References

Johnathan Lin
Pd. 4B
Week of 12/22/16
Adriles, Yuan. "Plastic Pollution in Indonesia." PRIVATE magazine, 7 Sept. 2016,
www.privatephotoreview.com/2016/09/plastic-pollution-in-indonesia/. Accessed 22 Dec.
2016.
Summary:
This website says that Indonesia is the second largest contributor to plastic pollution in
the entire world. Producing more than 3.2 millions tons of plastic waste and having 1.29 million
tons of that waste ending up in oceans, the wildlife and the environment have been suffering for
a while. The number is only increasing, and the cries from scientists for the marine life are still
being ignored. Every day, thousands of marine animals are dying from the plastic that we
carelessly put into the oceans. The reason behind all of the plastic pollution being produced by
Indonesia lies within the population. Indonesia is so dense with people and the use of plastics is
so high in the country. Also, it has coasts surrounding many areas of the country. Statistically,
coastal countries are more likely to produce more ocean pollution because there is a shorter path
for the pollution to travel, more bodies of water for the litter to get caught in, and often more
winds which can carry away the ocean pollution. Efforts from the Indonesian government have
been close to futile, and there it seems that foreign intervention may be needed for the sake of the
marine ecosystems surrounding Indonesia.
Application to Research:
This article was very pleasing to look at because of the several beautifully shot pictures.
But, even though the pictures are pleasing, they will probably not benefit my research very
much. Also, most of the information in the article was knowledge that i already knew.
Johnathan Lin
Pd. 4B
Week of 11/30/16
Cho, Renee. "What Happens to All That Plastic?" State of the Planet, Columbia University, 31
Jan.2012, blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2012/01/31/what-happens-to-all-that-plastic/. Accessed
30 Nov. 2016.
Summary:
Nowadays, our lives revolve around plastic. The website claims that America uses around 33.6
million tons of plastic every year, but only 6.5% of that plastic ends up in recycling facilities.
Most end up in landfills, which only grow larger as the plastic slowly decays. Most plastics takes
more than a thousand years to decompose, which is not fast enough to stop the landfills from
increasing so much. Not only does this take up space, but the decomposition also leaks harmful
chemicals and pollutants into the environment surrounding it. The problem is that plastics are
hard to sort and there are varying types of plastic that must be recycled in special and specific
ways. It is also labor intensive and can also require many additional processes, including ink
removal and cleaning. But, the article does propose a solution to all of this: using plastics as a
fuel. Plastics can be converted into a fuel which can be used in several machines if they are built

to do so or have modifications that allow them to do so. These fuels could potentially be a big
part of the future, especially with the abundance of plastics that are stored in landfills today.
Application of Research:
This article really cleared up some misconceptions that I had about plastic recycling. The
other previous article that I read made plastic recycling seem so easy, but this article shows why
plastics have not been recycled and implemented as a fuel so easily. You have to remove inks,
remove impurities, and do many other processes in order to recycle plastic. This article will
definitely be valuable in providing detailed information about plastic recycling.
Johnathan Lin
Pd.4B
Week of 11/10/16
Eisenstark, Roma. "Chinas Rural Dumping Grounds." Slate, The Slate Group, 29 May 2015,
www.slate.com/articles/life/caixin/2015/05/china_s_waste_management_garbage_dispos
al_in_the_country_s_rural_areas_is.html. Accessed 11 Nov. 2016.
Summary:
This website contains a documentary of an experience the author had in his trip to China.
He had gone there to teach English in a small village. He lived in the village and the city each for
half of his week to compare the contrasting lifestyles. He noticed that there was heaps of trash
alongside the road to the village. Talking to the village locals, he discovered that waste collection
in the village was terrible, and the villagers would often have to take it out themselves. Many
people simply did not care while others were frustrated about the situation. The author continues
to describe about his experience talking with the locals, most of them being frustrated about the
trash problem. Determined to find more trash piles, the author went in search of them, only to
sadly discover that the whole river that he had been looking at was the dump; its glittering
beauty was choked by the crude trash carelessly left by people of all backgrounds. It was clearly
evident to the author that the waste management system in Beijing was overburdened and
inefficient at successfully getting rid of trash.
Application to Research:
I like how this article gives me a more personalized, first-person view of the article.
Rather than just clearly stating facts, the article allows you to imagine the authors story and feel
the emotions of both him and the villagers that he talked to. I also liked how he accentuated
meaningful quotes that outline the main concerns of the article. Even though this article did not
state many facts, it is always unique and cool to read a first-person experience of a situation.
Johnathan Lin
Pd. 4B
Week of 9/28/16
"Great Pacific Garbage Patch" National Geographic Society,
nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/great-pacific-garbage-patch/. Accessed 28 Sept.
2016.
Summary:

This website contains information about garbage patches. Natural ocean currents have
caused the trash that is deposited into the ocean to form into trash islands. One infamous garbage
patch is named the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. It is located between Hawaii and California, and
it currently the largest garbage patch in the ocean. The reason why the garbage is located here is
because of a North Pacific Subtropical Gyre. This gyre, also known as a vortex, is caused by the
collision of ocean currents and winds, which form a vortex that sucks up all of the debris in the
area. The gyre has always been there, but the trash wasnt. NOAA, an ocean organization,
predicts that the garbage patch has existed since 1988 when a sailboat racer discovered it as he
was racing. Oddly, the garbage patch was never officially discovered until 1997 due to harsh
navigation and ocean conditions. The Atlantic also has a garbage patch in the Sargasso Sea,
which is located in the north of the Atlantic Ocean. This garbage patch is formed by the Gulf
Stream Current, the North Atlantic Current, the Canary Current, and the North Atlantic
Equatorial current. There are also 5 other major tropical oceanic gyres and garbage patches
around the world. All of these garbage patches consist mostly of plastic. It is estimated that 90%
of the trash in these patches are plastic. 80% of it comes from land sources while 20% comes
from ships at sea. These plastic products include water bottles, cups, bottle caps, plastic bags,
fish netting, and raw plastic pellets (which are from industries). The bad part is that plastic is not
easy to break down in water, which make them last for several generations to come. This has a
long-term and short-term impact on the wildlife. Many sea animals get caught and choked on the
garbage floating around, especially on nets. Other animals, such as seabirds and jellyfish,
mistaken colored plastic pellets as fish eggs. Unaware, they eat these pellets and end up dying.
Other animals consume their dead bodies, but they also spread the toxins that have accumulated
in the organism, causing a chain effect. Lastly and maybe one of the most harmful, the floating
trash can spread species to non-native areas. Organisms, such as barnacles, can cling on to trash
and float to a new area and become invasive to the native species. All of these consequences will
continue to occur as a result of our carelessness, and nothing will change if we dont find ways to
stop littering. This article was very useful because it gave me tons of accurate information about
garbage patches.
Application to Research:
I like how this article was short and effective. It went straight up to the point and
contained great information about my topic. This article helped me to clear up many
misconceptions that I had about garbage patches in the ocean. I will definitely remember this
information to aid me in my future researches. The only question I have though is why more is
not being done? Many new technologies are being made to control the pollution but the amount
of garbage is still increasing.
Johnathan Lin
Pd.4B
Week of 10/6/16
"History." Pollution Issues, Advameg, www.pollutionissues.com/Fo-Hi/History.html. Accessed 6
Oct. 2016.
Summary:
The website explains importance of clean water was not emphasized until the mid 1950s.
There have been many kinds of water pollution before then. Because most human civilizations
settled near water resources, most of the human waste and other waste products from

