(Science Trek music) JOAN CARTAN-HANSEN, HOST: Some types of garbage cause more problems than others.
Plastics make their way into the ocean.
Scientists estimate there are somewhere between four point eight and 12 point seven metric tons of plastic floating around the ocean.
Ocean currents have gathered discarded plastics into massive piles.
The great pacific garbage patch is twice the size of Texas.
And plastic doesn't decay.
It degrades into microplastics, small beads that are swallowed by marine animals and can kill them.
Another problem waste is electronics.
Every year, Americans throw out 130 million cell phones.
We throw out other electronics like, old televisions, game consoles, and computers.
All these things are called E-waste.
E-wastes contain valuable things like silver, gold, and palladium.
But these metals are difficult to extract.
E-waste also contains things like lead and mercury, that can seep into the soil and water and poison the environment.
There are lots of things that need to be disposed of properly and not just tossed in the trash.
For more information about garbage, check out the Science Trek website.
You’ll find it at ScienceTrek.org