Now, after years of research, scientists have found the dangers associated with this old behavior.  All of the batteries, aerosol cans, plastic, paint, oil, medications, and Styrofoam is sitting beneath the surface of our landfills harming the fragile eco-system.  It is only now that we are realizing the err of our ways and it is time for change.

All of the products that we need to use to maintain our lifestyles must be dealt with upon the end of their useful lives.  So what can I do to keep our environment clean?  Well, here are some useful tips:

Paint – make sure the can is completely sealed while in storage.  Use the entire can of paint, leaving no remnants behind.  If you don’t need the entire contents, donate the rest to a charity that can use the rest.  When the can is empty, make sure you drop it off at a hazardous waste center

Oil – The days of doing our own oil changes are going away, but still some home grease monkeys decided to do it themselves.  Make sure that all of the oil and filter is collected in the proper collection can.  Oil can be recycled at most auto parts stores like AutoZone or Kragen.

Batteries – Batteries contain some of the most hazardous chemicals.  Think about it, battery power is caused by a reaction of chemicals.  You can find out where to recycle used batteries and other electronics at earth911

Medications - Growing up, the thing to do with medications was “flush them!”  How wrong were we?  Flushing medications pollutes the water as most cities are reclaiming their water.  The water, and toxins, make it to the oceans, rivers and lakes.  Often, there are collection centers available for disposing of old medications.  Pharmacies and Hospitals are also helpful with getting rid of old medications.

Aerosol cans and cleaning supplies – Make sure that you use all of the products in the packaging.  Most of these are hazardous and can contaminate the water and Earth.  Check with your local city or county for a hazardous drop off center for these types of products. 

Together, we can keep the Planet clean for our future generations!  Will you do your part?
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Make your own Solar Panels!
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It seems that the Great Pacific Garbage Patch also known as the Eastern Garbage Patch or Pacific Trash Vortex is island of trash in the central North Pacific Ocean. The estimated size of this pile of trash is that it is twice the size of Texas and contains over 100 million tons in floating garbage and growing.

This “patch” was created by the Pacific currents carrying garbage from North America, Asia, and the islands (the whole Pacific rim), and then concentrating it into a continent swirl of garbage; a vortex. The majority of the source of this trash comes from land – dropped into the streets, into drains, into sewers, and leading out to the ocean. About 80% is from land, and 20% from ships at sea. It takes about 5 years for trash to reach the gyre from the west coast of North America, and less than a year from the coast of Asia.

About 80% of this junk is plastic. Plastic is 100% non- biodegradable. But, in water, and with sunlight beaming down on it, plastic is broken down into bits, and solids become chips and those chips become dust eventually.

Plastic bags shred, and also will eventually become plastic dust. On islands of the Pacific, coming from all over the Pacific rim, plastic, swirl into a vortex that eventually brings them to these shores, creating sand dunes made of plastic. The more the plastic breaks down, the more of a threat it becomes, because it starts to affect even the smallest organisms on a molecular level, thus invading the entire food web in the ocean. There is 6 times as much plastic in the gyre than there is plankton. Plankton is this area’s most abundant food source.

Animals mistake all this waste as food and die from either plastic poisoning or blockage of their digestive system. Sea turtles may think that floating plastic bags are jellyfish, rope may become entangled in the tentacles of jellyfish. Albatross (seagulls) mistake waste for food all the time. Often they are found dead a shore, and their skeletons show nothing but a pile of plastic within. Chicks get fed with waste that the parents fly back to the nest too, killing the chicks as well.

All this plastic absorbs, transports, and releases hydrophobic pollutants (PCB, DDE, DDT). This harms the ocean’s foodchain and can thus affect us as well, causing diesease, infertility, etc.

So how can this problem be fixed? Well it would require more money than any nation is probably willing to spend on the clean-up project. The best thing we, or anybody can do, is the obvious we have been taught for years:
-Reduce your plastic waste
-Recycle
-Do not litter
-Participate in beach clean ups, riverbed/runoff clean ups, drainage clean ups, etc.Generate Free Energy
Make your own Solar Panels!
Eliminate your Power Bill!
Run your car on water!!
Join the Green Eco Club!