civilizations were dumped into rivers and water sources. This led to the spread of disease and
other sicknesses. Over time, civilizations developed ways to collect freshwater (ex. The
aqueducts made by the Romans), but the pollution worsened as well. Not only did people dump
human and animal waste into the rivers, but they also began to dump industrial waste as well.
Because there was little to ne regulation, millions of tons of toxic and chemical waste were
dumped into rivers, lakes, and oceans. This was especially prevalent during the Industrial Age
and WWII. Pesticides and other chemicals from farming were also accidentally put into
freshwater bodies through runoff. Not only did these chemicals harm wildlife, but they harmed
humans as well. DDT was infamous for harming both insects, wildlife, and people. Luckily,
people began to become more aware of how bad the situation was becoming which led to laws
and regulations being enacted. In 1962, Rachel Carson wrote the book, Silent Spring, which
eventually led to the eradication for DDT and many other harmful pesticides. Many claim that
she also sparked the creation of many other environmental regulations. Still to this day, in third
world countries, they continue to use DDT and other chemicals due to their effectiveness and
cheap cost. It will take for the whole world to get rid of these harmful chemicals and pesticides.
Application to Research:
This article helped to give me a brief background of my topic. Ocean pollution has
persisted for a while, but the form of it has changed over thousands of years. I liked this site
because it was brief and it went to the point. Not only did this site have history on water
pollution, but it also had information on air pollution, chemical pollution, and land pollution.
This article allowed me to gain some historical context about my topic, which will be much
needed if I am to learn more about my topic.
Johnathan Lin
Pd.4B
Week of 11/17/16
"How plastic is made." PlasticsEurope, www.plasticseurope.org/what-is-plastic/
how-plastic-is-made.aspx. Accessed 17 Nov. 2016.
Summary:
The website explains that plastics are originally derived from organic products including
cellulose, coal, natural gas, salt and, of course, crude oil. The production begins in an oil refinery
where heavy oil is distilled. The oil is distilled into fractions, which contain certain mixtures of
hydrocarbon chains. Naphtha is one of these fractions and is a crucial element for the production
of plastics. Polymersion and polycondensation are the two main processes which require
catalysts. These catalysts help to form polymer chains composed of monomers like ethylene and
propylene. Depending of these processes in the polymerization reactor, certain types of plastics
can be made. There are two main types of plastics: thermoplastics and thermosets.
Thermoplastics soften once heated and can be hardened once cooled again. Thermosets can
never soften once they have been molded. Nonetheless the type of plastic, they are not naturally
occurring substances and can be detrimental in large amounts.
Application to Research:
This reading is very essential to my topic because it gives me an idea of how plastics are
made. This is vital to my research because it helps me to exactly understand why plastics are so
detrimental to the environment.. Also, by knowing this information, I now know why and how so

many plastics can vary in structure, rigidity, and appearance. This article was brief and effective
enough to give me a basic understanding of plastics, a main part of my topic.
Johnathan Lin
Pd. 4B
Week of 12/22/16
"Indonesia's Plastic Pollution Issue." 1 Million Women, 5 Aug. 2016,
www.1millionwomen.com.au/blog/ indonesias-plastic-pollution-issue/. Accessed 22 Dec.
2016.
Summary:
The 5 countries listed in this website produce more than 60% of the ocean plastic
pollution worldwide. With rapid economic growth and improved living standards, the use of
plastics have risen tremendously, and waste management facilities simply cant keep up. One big
problem in this country is that the recycling and trash bins are not separated; everything is
dumped into one bin which is dumped into massive landfills on junk. The amount of methane
that is produced from these landfills is very high, and although some is harvested for energy, it is
a minute amount compared to the amount that is being produced. Workers work inefficiently at
sort out waste by scavenging for recyclable materials, which is both unsafe and harmful for the
health of these workers. Children of these workers also get stuck into this life and end up doing
this terrible job for the rest of their lives. Poor sanitation, disease, lack of access to shower,
toilets, and clean water are all common problems in these waste-ridden lands. Indonesian
government officials have tried to impose taxes on plastic goods, but it was ineffective. They are
now trying to change the people through education rather than through money, and time will tell
of its success. Still, these landfill people remain with a positive attitude of life, and others are
inventing new methods to take advantage of the waste, such as harvesting the methane which can
be converted to energy.
Application to Research:
This article was very helpful in my research about Indonesias plastic pollution problem. I
liked how dense it was with information and gave informative details about the problem,
including the efforts attempted to reduce the impact of the problem, the reasons why it is a
problem, and the severity of it. I want more articles like these, as they really do help me with my
research. Having some graphics was just icing on the cake.
Johnathan Lin
Pd. 4B
Week of 12/8/16
Jing, Li. "China produces about a third of plastic waste polluting the worlds oceans, says
report." South China Morning Post, 13 Feb. 2015, www.scmp.com/article/1711744/
china-produces-about-third-plastic-waste-polluting-worlds-oceans-says-report.
Accessed 8 Dec. 2016.
Summary:
Many rural areas in China are facing the large pollution problem of China. This website
shows the effect that the pollution has on the poverty of China. Everyday, workers in rural areas
go around collecting certain types of plastic pollution or other materials that they can make a
profit from. The supply never ends, because Chinas plastic pollution contribution to the oceans

