[Taltarzac725]

Great Pacific Garbage Patch now three times the size of France - CNN

I saw some report that a French swimmer who swam across the Atlantic 2 years ago is trying to swim across the Pacific going through this garbage patch to draw the public's attention to the problem.

He does take a break every so often from swimming on the boat that accompanies him.

French man to cross Great Pacific Garbage Patch on 6-month swim - CNN

[New Englander]

You can have my straw when you pry it from my cold, dead fingers.

[Ooper]

I'm 70 years old. Never ever saw sanitary wipes outside stores until the last decade. If I made it this far, I don't think I'm gonna worry much about making sure my push cart handles are sanitary in the future.

[BobnBev]

Originally Posted by New Englander

You can have my straw when you pry it from my cold, dead fingers.

Said the head of the NSA (national straw association).

I used to drink water thru a garden hose, how on earth did I live so long?

[CFrance]

Originally Posted by Carl in Tampa

I prefer to drink through a straw at public restaurants for sanitary reasons. Too many food preparers handle drinks by the rim of the glass.

It would be easy to use Dotti's approach--buy your own reusable or recyclable straw. Plastic straws are being banned in several countries. Hope the US will follow suit, but somehow I doubt it.

[karostay]

According to Serve Safe and state and local health codes all employees mush wash hands when exiting a rest room returning to work?

But everything else is sanitized

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by ColdNoMore

It's actually been determined, with scientific study...to be even bigger than that..

Great Pacific Garbage Patch now three times the size of France - CNN

Great Pacific Garbage Patch | OR&R's Marine Debris Program

Great Pacific Garbage Patch - National Geographic Society

[Marathon Man]

Originally Posted by sunglow

My husband and I are now asking servers at restaurants to please hold back the straws. After reading the facts about how many straws we use in the U.S. each year - 500 million DAILY - enough to circle earth 2.5 times! And they for the most part can't be recycled and end up in our landfills and our oceans. The Great Pacific garbage patch is twice the size of France and contains nearly 80,000 tons of plastic. I hope people will read this and will also ask their servers to hold back the straws.

I love this. I am going to follow your lead.

[Cisco Kid]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

Great Pacific Garbage Patch | OR&R's Marine Debris Program

Great Pacific Garbage Patch - National Geographic Society

Is it in warm water or cold ? Can I lay some sod and develop it ?

[CFrance]

Originally Posted by Cisco Kid

Is it in warm water or cold ? Can I lay some sod and develop it ?

You are so bad!!!

[CFrance]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

Does anyone remember paper straws? They were biodegradable. It seems one of our giant live oaks could make a lot of paper straws and there would be no need for social action. If I carried a glass straw in the bottom of my purse, I am pretty sure I would die of an unspeakable illness. I have no idea what's been down in there. Or is down in there at the moment.

I remember paper straws. I remember the ones we used were white and had a spiral red stripe going from top to bottom.

[ColdNoMore]

Originally Posted by CFrance

I remember paper straws. I remember the ones we used were white and had a spiral red stripe going from top to bottom.

And you could unroll them, when as a kid you became impatient...about getting your meal.

[CFrance]

Originally Posted by ColdNoMore

And you could unroll them, when as a kid you became impatient...about getting your meal.

Yes! Thanks for that memory.

[Schaumburger]

Originally Posted by CFrance

It would be easy to use Dotti's approach--buy your own reusable or recyclable straw. Plastic straws are being banned in several countries. Hope the US will follow suit, but somehow I doubt it.

Plastic straws have been banned in Malibu, Davis and San Luis Obispo, California, Seattle, Washington and Miami Beach and Fort Myers, Florida, so the movement is growing slowly in the U.S. (from the New York Times, 3/3/2018).

[pauld315]

Wonder if anybody actually read the articles. Over half the debris is from fisherman's nets and 20% of it is because of the tsunami in Japan. How do straws in the US get into the Pacific Ocean garbage patch again ? Are those greenies on the left coast dumping garbage in the ocean ?