RantCrush Top 5: May 17, 2017

A remote island in the middle of the South Pacific has the most plastic in one place, according to researchers. Henderson Island is uninhabited and is home to a wide variety of plants and wildlife. But more than 3,500 pieces of plastic trash wash up on the shore every single day. It already has roughly 37.7 million pieces lying around. Researchers only go there once every five or 10 years, as it is so remote. “What’s happened on Henderson Island shows there’s no escaping plastic pollution even in the most distant parts of our oceans,” said marine researcher Jennifer Lavers.

An estimated 38 million pieces of plastic have polluted an uninhabited island in the South Pacific – @halljonathan4 has seen it for himself pic.twitter.com/0zc8LBqBnB

— BBC Radio 5 live (@bbc5live) May 16, 2017

Experts say hundreds of species of animals are in danger of ingesting plastic and dying, and pollution has a long-term impact on our oceans. This is a scary wake-up call for companies and governments to do more about recycling and plastic management.

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.