is an outstanding amount; China contributes to 30% of the worlds plastic pollution in the oceans.
Obviously, all this plastic brings health hazards to the environment and the inhabitants depending
on it. Even though many workers collect various types of materials and plastics, most of the so
called non-useful plastics are dumped into rivers or left on the ground, which eventually ends
up in the ocean. China isnt the only problem as well. Thailand, Vietnam, Bangladesh, and many
other developing countries in Southeast Asia are the main sources of the problem. The problem is
only growing, and with every day that we dont act, we cause more irreversible damage that we
will regret later on.
Application to Research:
This article was very informative in giving me information about Chinas pollution
problem. I liked how this article included many statistics and statistical facts that allowed me to
estimate how bad the pollution problem is in China. I think it would be very beneficial to
investigate the pollution problem in the countries that I listed in my research question.
Johnathan Lin
Pd. 4B
Week of 9/28/16
Kratochwill, Lindsey. Too good to be true? The Ocean Cleanup Project faces feasibility
questions. the guardian, Guardian News and Media Limited, 26 Mar. 2016,
www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/mar/26/ocean-cleanup-project-environmentpollution-boyan-slat. Accessed 28 Sept. 2016.
Summary:
This website contains information about The Ocean Cleanups projects and the
experiences and challenges that the members face. Twenty-one year old Boyan Slat, a member of
the foundation, plans to deploy a 2.2 million dollar project that will deploy 100 km barriers that
aim to clean 42% of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in 10 years. These barriers are currently the
best technology that people have to clean up these garbage patches. Currently, there are four
designs that the organization has to decide on in order to proceed. Each design ensures that
animals and wildlife are not harmed in the collection process, which ultimate is the main goal of
the whole project. This is not the only project of the organization though. Some of the dozens of
members plan to launch little projects of their own. They also plan to clean up some garbage that
is floating off the coast of Japan. The only limiting factors of this project are that they need to
have a lot of funds. From maintenance and repairs to food at sea, its all expensive. The
foundation needs to form their plans and make sure that they carry out their plans effectively in
the future. What also comes in the years to come is more trash. One big problem is that the
garbage patches continually collect more and more trash. It is estimated that even if we
completely clean the garbage patch, it would return in about 50 years. The source of the problem,
which is the population, needs to also do something in order to stop this ocean pollution. The
ocean pollution will never be rid of if we continue to litter. New regulations and enforcement
need to be made in order to stop pollution.
Application to Research:
This article contains lots of information about possible implementations of ocean-cleanup
projects that may be actually done in the future. This article could help me to view possibilities
of how to clean-up the ocean and the technology that is possibly required. This also gave me a

more clear understanding of how hard it may actually be to clean up the ocean. You have to
consider funds, time, energy, manpower, technology, ocean regulations, and environmental
challenges. I foresee that this information could definitely help me by being a basis of ideas for
my solutions if I do formulate some.
Johnathan Lin
Pd. 4B
Week of 11/30/16
Kukreja, Rinkesh. "The Ultimate Guide to Plastic Recycling." Conserve Energy Future,
www.conserve-energy-future.com/RecyclingPlastic.php. Accessed 30 Nov. 2016.
Summary:
This website includes the processes/steps of recycling plastic, the ways and methods that
the plastic can be reused, and the advantages of recycling plastic. There are 6 steps to recycling
plastic: collecting, sorting, shredding, cleaning, melting, and forming the plastic into pellets.
From there, the plastics can be made into several types of plastics for several kinds of products.
The most common types of plastics are polyethylene terephthalate, high density polyethylene,
low density polyethylene, and polyvinyl chloride. These various kinds of plastics are used to
form the basic products that we use everyday, such as juice and water bottles, bags, and food
containers. Recycling is no new topic, and everyone knows of the several benefits that recycling
can bring. By recycling plastics and other goods, you conserve materials, reduce landfills, reduce
environmental problems, and save energy (the energy to produce new raw materials are much
greater than recycling). Recycling is one way that we help the environment, but we also need to
embrace as many environmental actions as possible in order to save our mother Earth.
Application to Research:
This article was helpful in giving me brief detail about the recycling process for plastic I
was looking for an article that deliberately described the process, but I will be able to do that in
other reading reports. I like how this article is short and sweet; I dont feel overwhelmed with a
lengthy article that will make me lose my interest with the article. Ive used this website before
to find information about my topic, and I wont hesitate to use it again in the future.
Johnathan Lin
Pd. 4B
Week of 9/23/16
Kukreja, Rinkesh. "What is Ocean Pollution?" Conserve Energy Future
www.conserve-energy-future.com/causes-and-effects-of-ocean-pollution.php. Accessed
23 Sept. 2016.
Summary:
This website article gives specific ways on how pollution can enter the ocean. This article
mentions about sewage, toxic chemicals from industries, land runoff, large scale oil spills, ocean
mining, and littering. It gives each cause of pollution and afterwards mentions the effect that
each one has on the environment. Sewage can directly enter the ocean through polluted rivers,
drainages, or sewage lines. This causes chemical nutrients to reduce oxygen levels, the decay of
plant life, and bad quality of sea water. These oxygen levels often kill off many animals because
there is not enough oxygen in the water to support all life forms. Toxic waste is often directly

discharged into oceans, raises the sea temperatures and contains harmful chemicals. The marine
animals that are unlucky enough get polluted with these chemicals, and some may even end up
on our dinner plates. Much of the littering is not only harmful to animals through ingesting, but
also it depletes oxygen levels in the water as well. When the plastics decay, they require oxygen,
and because there is just so much litter, oxygen cannot supply all marine animals, thus reducing
the marine animals chance of survival. Large scale oil spills have a devastating effect on the
ocean ecosystem. The oil is extremely toxic to marine life, and it can often suffocate the marine
animals once they come in contact with it. These spills can also block off sunlight to the marine
plants below, such as coral that rely on sunlight to survive. And if the animals dont die from the
poison, then they will get poisoned, which can affect the food chain once a single animal eats it
or even stop reproductive abilities for animals because chemicals can accumulate in the
reproductive systems of the animals, causing failure. Land runoff can also be a huge issue.
Fertilizers and animal manure can create dead zones in oceans. This is due to the fact that
fertilizers rapidly increase the growth on plants on the ocean surface, such as algae. When there
is too much algae, oxygen in the water is depleted and sunlight cannot reach the ocean floor,
which causes animals to be forced to move out of the zone. Manure only worsens the problem by
putting tons of extra chemicals to imbalance the system. Lastly, ocean mining is another big
source ocean pollution, mainly because it causes tons of minerals such as copper and zinc to leak
out and create sulfide deposits. We dont know much about the effects of deep sea mining yet,
but we do know it definitely increases the toxicity in the mining regions, and hinders the
ecosystem.
Application to Research:
This article was extremely useful in establishing cause and effect relationships for
specific ocean pollution problems. It gave 6 problems about ocean pollution, and afterwards it
gave 6 effects of the types of ocean pollution. This gave me straightforward details on how the
ocean can be affected by these types of pollution. The article was effective in giving me
straightforward answers, but it wasnt helpful in giving statistics. I didnt recall seeing any
numbers on the article, which is a disappointment but is still acceptable. By reading this article, I
was able to learn specific and straightforward causes and relationships between ocean pollution
and marine life.
Johnathan Lin
Pd. 4B
Week of 1/12/17
Layne, Steven. "Phukets plastic pollution problem." The Phuket News, Class Act Media,
19 Apr. 2015, www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-plastic-pollution-problem-51839.php.
Accessed 12 Jan. 2017.
Summary:
This website gives statistics on why many seemingly small, innocent countries/provinces
like Phuket are a part of the plastic pollution problem. Even though Thailand doesnt even make
up 1% of the worldwide population, but every person is estimated to contribute 15.7kg of plastic
pollution in the oceans every year, and 1.2 kilograms each day for people living on coastal areas.
People arent really aware of the issue, and they rely on a non-environmentally friendly solution
to the problem: burning it. Not only does this release horrible toxic fumes, carcinogens, and
greenhouse gases, more importantly it doesnt solve the problem. Burning the trash only ensures

