Plastic bag waste is found at the deepest point of the sea

The Japanese Marine Land Science and Technology Agency (JAMSTEC) has just released results of a survey in which it found waste derived from plastic bags - such as those we take in the supermarket - at the deepest point we know across the sea: the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean, which is 10, 898 meters deep.

According to JAMSTEC, 3, 425 human debris particles have been found during more than 5, 000 dives made over the past 30 years. One third of this waste was made up of pieces of plastic larger than 5 mm, and 90% was the result of the deterioration of the famous market bags.

In the case of this bag in question, it was glimpsed in 1998 and has already deteriorated into several small chips, but 20 years later the debris is still there.

The fact that so many plastic remains are located at a fixed point on the well in the deepest deep sea to which we have access suggests to researchers that it happens at other points we have not yet reached, which is unfortunate.

The major problem with the presence of these residues is how they affect underwater life: 17% of the plastic pieces found in some way intertwined with vegetation and animals under the sea.

There are not many reports of pieces of sacks and bags obstructing breathing and / or preventing the healthy growth of animals such as whales, seagulls and turtles, as well as photos of regions - once paradise - now turned into real disposable garbage dumps where The pollution is scary.

The use of disposable plastic is a real poison to the environment and has finally become a point of concern for governments, but not yet with the necessary strength - after all, all of us Brazilians can still pick up bags in any supermarket we visit.

And we're not just talking about this kind of garbage: straws, those wrapping napkins and cutlery in restaurants, disposable cups and other plastic objects that we only use once are extremely polluting when they begin to decompose into microplastic.