The amount of garbage in the ocean has been a serious problem for a long time, but have you ever considered just how long that trash has been there or how far it might have traveled?
TikToker Hayley Thompson (@haaybabay) shared a video of garbage they picked up from their local shoreline, with one item possibly being decades old.
@haaybabay Trash can travel thousands of miles in the ocean. Currents, wind and waves can easily take it from one continent to another. This journey can take months to many years. Old trash can still be found today, spending decades at sea. If you come across trash, especially while shelling, please thank the ocean by removing it. Each piece makes a difference! #oceancleanup #beachcleanup #pollution #trash #beachfinds #cleanup #creatorsearchinsights ♬ tropical hawaiian(1314943) - Masaya & Yuzo
In the video, they highlighted a few of the random items that had washed up on shore, including a can with Chinese characters written on it. After a Google search, Thompson discovered that it was potentially a tobacco can commonly used between the 1950s and 1980s that may have made its way to South Carolina from China.
In the video's caption, Hayley explained: "Trash can travel thousands of miles in the ocean. Currents, wind and waves can easily take it from one continent to another. This journey can take months to many years. Old trash can still be found today, spending decades at sea."
Another TikToker commented on the video, "I live in Alaska and when we walk on the beach we find stuff from Russia and Japan and sometimes even Korea."
Garbage ending up in the ocean can cause numerous problems for aquatic animals, ocean ecosystems, and even humans, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. One significant issue is the damage it can do to animals, which come along and try to eat the garbage or end up tangled in a piece of plastic or rope, often resulting in death.
Marine debris that washes up on shore can also impact local economies, as tourists are likely to avoid garbage-filled beaches.
As another illustration of just how far and fast garbage can travel, one TikTok user shared, "After the tsunamis in Japan a TON of Japanese trash and floatsam washed up in California."
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