that more trash will come to be burned later on in the future. Some also try to bury the trash, but
this does no good either because the waste takes thousands of years to break down. Another
reason why the problem is not being resolved is because the waste is being mismanaged; to be
exact, it is estimated that 75% of waste is being mismanaged. Thailand really needs to take
responsibility in their problem and address the issue. The ocean is being ruined at such a rapid
rate, and we will all be doomed if everyone doesnt take their part in caring for the ocean.
Application to Research:
This article included several statistics that were both interesting and helpful. I also like
how it got down to the points and statistics rather than adding unnecessary words. The hook was
also pretty interesting to read.
Johnathan Lin
Pd. 4B
Week of 11/10/16
Li, Judy. "Ways Forward from Chinas Urban Waste Problem." The Nature of Cities, 1 Feb. 2015,
www.thenatureofcities.com/2015/02/01/ways-forward-from-chinas-urban-wasteproblem/. Accessed 11 Nov. 2016.
Summary:
This website describes of Chinas growing problem with rapid development and growth
over the last 30 years. Three-hundred million tons of waste is being produced by this urbanizing
country each year, and the number only increases as more people settle migrate to urban area and
abandon their rural lifestyles. Waste-management facilities are simply not large or organized
enough to combat all the waste pollution. As a result, landfills are being amassed all over the
outskirts of many developing cities. Not only does these landfills make the city not look
aesthetically pleasing, but they also emit toxic fumes. Sadly, most of the rural settlers are forced
to live near these landfills due to their economic statuses, so they receive the worst health
hazards. Everyone in the city also breathe in these toxic fumes because wind currents drag the
pollution and the fumes into the city. Chinas government has tried to tackle the problem with
waste incineration, but it has led to air quality problems. Some of the solutions that the author
suggests include feeding food waste to livestock, using anaerobic digesters to provide natural
fertilizer, improving government cooperation, and urging the public and local businesses to use
recyclable materials and conserve as much as they can.
Application to Research:
This article was useful in giving me a good background of Chinas waste management
problem. As expected, the problem is not an easy task to tackle, but there are solutions if the
people and the government can effectively cooperate and give their efforts towards the cause. I
liked how we were first introduced with background, then the problem, and finally solutions for
it. It makes the article seem well-organized, and I hope that many of my future research articles
will be in this same format.
Johnathan Lin
Pd.4B
Week of 10/12/16

Lonne, Torben. "How Ocean Pollution Affects Humans [Infographic]." DIVE.in,

www.divein.com/articles/ocean-pollution/. Accessed 12 Oct. 2016.
Summary:
This website article solely consists of infographics, sharing information about many
ocean pollution statistics. These statistics share information about the pollution that goes into the
oceans, where they come from, the effects it has on animals, how it ends up harming us, and the
effects that it ultimately has on humans. The infographics are categorized into two different
subjects: the causes of the ocean pollution and the effects that it has on us. Obviously, the causes
of ocean pollution stem from the toxic waste that companies throw into the ocean as well as the
litter than gathers in the ocean from runoff and rivers. Because this article was an infographic, it
managed to incorporate astonishing statistics into the article and the pictures. Many of these
statistics are not even known of or could be even estimated by the average person. For example,
70% of the oxygen that we breathe comes from marine plants. I did not and I doubt that many of
my other friends know something like this. Also it takes 400 years for plastic in the ocean to
decompose and break down entirely. The effects of all this pollution are unsurprisingly very
serious. They include abnormal hormone levels and growth rates, kidney damage, reproductive
problems, and nervous system damage. Depending on the ocean pollutant, it can also lead to
diseases later on, including Alzheimers, Parkinsons, or heart disease. Anyways, the article is
very short and sweet and somewhat fun to read. The graphics along with short yet detailed and
descriptive captions help to explain the full story. I definitely prefer these infographics over a
website article because they are more interesting and engaging to look at.
Application to Research:
I am really fond of this site because it isnt the same as all of the other boring sites filled
with countless words on the page; this article, or infographic, contains many pictures which are
accompanied by short and sweet captions. This article helped to show me the sheer size of
pollution that humans have created and are still increasing. This article had many interesting
statistics, so I will probably be using this site if I wanted to include some cool statistics in my
presentation. Especially by using numbers like billions and such, I can be able to gain more
interest in my audience. I would say that this article is definitely one of the most useful ones that
I have read so far.
Johnathan Lin
Pd.4B
Week of 1/6/17
Manila, Coconuts. "Philippines is the 3rd worst contributor to plastic pollution in the
ocean."
Coconuts
Manila,
Coconuts
Media,
16
Feb.
2015,
manila.coconuts.co/2015/02/16/
philippines-3rd-worst-contributor-plastic-pollution-ocean. Accessed 6 Jan. 2017.
Summary:
According to this website, in 2010 between 4.8 and 12.7 million tons of plastic entered
oceans. Philippines, according to a study, contribute to 1 billion pounds of the plastic pollution
dumped in 2010. The graph on this website compares the Philippines to many other countries
with high rates of plastic pollution, and surprisingly they can barely compare to the plastic
pollution that China produces; China produces about 5 times more plastic pollution than the

