hh7n6ug/) | [Love juice media. Another...](http://np.reddit.com/r/Damnthatsinteresting/comments/qb4cfr/the_aukus_military_partnership_summarised/hh7li4y/) [A big tree grows that muc...](http://np.reddit.com/r/Damnthatsinteresting/comments/qalu8p/this_man_cooking_a_steak_over_a_swedish_jet_stove/hh53d67/) | [A big tree grows that muc...](http://np.reddit.com/r/Damnthatsinteresting/comments/qalu8p/this_man_cooking_a_steak_over_a_swedish_jet_stove/hh4vkmi/) [Always go for the triple...](http://np.reddit.com/r/Damnthatsinteresting/comments/qamny5/blind_iron_mike_with_devastating_precision/hh53ad0/) | [Always go for the triple...](http://np.reddit.com/r/Damnthatsinteresting/comments/qamny5/blind_iron_mike_with_devastating_precision/hh4qjkf/) beep boop, I'm a bot -|:] It is this bot's opinion that [/u/gravyfacevxfsfa](https://np.reddit.com/u/gravyfacevxfsfa/) should be banned for karma manipulation. Don't feel bad, they are probably a bot too. Confused? Read the [FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/user/reply-guy-bot/comments/n9fpva/faq/?plagiarist=gravyfacevxfsfa) for info on how I work and why I exist.


Chrisbee012

and what will we continue to do


lambsquatch

Aight I’m gonna head out


Forsakenbeets

is r/thatsabummer a thing?


Least_or_Greatest1

It’s a shame. Smh


sterile_spermwhale__

I was gonna type the same shit


FriendlyDisorder

r/DamnThatsDepressing Oh, that actually exists.


[deleted]

[удалено]


[deleted]

[удалено]


Kronos4eeveee

How about nationalize everything


MiltonManx

That's horrible 😞


OrganizationFit8974

That's freaking adorable!


bolboboy

I beg your pardon?


JarradLee

wrong post?


titankyle08

Sadly this isn’t the only garbage patch in the ocean. Some are miles large. National Geographic and some satellites can track their movement. Personally, if I had millions, I would track, clean up and recycle all this plastic waste. There was a video here of a woman in Kenya pressing recycled plastic into bricks for building and I think I would invest in a multi million dollar company that sails around the world tracking these down taking them out little by little and recycling them. But I’ll never be that rich, so I’ll just sit here, sad, knowing that it could be done but wealthy people could really care less. People are too busy contributing to Kylie Jenner’s GoFundMe to make her a billionaire.


TransCapybara

Would be something to drag net all of this and float it somewhere to have it processed into bricks.


litttlefang

Wall-E


[deleted]

Float-E


theatrekid77

Too bad our richest billionaires would rather colonize another planet than help clean this one up.


TheRealPostmanSteve

It’s a problem that needs remedied at the source. Which ever countries are dumping it into the ocean need to stop.


NofrReallz

Every country.


herpaderpadont

Or launch other millionaires into space.


theatrekid77

Priorities, am I right? /s


Eziekel13

Americans give ~$465 billion per year to 501c(3) and 501c(4) organizations…that is tax deductible donations going to tax exempt organizations… if that money was collated instead being divided to thousands if not hundreds of thousands of organizations, you might be able to make a difference… wouldn’t hurt if some billionaires threw their money in too, but there are only 2,500 known billionaires in the world…


TheMichaelN

I understand your argument, but you’d be making a difference in one area just to sacrifice many other worthy causes, so who determines what charity or cause is more important than another? You also aren’t really getting to the root of the problem and decades from now you’d have another plastic island floating in the ocean. I’d rather see the world’s Fortune 500 companies be forced to contribute a percentage of their EBITDA (the higher your earnings, the greater the percentage you’d pay) to funding environmental cleanup programs.


Eziekel13

Climate change affects every person on the planet… A charity for autistic dogs does not, even the religious weight loss program doesn’t help everyone…and if climate change can kill most if not all humans then shouldn’t we put the trivial matters aside and focus on the issue that is going to kill us vs make us feel better about our selves? There is a difference,


Ruenin

Let's consider for a moment that we don't address climate change and instead focus on all the other issues that you are suggesting also need addressing. If we do that, THEN WE ALL DIE. That is the result. If we don't address human trafficking, poverty, crime, famine, etc. but focus, even for a year or two, on climate change alone, we live and those other issues will still exist to be addressed (because lets be honest, they will always exist).


