A recent study paid for by the Ministry of Environment of Japan using the Japan Tsunami Gift Fund surveyed eight main Hawaiian Islands, showing that ocean debris is accumulating around the islands. The survey determined most of it is not linked to the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, state officials said today.
The Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources said trash can come from as far away as Asia, but most of the debris is created by the local population. With Oahu being the cleanest island and Niʻihau having the highest concentration of ocean debris.
The debris, mostly plastics but also wood, household goods, fishing gear and other items, accumulated in hot spots around the islands, mostly on the north and east shores where ocean currents deposit the trash.