Philippines. There are doubts toward this study, but it is generally confirmed that they are ranked
among the top 5 worst plastic polluters in the entire world. Also, being almost entirely
surrounded by water, this country along with many other coastal countries are much more likely
to contribute to the ocean pollution problem because the plastic only has to travel short distances
to reach the ocean. Its truly astonishing how much plastic these Southeastern developing
countries can produce within such a short period of time.
Application to Research:
As with any article, I appreciate having graphics to accompany articles that I read and
those that can give overviews of a situation or problem. The graph put the plastic pollution of
each country to scale, and although Philippines is ranked among the top 5 polluters of plastic in
oceans, I think that China is probably the most urgent problem that we need to fix. They arent to
be criticized though because they are just going through the same stages that the USA went
through before; they are developing and having a massive population boom.
Johnathan Lin
Pd.4B
Week of 10/6/16
"Nonpoint Source Pollution." NOAA Ocean Service Education, National Ocean Service, 25 Mar.
2008, oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/kits/pollution/02history.html. Accessed 6 Oct.
2016.
Summary:
The website shows that water pollution has been around for a while. In the Middle Ages,
many suffered from cholera or typhoid as a result of the human and animal waste deposited in
water sources and land sources. The infamous Black Plague was also caused by these same
reasons: water pollution and land pollution from animal and human waste. In the 1800s, there
was finally acknowledgement of the effects of water pollution which led to the first sewage
system in Chicago in the mid 1850s. Many cities soon followed. By the 1900s, sanitary
conditions in populated cities were improving, but there was new pollution coming from
industrial factories and companies. The pollution from these companies only increased as time
went on because there was little to no regulation to how much or what can be dumped into the
natural resources. Chemicals including sulfuric acid, wood pulp, and animal byproducts were
dumped into many of these resources. Pollution increased more in the 20th century. Finally, in
1972 after a major fire erupted, the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, also known as the Clean
Water Act, was made. This was probably the first influential environmental regulation for bodies
of water. This law caused many others to be made as well, including the Clean Air Act. Although
there still has been many other environmental incidents, including oil spills, forest fires, and
pollution, it is still much better than how it was before. Pollution has decreased so far, and with
more time and resources, it seems like we only have a more positive road ahead. Maybe in time
there will be an ideal world where the environment, humans, and animals can coexist.
Application to Research:
This article was very similar to the previous article that I researched, It gave a recap of
what pollution used to be like and how it is now, and it also informed me of many of the
impactful regulations and when they were made. Although this article was similar to the other
one, I did not find this one as useful. The layout of the other article was simply better, and also it

contained much more information on the page than this site. It included information about air,
chemical,and land pollution as well. Nonetheless, this article can and will help me in my
understanding of my topic.
Johnathan Lin
Pd. 4B
Week of 12/8/16
Nordrum, Amy. "China, India, US Among Worlds Worst Marine Polluters: Country-By-Country
Breakdown Of Plastics In Oceans." International Business Times, IBT Media, 12 Feb.
2015,
www.ibtimes.com/china-india-us-among-worlds-worst-marine-polluters-country-country
-breakdown-plastics-1813476. Accessed 8 Dec. 2016.
Summary:
The website says pollution in oceans is no new subject, and we arent innocent from the
problem. China contributes the most pollution into oceans; 30% to be exact. Although
developing countries in the Southeast Asia take most of the blame for the problem, the US ranks
20th in the world as the highest contributor to pollution in the oceans. In the future, it is projected
that China, Indonesia, and the Philippines will still remain as the top 3 contributors to ocean
pollution. Most of the pollution that these countries cause is due to waste management system
disorganization and mistakes. Often at times, waste management facilities fail to contain all the
garbage that comes to their facilities to be recycled. Landfills are also terrible places for garbage
because they destroy the land and allow for the trash to be easily carried away to foreign lands
and eventually the ocean. As plastic and other modern material use increase, the problem only
get worse.
Application to Research:
This article gave me more info about the problems with pollution in these countries. I
really liked how they included the infographic in the middle of the article. It showed me the top
contributors of ocean pollution as well as how much pollution they produce compared to other
countries. Including the future projection of the pollution statistics was also a nice add-on.
Johnathan Lin
Pd.4B
Week of 9/15/16
"Ocean Pollution." National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of
Commerce, Aug. 2011, www.noaa.gov/resource-collections/ocean-pollution. Accessed 15
Sept. 2016.
Summary:
This website claims approximately 1.4 billion tons of ocean pollution are added to the
oceans each year. The pollution can vary in many forms, including plastics, nets, trash, factory
waste, and fertilizer runoff. All of these kinds of pollution negatively affect the environment, and
most of the sources of the pollution come from the land and the humans that inhabit them.
Pollution can be categorized into two types: nonpoint pollution and point source pollution.
Nonpoint pollution is pollution that comes from several small sources and often leaks into the
ocean through runoff. This type of pollution includes cars, septic tanks, and farms. Point source

pollution is pollution that comes from a specific source. This includes factory waste and faulty
water treatment systems. So far, the pollution that humans have caused has raised 3 main
problems with ocean pollution: frequent and overpowering algae blooms, marine debris, and
contaminated seafood. The overpowering algae blooms are caused by excess fertilizer that is
carried by runoff into lakes, rivers, and oceans. Fertilizer is good for plant growth, but when too
much is present in bodies of water, algae begin to excessively grow and consume all of the
oxygen in the water. The low levels of oxygen kill marine life, reduce it, or make the organisms
move to a different area. Marine debris is a fancy way of saying ocean litter and trash. The trash
that humans have scattered across the world has negative impacts on marine life. Many marine
animals are killed or injured because of the trash, or they are forced to live in contaminated
water, which indirectly affects humans too. Contaminated seafood is a result of the ocean
pollution. Ocean water gets polluted from trash, industrial waste, and farmland waste (from
fertilizer, manure, and chemicals/pesticides). This causes the fish living in the water to also get
contaminated. In the end, the seafood goes into our stomachs, so we are also affected by this
contamination. In the end, we are the source of the problem and the ones who will be affected by
them. Everyone needs to lend a helping hand to stop ocean pollution and/or environmental harm
overall.
Application to Research:
This article was helpful and useful in giving me a brief overview of ocean pollution,
which is essential to my topic. By reading this article, I will be able to understand more
information about ocean pollution from other sources because I will already have a brief
understanding to guide me and aid me in my research. The article was effective in giving me a
general overview of the topic, allowing me to understand everything in a brief article in a brief
amount of time. What the topic is not effective in is going into detail. Due to the fact that this is a
general overview, this does not fully and deeply go into these problems and explain all of the 5
Ws (who, what, where, when, why and how). This means that I am required to research more
about this topic through other sources in order to gain a better understanding of ocean pollution.
Johnathan Lin
Pd. 4B
Week 12/14/16
Pearse, Warwick. "A Look at Vietnams Plastic Craft Villages." Our World, United Nations
University, 6 Aug. 2010, ourworld.unu.edu/en/a-look-at-vietnams-plastic-craft-villages.
Accessed 14 Dec. 2016.
Summary:
Three-hundred million tons of plastic products or more are being produced every year,
according to this website. In todays world, plastic has become an ubiquitous material used in
almost everything that we use every day, including plastic bags, bottles, and many more plastic
products. Most of all of this plastic ends up in the oceans or lands that surface the Earth. But, in
Vietnam, there are approximately 2,800 craft villages that make crafts for tourist and even use
the waste surrounding them. In fact, there are many self-employed people who actively scour
areas for certain types of waste, including plastics, and can make a living off of collecting these
certain types of waste. This waste collection has transformed rural villagers from farmers to
weavers and crafters. Products can range from utensils to furniture and can be made of plastic,
metal, or even paper. Sometimes, the plastic is just melted and sold to Chinese factories which