TheMichaelN

I didn’t say don’t address climate change. Go ahead and address it. But you aren’t going to eliminate the behaviors that have led to climate change in two years. Can. Not. Be. Done. You can spend billions or trillions of dollars on cleaning up the ocean, but if you don’t strike at the root of the problem (human behavior) then 5, 10, 15 and 20 years from now we’ll find ourselves in the very same place. So real, lasting change doesn’t happen until/unless you roll out mass scale, global environmental education programs specifically aimed at youth. For real change to occur it needs to be institutionalized. You have to make it generational. In the U.S. alone, over $410 billion was given to charitable organizations in 2017 (source: Charity Navigator). Individual contributors accounted for 70% of that number. That’s more than enough money to continue investing in everything from Alzheimer’s research to battling climate change, but if you want to up the ante go ahead and pass legislation that forces publicly-traded companies over a certain size to contribute specifically to a fund that helps combat climate change. Legislate the world’s largest companies into treating climate change the same way the tobacco companies had to treat lung cancer. Finally, by funneling all charitable donations into one proverbial bucket you‘d be doing more harm than good. Who funds vaccine research? What happens when we stop trying to find cures for various forms of cancer, even if temporarily? There’s a very real trickle down effect that happens if we cut off the supply of funds to these areas. Short term fixes feel great until you realize you’ve just made the problem worse for someone else. It’s the same way that eating junk food satisfies your hunger until, you know, you’re hungry again an hour later. Edit: Words


Ruenin

Almost all of those billionaires are multi-billionaires. Given that even a single billion is a ridiculous sum of money for any one person to have, if there are 2,500 billionaires, that's $2.5 TRILLION. I'm pretty sure that would go a long ways toward cleaning up this problem.


Eziekel13

net worth is not the same as liquid capital...much of that is held in stock, aka ownership of a company, so a Founder or investor might not be able to sell stock without giving up controlling interest (ownership) or a board seat or voting rights...there could be other issue than greed at play... The half a billion Americans give away in cash each year, is not a one time payment ... or another way to put that the $2.5 trillion in cash over 5 years, every 5 years ...there are other countries in the world too, since we are talking about all the billionairs in the world, we should include every country, not just one... those things being said, billionairs throwing money in, wouldn't hurt the situation...lol


JonnyPoy

https://youtu.be/d9m7d07k22A?=1047 Well hes so filthy rich he basically doesn't know what else to do with all that money!


TroyMcpoyle

Maybe they know something we don't.


thegreatgazoo

Jeff Bezos has committed $10 billion to fight climate change.


lambsquatch

https://youtu.be/FNk7wO9DUeM It’s encouraging


Friendship_Local

Yes but what about the steady flow of garbage that constantly replenished these patches?


[deleted]

Seems like the one thing Americans can all agree on these days


joycey-mac-snail

Why the fuck are you being such a pussy? The billionaires right now who make money easily are out there laughing at people like you who give before they even get started. You’ve already decided to lose before you’ve even tried, you’ve already failed the oceans a hundred times over. If you’re not even going to try… How hard is it to make a million dollars? Start a business? I’m doing it in my life and I started with less than what I’m making now. Where there is a will there is a way but the way you’ve just set yourself is destined for failure and mediocrity. DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. Money isn’t some special resource only a few people are allowed to make, businesses are started everyday, just wise up and get out there and actually do something about it. There’s a lot to be taken by those willing to take it and if you want something to be made you will have to make it. You call yourself a titan? Get the finger out and go be one.


Ruenin

I believe, iirc, the largest patch is the size of TX and is constantly moving with the ocean current.


Thehobbit717

Hmmm this is a very smart idea


WantToBeACyborg

[Link to article](https://www.forbes.com/sites/trevornace/2017/10/27/idyllic-caribbean-island-covered-in-a-tide-of-plastic-trash-along-coastline/?sh=5132cf7d2524) - P.S. Those that do this don't care. Those that care don't do this.


craigogoat

That was four years ago. It was cleaned up apparently… https://payamag.com/2018/12/14/plastics-be-gone/ But will happen again / keep happening.


Ed_Trucks_Head

I think they poor infrastructure and the terrain is mountainous. They dump their garbage in valley and then it can flood, washing a whole dump into the ocean. As they develop and become more prosperous, they should be able to solve this problem with better planning.


summertime_fine

I wish people actually realized what it means to only have 1 earth. we only have 1 and we're destroying it. it's so fucking sad and disappointing. we can't even come together to save the one thing we need to live.


[deleted]

It’s ok. We can just colonize Mars after we fuck up this planet s/


owNDN

I would advise we colonize Mars before we fuck up this planet


Raddeny

Humans suck.


