414 Million Pieces <br />of Plastic Found <br />Washed Ashore on <br />Australian Islands A study published in the journal <br />Scientific Reports found that the <br />remote Cocos Islands are home <br />to 238 tons of plastic waste. Jennifer Lavers, study leader, via CNN The authors of the study say such <br />islands are "canaries in a coal mine," <br />and that it's urgent "we act on the <br />warnings they are giving us." Among the debris on <br />the Cocos Islands are <br />close to one million shoes and 370,000 toothbrushes. From straws to sandals, an <br />estimated 5.25 trillion pieces <br />of plastic waste are circling the <br />globe in the earth's oceans. Researchers say "the only viable solution is to reduce plastic production and consumption ... " and to improve <br />waste management so <br />the material never enters <br />the ocean in the first place.