will become products later on. Although these villages are producing toxic fumes from melting
and remolding plastic, they are still saving plastic from being wasted in landfills and oceans.
Application to Research:
I like how this article gave me a more positive side to the issue. Even though plastic
pollution is a huge problem, its good news to know that there are some people around the world
making use and a living off of the waste. We need more people like them in order to drastically
reduce all the plastic that we put into the oceans. I wish I could do something like this.
Johnathan Lin
Pd. 4B
Week of 10/26/16
"Pollution of the Ocean by Plastic and Trash." Water:Science and Issues, The Gale Group, 2003.
Summary:
Since the 1940s, the use of plastics has increased dramatically. This indestructible
substance has been wreaking havoc on wildlife. This encyclopedia explains the many causes,
effects, and solutions to the problem. The cause of this problem is simply using plastics and the
laziness that people have to not properly throw away their trash; even the litter that is hundreds
of miles inland eventually finds its way into the oceans. Animals can become entangled, choked,
or ingest the plastic pollution or ocean debris. None of these outcomes positively affect the
animals. In order to reduce the litter and debris entering oceans, we must publicly advocate
against littering the ocean and explain to people how bad their actions are harming the
environment. Maybe stricter laws could demotivate more people to litter. Also, waste
management must be diligently done in order to prevent accident spillage. Plastic pollution is a
persistent problem, and if we continue our ways then it will continue to be a persistent problem.
Application to Research:
This encyclopedia gave me a brief insight on specifically plastic pollution and other solid forms
of ocean debris such as nets and fishing line. This article was somewhat useful to me because all
of the other articles on ocean pollution were quite general and described about many forms of
marine pollution such as toxic waste, fertilizer runoff, habitat destruction due to invasive species,
etc. Encyclopedias seem to give very straight-forward information, which is very good for my
research and is what I like in my sources. Encyclopedias are probably better sources for my topic
rather than online articles, journals, blogs, etc.
Johnathan Lin
Pd. 4B
Week of 1/6/17
Ranada, Pia. "Why PH is worlds 3rd biggest dumper of plastics in the ocean." Rappler, 6
Oct.
2015,www.rappler.com/science-nature/environment/108276-philippines-plasticpollution-ocean-conservancy-study. Accessed 6 Jan. 2017.
Summary:
Oddly enough, this website explains why the Philippines is the 3rd largest contributor to
plastic pollution in oceans, despite the fact that it has some of the highest garbage collection rates
in Southeast Asia; eighty-five to ninety percent of all garbage in communities is collected. The

newfound economic power found in the Philippines as well as many other surrounding countries
is to blame. The consumption of plastics and modern materials has drastically increased. The
main reasons why collected garbage ends up as ocean pollution is because of open landfill sights
and illegal dumping. Much of the garbage put into landfills can be lifted by wind or transported
into the ocean via bodies of water. Illegal dumping is common in the Philippines because it is
both more cheap and easier to dump the trash into roadsides and waterways. Closing landfills can
be simplistic; all one needs is to construct a barrier around the landfills. But for changing
peoples attitudes towards not illegally dumping trash can prove to be difficult. Philippines
already has a great waste management system, but all they need to do is make small
improvements that can positively improve the plastic pollution in the country.
Application to Research:
Although I did not like the layout of the website, I was glad that the article gave me a
new perspective on plastic pollution. I always thought that plastic pollution came from
uncollected waste and/or illegal dumping, and I failed to account that plastic pollution can still
end up in oceans when they are in open landfills.
Johnathan Lin
Pd. 4B
Week of 10/12/16
Slavin, Chandler. "4 countries generate about half the plastic marine debris." Packaging Digest,
UBM Canon, 7 May 2015, www.packagingdigest.com/sustainable-packaging/4countries-generate-about-half-plastic-marine-debris. Accessed 12 Oct. 2016.
Summary:
This website article explains where most of the trash that is ending up in pollutions is
coming from. According to the article, developing countries in Southeast Asia are the ones to
blame. There are 4 major countries that have allocated the most litter in the oceans. These
countries follow a simple saying Out of sight, out of mind. Unfortunately, everyone is
dumping things into the oceans, and the marine life has to suffer through all the pollution
invading their homes. The funny part is that it also ultimately harms us too when we consume
seafood. Alongside describing the source of the issue, the author also incorporates some of his
personal experiences into the article. He describes of his studies that he has done and the
conferences and interviews that he has gone to. All of these conferences and interviews pertain to
his topic of study: ocean pollution. Back to the main topic, China, Indonesia, Vietnam and the
Philippines account for almost half of the plastic pollution being put into the oceans! These
developing countries give little regard to this pollution because they have many other economic
problems to worry about. This is the same for almost all developing countries. If Africa were to
become developed, the country would be polluting the oceans a lot, maybe even greater, than
these countries listed. This website was barely helpful to my research. Although not as engaging
as the other infographic, this article did show me some facts that I never knew; I didnt know that
those 4 countries would account for half of the worlds plastic pollution in the oceans. I just
hoped that the author would include less about his personal experiences and more about ocean
pollution. Its not that its bad, but Id rather find a website with information that is straight to the
point.
Application to Research:

This article did have one picture with a statistic; it was a bar graph of the reduction of
plastics that measured how much plastic that the countries were putting into the oceans. I am
glad that I found this article though, because I would never have known that those four countries
allocated so much plastic pollution. I can definitely include this information into to my topic and
further explain how these countries are only littering so much because they are developing and
are being overcrowded. Even though this article wasnt too big of a help, I can find some way to
incorporate some of the elements to my research or even my presentation.
Johnathan Lin
Pd.4B
Week of 10/17/16
"Study Shows 5 Countries Account For as Much as 60% of Plastic Ocean Pollution." The
Inertia, Inertia Media LLC, 15 Oct. 2015,
www.theinertia.com/environment/study-shows-5-countries-account-for-as-much-as-60of-plastic-ocean-pollution/. Accessed 17 Oct.2016.
Summary:
This short and sweet website briefly explains about a report that the Ocean Conservancy
called Stemming the Tide: Land-Based strategies for a plastic free ocean. This article studied
where ocean debris was coming from and ways that we could prevent it. According to this article
55 to 60 percent of plastic waste comes from Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines, and
China. The article explains that carelessness isnt the sole problem; Less poverty, which means
more material consumption, is one main factor of this increase in plastic pollution. Also,
economic and population growth has rapidly expanded in these areas, and waste management
systems cannot keep up with all of this chaotic expansion. At the budget of $5 billion dollars, the
Ocean Conservancy believes that these countries can establish effective waste management
facilities and close all leakage points off from the ocean. This could possibly reduce plastic
leakage by 45%, but at the same time these countries are developing and expanding extremely
fast, which will only worsen the problem. This is a big task to take on for these 5 countries.
Application to Research:
This article was more informative about the Ocean Conservancys report rather than the
actual problem, which is ok since there arent many other articles about this report and much
more about the problem as a whole. It really shocks me how these 5 countries can contribute to
more than half of the oceans plastic pollution where there are hundreds of countries on the
planet. To me, that just shows irresponsibility of waste management and consumer culture.
Anyways, the statistic again is making me more confused. One site said 50%, the other said 60%,
and now this one says 55 to 60 percent. Im not exactly sure which one is, but its safe to say for
now that more than half of the plastic pollution in oceans comes from these 5 countries.
Johnathan Lin
Pd. 4B
Week of 11/17/16
"The Difference Between Degradable, Biodegradable, and Compostable." Green Plastics,
17 Aug. 2012, green-plastics.net/posts/85/the-difference-between-degradablebiodegradable-and-compostable/. Accessed 17 Nov. 2016.

Summary:
This website contains information about three types of plastics: degradable,
biodegradable, and compostable plastics. Technically, all plastic is degradable because it can be
physically broken down, but when people refer to breaking down they mostly refer to the
chemical or natural processes that break them down. Plastics can break down differently
depending on the chemicals that are added to them to help them break down. Degradable plastics
will disappear to the human eye, but tiny particles of plastic, like fine sand, will still exist. Plastic
has never actually been fully degradable. Theres nothing truly special about the different ways
that plastic can break down because they all end up being small particles that never become
reabsorbed into nature. When a plastic is biodegradable, it means that it can be broken down by
the metabolism of microorganisms. These micro-organisms break down the polymers into carbon
atoms and use them in organic processes. Compostable plastic means a plastic can biodegrade
under a certain amount of time under certain conditions. This means that the decomposition of
the plastic could take thousands of years under very specific temperatures, so this label can be
misleading at times. In summary, any type of plastic is never beneficial to the environment.
Application to Research:
I always have heard about biodegradable and degradable plastics, and I was always
mislead that they were actually broken down fully. I thought that these plastics would eventually
return to the basic natural materials that they once were. I was wrong. This article was very
informative and helped me to clear misconceptions about plastic. I will definitely include this
information in my presentations to explain misconceptions to others that I fell for. If I fell for
these misconceptions, then many others are definitely falling for them as well.
Johnathan Lin
Pd. 4B
Week of 9/15/16
The Ocean Portal Team. "Ocean Acidification." Ocean Portal, Smithsonian Institution,
ocean.si.edu/ocean-acidification. Accessed 15 Sept. 2016.
Summary:
This lengthy article on this website explains the causes, problems, and possible solutions
to ocean acidification. Surprisingly, ocean acidification is just as bad if not worse than climate
change. The reason why we barely know about it is because all of the havoc is caused
underwater. This is caused by excessive CO2 in the atmosphere, which comes from the burning
of fossil fuels. The gases do not stay in the atmosphere however; around a fourth of the CO2 in
the atmosphere is absorbed and dissolved by the oceans. In the past 200 years, ocean water has
become 30% more acidic. This problem was not known until recently due to an assumption that
pH stabilizes in the ocean through buffering. This is a process of rivers carrying chemicals
from rocks to oceans to stabilize pH, but so much CO2 is being dissolved so fast that this
phenomenon is of no help. Many sea creatures are extremely sensitive to the pH changes in the
water, especially those who dwell in coral reefs. Also, many shelled creatures rely on specific
calcium carbonate levels in order to build shells, and with higher pH levels, some of these
creatures and their shells dissolve in the acidic water. Although many die, some still survive, but
that is no excuse to continue what people are doing. Small changes, like driving less or using less
electricity, can make a huge difference if we all put in effort together to combat the problem.

Application to Research
This article, although lengthy, was very informational. I never really thought about ocean
acidification very much because, as stated before, we dont really feel the effects of it. I am glad
that I am already helping towards the problem because I always try to conserve electricity and
fossil fuels whenever I can. I find it interesting that only ocean creatures are affected by this
issue, and maybe I will look forward to researching more about this topic later on.
Johnathan Lin
Pd.4B
Week of 9/22/16
"The Problem of Marine Plastic Pollution." Clean Water Action, www.cleanwater.org/problemmarine-plastic-pollution. Accessed 23 Sept. 2016.
Summary:
This website article focuses solely on plastic pollution. 80% of all marine debris comes
from the trash that is carried, by runoff, into the oceans and bodies of water. Among the trash,
food containers and packaging were the largest components in this trash; it accounted for 31.7%
of the trash. Plastic bags were right behind the number for food containers and packaging. The
problem is that these kinds of products are designed for one use only. This causes more to be
thrown away and more resources to be taken at such a fast rate. Countries have been polluting
much more since the widespread of plastics. In fact, it is estimated that in the Southern Ocean,
plastic debris is 100 times greater than it was in 1990. As a result, more and more marine animals
are being killed. 267 species have been impacted so far. Many of these animals often die from
eating, suffocating, getting infected, drowning, or getting entangled in the ocean debris.
Surprisingly, plastic debris can be a harbor for invasive species because the species can
sometimes cling onto the plastic pollution and drift away with it. A bigger issue is that plastic
affects the food chain. On a voyage, researchers searched for fish that had ingested plastic
fragments and debris, and out of 672 fish, 35% of them had ingested plastic pieces. This is
horrible because we end up eating those fish, and the marine animals have to suffer for long
periods of time before their deaths because plastic cannot be digested.
Even with the efforts of organizations such as the American Chemical Council (ACC) who spend
millions on public education of the matter, nothing has really improved, and plastic consumption
continuously rises. Prevention is the best way to solve this problem; dont litter and clean it up
when you can. It is much easier to prevent rather than to get machines and inventions on the
water to clean up the pollution.
Application to Research:
This article gives me a more complete understanding of one specific kind of pollution: marine
debris. By reading this article, I was able to learn about all of the bad effects of plastic pollution
and how disposable plastics are to blame. This article is effective in describing the effects of
mainly plastic pollution on marine animals and ecosystems. I also like how this article gave a lot
of numbers and statistics to back their facts. What this article is ineffective at is telling me more
about other types of marine debris. This article only focuses on plastic, although there are many
other forms of marine debris as well, such as nets and soda cans. In the end though, this article
was helpful in giving me a good understanding of one of the kinds of ocean pollution: marine
debris.