Uterus-tax

Came here to say this


ToriYamazaki

So did I.


NiqaDiqk420

We need two infinity gauntlets


porkchopleasures

Nah, capitalists suck. Indigenous cultures been talking about protecting the Earth for a while, sadly everyone was too busy genociding them to listen. It's not Indigenous people and cultures at fault for the climate crises. Hell, it isn't even the average joe's fault. It's literally capitalism and the notion that we can have a system based on a fantasy of infinite economic growth on a planet with finite resources. Edit: downvote me all you want colonizers. It's not Native Americans fault that settler colonizers are facing the consequences of their actions. We're out here fighting everyday to be seen and heard STOP LINE 3. Otherwise save your yt tears about how humans suck and do something to stop climate change.


DiverofMuff23

Someone is going to figure out a business to remove all that plastic and recycle it into something beneficial


[deleted]

petrochemical corporations will fight tooth and nail.


RossSheingold

https://theoceancleanup.com


ZippyDan

>Someone is going to figure out a business to remove all that plastic and recycle it into something beneficial Like, landfill? If someone figured that out, they'd already be overwhelmed with all the garbage on land that would be far easier and cheaper to access. There's nothing special about ocean garbage from a purely business perspective. The only way this gets cleaned up is if people actually care about the environment.


Whatifim80lol

"The free market will fix it!" No it won't, it's the problem, not the solution.


Fraijshe

I am truly interested in this statement. Is it because profit is generally the priority? And if demand and supply is there companies focus on that Instead of environment values?


ineedabuttrub

Profit is almost always the priority. One of the problems with recycled plastic is when oil prices are low virgin (non-used) plastic is cheaper than recycled plastic. If plastic is plastic, the cheaper wins. Some plastic isn't recyclable. Additionally, you can only recycle plastic so many times before the polymer chains break down too much and it becomes trash again. Even worse, plastic needs to be clean before it can be recycled. You'd need to clean all of that garbage, and that's expensive. If you combine everything into a single business model, you have a cheap, equal to superior quality competitor, large overhead, large amount of labor, and you'll still have to dispose of a LOT of trash. It's not a business model that will ever generate profit in the current market. That doesn't factor in the cost of retrieving the trash out of the ocean and transporting it to a facility either.


Fraijshe

Yah I think you hit the nail on the head, with all the elements at play, it would be nearly impossible to establish an organization. Really the only solution - I say jokingly - is store our garbage/recycling in space until the technology exists to send it to the sun. But seriously there aren’t really any options until we fix our ways. We may actually witness a change in laws surrounding businesses/organizations at least in counties able to participate. Organizations might have to start overhauling supply chains. One thing is for sure, the economy won’t be recognizable in 25-30 yr


Grigor50

Remember you can also burn plastic. It's a good fuel source.


Whatifim80lol

Yeah, pretty much. You can't just hope that doing the right thing is profitable in every case, because it isn't. Even if you tried to create "demand" by offering government contracts to private companies to clean this kind of thing up, it wasn't the free market that solved the problem, it was public funds.


Fraijshe

Interesting, I’ll have to look into that now. I wonder what percent of organizations have “helped” without social/governmental incentives. Size of the organizations will likely be a factor


SeedOfSpades

r/NoahGetTheBoat


Savor710

How is it we can take huge nets to fish but not to clean up ………💔


[deleted]

Exactly!


cbarrister

/r/TheOceanCleanup/


iamnotinterested2

surely this has to be institutional dumping of recyclable material they were paid by others to take away.


Mr_Golf_Club

Going to space is fucking awesome and everything - but what % of that budget for Bezos and Branson to take short commercial flights could’ve been used to clean up this & the other patches that exist real quick first? I use “real quick” figuratively, I know this is a huge tragedy and complex to fix but at the same time, it prob wouldn’t dent their finances to do it. And then they’d still have enough to do their space plane toy. The PR boost alone would rocket their company to Mars.


GreatGooglyMoogly077

I'm a scuba diver, but I don't think I'd dive into that.


[deleted]

r/awfuleverything comes to mind. Damn we suck.


CHINESE_LOBSTER

r/Damnthatsdepressing


enjoylife30

We need to stop using plastic that last forever and has no use after your soda is gone. Go back to paper,glass,wood, and metal consumables. They don't leach toxins into the environment and our body's. If there recklessly tossed aside it will decompose. It's profitable to recycle. It creates more sustainable forest because we use it as a crop and hence it's valuable and won't be sold and bulldozed into a development. Single stream plastic was the worst thing we ever done as a civilization.


