As science continues to evolve, we’re growing increasingly aware of the effects human activity has had on our planet. Most recently, environmental activists have been focusing on plastic pollution.
Humans produce more than 300 million tons of plastic annually, the Plastic Ocean Foundation reports. Of this amount, more than 8 million tons are dumped into the ocean each year.
To help visualize the damage, check out this recent viral video of a literal wave of garbage seen in the Dominican Republic.
Craig Leeson, director of the documentary A Plastic Ocean, described the effect of plastic pollution, saying:
“Plastic is a man-made substance. It isn’t supposed to be in the environment and the environment has no way of dealing with it, so it is building up and poisoning our Earth like a disease.”
When it comes to plastic pollution, one of the main concerns is the effect it is having on marine life—and then humans, further up the food chain.
When plastics are dumped into the ocean, they break down into small particulates known as ‘micro-plastics’.
Our oceans already contain water-borne chemicals as a result of hundreds of years of industry and agriculture— and, according to Plastic Oceans Foundation, these chemicals “attract to plastic like a magnet.”
These bits of plastic and chemicals mix with plankton, becoming part of marine life’s diet— and because 60% of the world’s population rely on fish as their main source of protein, we end up eating the mix, as well.
What’s even scarier, however, is that chemicals in these plastics are known to imitate the hormone estrogen— this includes plastics not containing the controversial compound bisphenol A (also known as BPA).
Most recently, a man named Dhruv Boruah garnered national headlines for the creative way he’s been spreading awareness about plastic pollution.
Boruah was inspired to carry out his plans after he saw the effects of plastic pollution first-hand. In this video, the man recalls racing a 70-foot yacht from London to Rio de Janeiro, where he was shocked by the amount of garbage he saw floating in the ocean. Later, when he returned to London, he noticed the same situation in the River Thames.
Using a custom-made, floating bike, Boruah cycles across London waterways, collecting plastic garbage along the way.
In an interview with CNN, Boruah explained: “I had my handmade bike and I got two floats on the left and right, a propeller and rudder in the front, two fishing nets, and I thought, ‘Let’s cycle on the river and collect plastic and raise more awareness!'”
Boruah, who quit his job as a consultant to focus on his project, has reportedly been biking 20 miles per day, cleaning various British waterways, for roughly the past year.
He knows that it’s not a practical solution to the problem, but he hopes that it will make people more aware. He told CNN:
“Cleaning up is not what I’m trying to do here. It’s more like raising awareness, you know. Because it’s no different, people like to know what I am up to, and I can tell them what’s going on.”
Hear his inspiring story below!
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