Johnathan Lin
Pd. 4B
Week of 10/26/16
"This is how garbage islands have formed in the last 35 years." Youtube, uploaded by Sploid,
Google, 21 Aug. 2015, /www.youtube.comwatch?v=mMG1SdeYLFE. Accessed 26 Oct.
2016.
Summary:
In this educational video, NASA wanted to visualize the ocean currents and the garbage
patches. In order to conduct the experiment, NASA partnered up with NOAA that provided
buoys that they would also constantly release into the ocean over several areas over the course of
35 years. Each buoy had a tracker to track its movement. Eventually, they noticed that these
buoys would mainly go to 5 specific areas to congregate, which happen to be where the ocean
gyres are and where the garbage patches are. To verify their results, the NASA research team
used a special program known as Echo 2 that simulates real ocean currents. When particles
were released evenly around the world, they still migrated to the 5 garbage patches around the
world, verifying the results of the actual experiment as well as the simulation results.
Application to Research:
This was a very interesting video that showed all 5 locations of the gyres and garbage
patches and the currents that lead them to those garbage patches. I found it useful in explaining,
both visually and verbally, how these garbage patches are formed. This video was also effective
in displaying non-bias and accurate results. In the video, there was no hint of bias from the
speaker and there was no data bias as well. He even doubled check the data that was collected in
order to verify if it was right. This video could definitely be used as an introductory video in my
presentation to explain and show how these garbage patches are formed.
Johnathan Lin
Pd. 4B
Week of 1/12/17
"Unfortunately, Thailand is one of the Worst Countries for polluting the Ocean With
Plastic!" Love Pattaya Thailand, lovepattayathailand.com/ unfortunately-thailand-is-oneof-the-worst-countries-for-polluting-the-ocean-with-plastic/. Accessed 12 Jan. 2017.
Summary:
This website explains that 4.8 million of the 8 million tons of plastic pollution in oceans
comes from Thailand as well as the other Southeastern countries that my hypothesis includes.
The reason why these countries pollute so much is because they are emerging; they are emerging
from poverty and are boosting the economy. But with a modern life comes more plastic bags,
cups, containers, etc. It is claimed by that 2025 the plastic consumption rate in these emerging
countries will increase by 80%, which is when there will be 1 ton of trash for every 3 tons of
fish. The tons of plastic pollution only rise each day, and if countries admit and begin to resolve
the problem, plastic pollution in these countries can be reduced by 45%. The study that this site
includes suggests that these 5 countries should address the plastic waste, improve garbage
collection services, eliminate garbage leakage in facilities, establish more recycling facilities, and
finally start a program that converts plastic waste to fuel.

Application to Research:
This article was very straightforward in showing the statistics and why Thailand is a part
of the huge plastic pollution problem. I also like how they suggested solution near the end of the
article, which is both helpful for me and helpful to inform what people need to do.
Johnathan Lin
Pd. 4B
Week of 12/14/16
Vi, Thuy. "Plastic bag pollution continues unabated in Vietnam." Thanhnien News,
Thanhniennews.com, 18 Apr. 2015, www.thanhniennews.com/society/
plastic-bag-pollution-continues-unabated-in-vietnam-41110.html. Accessed 14 Dec.
2016.
Summary:
This website shows that Vietnam families use on average a kilogram of plastic bags a
month and 50 million metric tons of plastic bags are being used every day. The use have plastic
in Vietnam has doubled since 4 years ago. Many experts claim that nothing will change unless
the price changes, and they are right. If the bags arent cheaper than plastic bags, then there will
be little incentive to buy those environmentally-friendly plastic bags solely for their purpose.
Plastic bags and products have become so common in the daily life of a person in Vietnam. All of
the plastic that is being used is going into incinerators, oceans, or rural lands. The plastic that
goes into the oceans and lands takes thousands of years to biodegrade. The problem only
continues to get worse, and nothing will happen if Vietnamese people do not switch over to paper
bags or other alternatives to plastic.
Application to Research:
Although this article was what I was looking for, it wasnt as informative as I liked. I was
looking for a more statistical approach rather than a mere description of the problem occurring in
the country. Even though the article was just decent, it will still be somewhat valuable in my
research of the plastic pollution in each country that is listed in my research question. I plan to
research every country and look into the infrastructure responsible for why the plastic pollution
is not being contained as it should be.
Johnathan Lin
Pd. 4B
Week of 10/17/16
Winn, Patrick. "5 countries dump more plastic into the oceans than the rest of the world
combined." PRI, Public Radio International, 13 Jan. 2016,
www.pri.org/stories/2016-01-13/5-countries-dump-more-plastic-oceans-rest-worldcombined. Accessed 17 Oct. 2016.
Summary:
Soda bottles, plastic bags, cigarette butts, and tons of other form of plastic are
contaminating oceans both on the surface and on the bottom. According to the website, the
plastic that floats on the surface shockingly only accounts for 5% of the 95% of the plastic
pollution submerged underwater, choking marine animals and destroying habitats. 60% of all this
plastic comes from 5 main countries in Asia: Vietnam, the Philippines, China, Indonesia, and

Thailand. Only 40% of the garbage is collected properly, which explains why there is so much
plastics floating around. Alongside this carelessness, Western trends of using disposable plastics
for just about everything have been adopted by these Asian countries, With careless recycling
collection and the mass use of disposable plastics, Asian countries are just brewing a recipe for
disaster for the marine ecosystems.
Application to Research:
This article was helpful in confirming my information about the statistic that I had
discovered about in a previous reading report (The statistic about these 5 Asian countries
contributing to 50% of all plastic pollution in the oceans.). It also helped me to learn the
introductory information about the topic, the methods that they are using to combat the problem,
and the reasons why they still have so much plastics polluting the oceans. The only question that
I had as I read this article was about the statistic; The other article claimed that these 5 countries
contributed to 50% of the plastic pollution in oceans whereas this article claims that these
countries contribute to 60% of the plastics in the oceans. As of now, theres isnt enough
evidence to support either side, so my future reading reports will determine which one is right.