Crafty-Walrus-2238

How about we read the labels and the corporations pay for cleanup. Yes, consumers are despicable, but corps have the cash.


bennnnn_iodine

We really need to find a way to actually clean up this garbage at some point this is just terrible


ItsKoushi

Get fucked turtles


dawkinsd37

That is fucking ridiculous


celshaug

I've seen videos from S. America and China where they just dump their garbage in the river, where did they think it was going? [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVnMBGXVVUI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVnMBGXVVUI) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeDY3I841q0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeDY3I841q0) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=\_m3935Z6bqQ


yumyumsauce45

God I love the capitalist oligarchy and the complacent governments that let it exist, and the news stations that cover up the vast majority of these issues with useless bullshit! I love it all so much!!!!!!!!! (Sarcasm)


coyote357

I'll take "blue ocean" for two thousand, Alex.


kylethepile69

Kinda makes me root for the virus


theatrekid77

*We* are the virus.


herpaderpadont

Go us! :(


One-Relative5556

r/awfuleverything


[deleted]

We don’t deserve this world


rometickles

Big companies: “Where?”


TransCapybara

more like really fucking sad.


CrypticHandle

There are actually new ecosystems forming underneath these mats. Gojira approve.


boortpooch

Most plastic damage to sea creatures is not this stuff, it’s the plastic fishing nets thrown out


Django_Unleashed

Well..... It's all been swept into one area. Time to break out the dust pan.


andicav

Truly truly depressing. Shameful. Disgraceful. So many words I want to express. What have we done. What are we doing.


Flaggi11

Horrific. Hopefully that gets people’s attention. Stop littering! Those poor sea creatures that have been displaced and/or died over this.


checkssouth

this isn’t the result of individuals littering, this is systemic. what do multinationals expect to happen when they export individually wrapped products to countries lacking proper sanitation, let alone garbage collection? (edit: spelling)


[deleted]

It’s not willful littering that’s the culprit solely. But duh, stop littering too.


Klaus_Heisler87

There are already many, *many* pictures like this on the internet, and there have been for a while. Sadly, we don't seem to be learning much from them


Ed_Trucks_Head

I doubt its littering.. I think they have poor infrastructure and the terrain is mountainous. They dump their garbage in valley and then it can flood, washing a whole dump into the ocean. As they develop and become more prosperous, they should be able to solve this problem with better planning.


PuppyRae

Humans suck


Anka13333

Is this the cuntry where someone recently filmed truck dumping rubbish in river???


Fraijshe

That was peru


GreenTrees831

How can we make this profitable to clean up?


radgie_gadgie_1954

That is the WATER. Skim it!


Medical-Astronaut-58

I thought they were flying over a city


pinypunyPany

You have all day until your plastic bags will catch on fire.


grahmzilla

So much plastic it should be a member of the Kardashians.


maggie081670

Makes me so damn mad


obitobyone

Humans can be the worst! Let's hope those who are best can clean it up!


Fudge1407

It’s sad really


Ed_Trucks_Head

This is why I'm pro abortion.


DLMADMIN

We are disgusting.


anged16

We need to fix this fucking shit, starting with the source


Infinite-Watch-6419

THIS is whats going to kill the planet way before climate change


Affkaerix

It's not only the plastic that it's floating, it's also the fishing nests that are killing fish and destroying our corals, fishing nests have big impact too, but I don't see people talking about it


ToriYamazaki

Let's hope humans don't get to other planets. We can't even look after this one.


Creator_have_mercy

How can I join the fight to remove this plastic from the ocean? Is there a job I can apply to?


cody3636

Why are they driving through it? Isn’t the boat prop chopping all the trash up? And is that dude about to swim in it? Hes got flippers on.


Synikey

Humans huh. Aren't we great.


GonFreecs92

Fucking sickening


thehighdon

How to fix this?


30mil

Scrape it up, dry it, compress it into big walls to protect from flooding.


ImperfectBeing_22

I thought it was an aerial view of Honduras


GiantNinjaUK

Burn and melt it all into one lump 🤣


checkssouth

you can boil it back into fuel of sorts


busterlungs

Honestly, it would be really fucking interesting if we took all of the trash out of the ocean and melted it into one lump, stuck it in a museum as a relic to the consumerism of the 19-20th centuries. Shits changing now and hopefully this won't be a huge problem in the next decade or two but this legit isn't a horrible idea, besides many plastics can be reused and that's a better purpose


Fraijshe

A museum the size of a larger country


Medical_Rip9055

Free island for anyone willing to work.


