The Mariana Trench is a vast, deep crack in the earth’s crust nearly 7 miles at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, making it the deepest spot in any of the planet’s oceans. It’s one of the last places you’d expect to find hints of human civilization, but plastic waste is one of a number of things Victor Vescovo found down there when he recently broke a deep-dive record, settling on the bottom at 35,850 feet.
Though the waste has not been specifically identified, according to this Washington Post feature, officials confirm it was some sort of plastic detritus.
According to the Ocean Conservancy, 8 million metric tons of plastics enter the earth’s oceans every year, and that number is climbing.
What can you do to help? Limit your single-use plastic consumption by not buying products that are packaged with plastic. Water and beverage bottles, plastic shopping bags and food containers are primary culprits.