<h3>Transcript</h3>
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Voice 1&nbsp;&nbsp;

Welcome to Spotlight. I&rsquo;m Liz Waid.

Voice 2&nbsp;&nbsp;

And I&rsquo;m Colin Lowther. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.

Voice 1&nbsp;&nbsp;

Imagine a plastic bottle. Maybe it is a plastic bottle filled with Coca-Cola, or water, or another cool good-tasting drink. Imagine that you finish the cool drink. You throw the bottle away. Along with other waste, this particular bottle travels to the ocean. The sunlight and water work together to break the plastic bottle into smaller and smaller pieces. The ocean&rsquo;s currents carry the pieces to many different places. But after a time, it gathers with other plastic waste. But what happens to it after that? It stays in the ocean, floating. There, it harms sea animals and pollutes the water.

Voice 2&nbsp;&nbsp;

Millions of tons of plastic waste have already gone into the world&rsquo;s oceans. This waste comes from countries all around the world. It may come from land or boats. But all of it comes from people. Plastic waste is not a natural part of the sea. Today&rsquo;s Spotlight is on plastic waste and its effect on the ocean.

Voice 1&nbsp;&nbsp;

When plastic enters the ocean, some of it sinks to the bottom. Other plastic starts to photodegrade. That is, the sun and ocean water break the plastic into smaller and smaller pieces. But it never disappears. The particles of plastic are extremely small. People cannot see them. But scientists can test the water and find the plastic particles in it.

Voice 2&nbsp;&nbsp;

Much of this plastic waste gathers in areas of the oceans called gyres. A gyre is an area of water where the ocean currents naturally move in a giant circle, or spiral. There are 5 major gyres in earth&rsquo;s oceans. The most famous gyre full of plastic waste is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. People cannot see the Garbage Patch from satellite photography. They may not even be able to see it when they are in it! Many of the plastic pieces in the Garbage Patch are extremely small. They do not just float on the surface. They are concentrated in the water.

Voice 1&nbsp;&nbsp;

Because the plastic pieces are so small, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is difficult to measure. But it is very big. Scientists estimate that the Garbage Patch covers up to 15 million square kilometres.

Voice 2&nbsp;&nbsp;

Scientists have studied the effect of this plastic on the animals in the sea. Richard Thompson studies animals that live in the ocean. He told the news organization NPR about a recent study. The study looked at the Dublin Bay Prawn. This is a kind of small lobster that lives in the north-eastern Atlantic Ocean. He said:

Voice 3&nbsp;&nbsp;

&ldquo;This study showed that over 80% of some populations had small amounts of plastic in their stomachs. Similarly, if we look at ocean birds, we find that up to 95% of some populations have got plastic in their stomach.&rdquo;

Voice 1&nbsp; &nbsp;

Chris Jordan is a photographer. He has documented the effects of plastic on albatross chicks. He found these baby albatross birds in the Midway Atoll. This area is far out in the Pacific Ocean. All of the baby albatrosses were dead and decaying. Jordan took photographs of their dead remains. The pictures are shocking to see. Inside the skeletons there are many plastic pieces. The mother birds brought the plastic back to their nests, thinking it was food. The birds starved, because they ate this plastic instead of real food.

Voice 2&nbsp;&nbsp;

Cleaning this plastic from the ocean seems like an impossible problem. There is so much plastic. The pieces are big and small. And it is everywhere in the ocean. But people have tried to solve this problem for years. Many have ideas for machines that will clean the ocean. The most recent is a 19-year-old boy named Boyan Slat. He calls his machine the Ocean Clean-up Array.

Voice 1&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Array would rest on the water and catch the plastic pieces, leaving animals safely in the ocean. Slat believes the Array can clear plastic from a gyre in about five years. But Slat and his team are still building and testing the Array.

Voice 2&nbsp;&nbsp;

When Slat announced his idea, newspapers and television media loved his idea. Many of them said that the Array is the greatest hope for cleaning the ocean. But ocean experts do not think this is true. Stiv J. Wilson is the policy director at the five Gyres Institute. Five Gyres is a not-for-profit organization that works to keep the oceans clean. Wilson says simply:

Voice 4&nbsp;&nbsp;

&ldquo;The solution starts on land.&rdquo;

Voice 1&nbsp;

Other ocean experts agree with him. Many point out that every few years another inventor says he or she can clean the oceans using a specially designed machine. But cleaning up the oceans may not be the most important goal. In his interview with NPR, Robert Thompson explained the problem.

Voice 3&nbsp;

&ldquo;Cleaning up is very important because our oceans are heavily polluted with plastic pieces. The problem is, that at this time, we are putting this plastic in so quickly. The amounts are so big that it is going to be almost impossible for us to think about cleaning up as fast as the plastic is going in. So, it is like this. Imagine that you are trying to clean up water from a bathroom floor. If the bath water is overflowing and both taps in the bath and the shower are all running at full speed, it is a waste of time trying to just clean up. You will need to clean up later. But the first thing is to stop the flow of water.&rdquo;

Voice 2&nbsp;

So what is the solution? Stiv J. Wilson from Five Gyres warns that the solution is not easy and simple. The Five Gyres website suggests some easy ways to stop plastic pollution. Start by buying less plastic. Instead of using a plastic bag to carry groceries or food, bring your own bag instead. For drinking, use a cup you can fill again and again. But there is more to do too. Wilson writes:

Voice 4&nbsp;

&ldquo;The next steps are to get involved in cleanups. Get involved in campaigns to get rid of problem products. Demand that companies take responsibility for their products after people use them. There is a lot to be hopeful for - even if the real solutions do not seem exciting. But if we all take part, there is hope.&rdquo;

Voice 1&nbsp;

What do you do with plastic waste? Is it easy to recycle plastic in your community? Tell us what you think. You can leave a comment on our website. Or email us at <a href="mailto:radio@radioenglish.net">radio@radioenglish.net</a>. You can also comment on <a href="http://www.Facebook.com/SpotlightRadio">Facebook</a> at Facebook.com/SpotlightRadio.

Voice 2&nbsp;

The writer of this program was Liz Waid. The producer was Michio Ozaki. The voices you heard were from the United States and the United Kingdom. All quotes were adapted for this program and voiced by Spotlight. You can listen to this program again, and read it, on the internet at <a href="http://www.radioenglish.net">www.radioenglish.net</a>. This program is called, &lsquo;Plastic Waste in the Ocean&rsquo;.

Voice 1&nbsp;

We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye.

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Question:
What do you do with plastic waste? Is it easy to recycle plastic in your community?