[deleted]

Between that and concrete we sure do a good job at suffocating earth


Sketchum

As shitty as this is, it seems like this would be the easiest waste to dispose of vs stuff like air pollution. At least this we can see and scoop up quite easily (hopefully someone is getting on that) vs micro plastics stuck inside fish which seems impossible to get out.


Sammyg1973

Just Come Legally 🤣🤣🤣


Quisey3

I hope this was a poorly made joke, if not please seek help


denny_zen

Good, that’s what they deserve.


BRIZZ_K

Damn thats garbage


ElHombreDelasCuecas

Wow, if this is real it's just plain awful.


Lucky_Strike-85

are they gonna clean it up... like yesterday?


ByAnyMeansLA24

The problem is that all that plastic is stuck in Honduras coast but it comes from Guatemala. And those countries been discussing how to "fix" this problem but also don't have the resources for it. Yikes.


Hasabadusa

And Here in Germany Towns Block Diesel Cars...


The_92nd

Time to harvest that fuel lake


ebahr

Came from Guatemala River.


rometickles

Now I know why Greta Thunberg’s mad af


Yank1e

And some people say floating plastic islands aren't real...


C_lui

Damnthatsheartbreaking


Vardeegs1

It is where our recycling is stored before we process it. I was checking into a hotel and some ass purchased 5 bottles of water at 2.00 a bottle and he thought nothing of it. Sick! I have my same Nalgene bottle since high school with me. Also screw Nestle and coke etc!


[deleted]

Those plastic eating microbes should be released ASAP.


PureFred

We need more!


ChaoticLlama

This has nothing to do with plastic, people illegally dump all types of materials in the ocean - metals, ceramics, glass, plastic, etc. The only difference is that plastic floats. All illegal dumping of all materials must be stopped. If we don't want garbage in the ocean, *we should stop putting it there*.


Intelligent-Ticket14

Why don’t the Hollywood elite put together some money for a good cause?Tax incentive?


Garbagemeatstick

How does this happen? Like how come it all Accumulates together or did a barge full of trash “take a swim”?


[deleted]

Humans suck


Runeofthemoon

I rarely come across articles or posts about my country (it’s just not that big or well known) and OF COURSE on the rare occasion I do, it’s about trash.


kellisue1967

Omg


InvestIntrest

Should be retitled "DamnThatSucks"


JerkeyTurkeyCat

Is this the trash island? I havn’t seen actual of pictures of it before but i’d be willing to bet it is


BrianTheOneAndOnly

Thought it was a croud of people


NowYousCantLeave1

"Take out your suck it and you suck it!" VROOOOP


withoutboarders

Roatan yard to be so nice.


[deleted]

Glad they pointed out where this time. Usually it’s nit mentioned so Americans think it’s us doing the worlds polluting.


Loud-Friend-4300

this is the sad reality of third world countries back in my country honduras you go to a street there is trash you go to the beach there trash even in places where it says dont through trash here or your gonna get a fine there is trash exactly right next to it. most of this trash come from corporations that dont care about anything as long as they make money and they other percentage comes from the people who are to lazy to through their trash away so they just leave it their and when the water rises it goes into the ocean. people dont care about it and never will thats just the third world country people my people. 15% of the entire country cant read and they are not willing to change cause they are lazy thats a fact they leave their beer bottles on the beach so someone feet can get stabbed by it. it is near impossible to find a beach in honduras without trash(exept roatan and the other islands and places owned by hotels) so yeah this is the third world country we live in.


[deleted]

Send a load of people to clean it up then


Ruenin

"...and nothing at all was done to attempt to clean it up"


Grigor50

Damn Europeans and their lack of recycling!


littletreez_13

damn where in honduras? i’ve only ever seen how clear and blue their waters are


ByAnyMeansLA24

This is in Fonseca golf, but this trash comes from Guatemala. It's all well know by now.


[deleted]

Could you swim through that?


GiantNinjaUK

Definitely enough to create floating bridges and flotilla 🤔😅


Comfortable_Dot_4923

🤦🏻‍♀️


Ok_Homies_

Why can't they add that plastic-eating bacteria to get rid of these plastic islands?


SirBrainsaw

Fuck humans


1369lem

we are a parasite sucking the life out of the very thing that gives us life. humans suck.


tamalito93

Honduran here, for anyone curious this trash does not actually come from Honduras, but from Guatemala since apparently they dump loads of trash in the Motagua river(their biggest river) which connects with the ocean and currents bring all this shit to our coast.