ASA Quiz – Sailing Around the Plastic Pollution Issue

As we further promote the efforts of The Ocean Cleanup (and the Mega Expedition) aimed to rid the world’s oceans of toxic plastic, we thought it might be cool to create a quiz about the subject. As sailors, we believe the oceans need help and protection. Our hope is all sailors will do what they can, individually and collectively, to reduce plastic consumption and thereby alleviate what the oceans and the living beings that live there are being asked to bear. Remember – today it’s the fish, turtles and seabirds – tomorrow it’s us. Okay sermon over – take the quiz – it’s actually fun! Photo courtesy of Turning the Tide and Sons of Norway.

• How many years does it take for a plastic water bottle to degrade?
  1. No less than 50 yearsNope – that would be great in comparison.
  2. No less than 1,000 yearsNo, but some take as long as 1,000 years
  3. No less than 450 yearsSadly, this is true.
  4. Nearly 10,000 yearsThankfully, it’s not quite this bad.
• How many seabirds are thought to die each year as a result of plastic pollution?
  1. Fortunately seabirds are hearty creatures and have the ability to digest and pass most plastics so the number is negligible.If only this were the case… not correct
  2. At least 1-millionWe’re glad you answered right but sad that this is true
  3. Over 20-millionNo, and we definitely don’t want to see it get to this number!
  4. Between 20,000 and 30,000Try again – it’s worse than this!
• How many plastic water bottles do Americans throw away every year?
  1. 35 billionYes! A very ugly statistic… (information courtesy of Eco Watch)
  2. Somewhere between 10 and 25 millionNo, it’s way worse.
  3. 19C’mon now! That’s a ridiculous answer!
  4. 1-billionGive it another guess.
• The infamous Great Pacific Garbage Patch in the Pacific Ocean is:
  1. Twice the size of TexasYes and Texas is big!
  2. Half the size of Rhode IslandIncorrect – it’s bigger
  3. The size of DelawareNo, but isn’t it sad how large all these choices are?
  4. The size of Lake ErieTry again – hint: it’s bigger.
• Which country is the worst offender when it comes to plastic pollution?
  1. The United StatesMany would think this is the answer but the U.S. is somewhere around #20 (according to Mother Jones)
  2. IndiaIndia is not the worst offender. They are in the top 15 though.
  3. BrazilBrazil is in the top 20 but not the worst
  4. ChinaYou got it. Not a very big surprise.