The Pacific Waste Bin

The Guardian reported on a recent study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences about Henderson Island in the Pitcairn Islands. According to researchers from Tasmania and the UK, “One of the world’s most remote places, an uninhabited coral atoll, is also one of its most polluted... The majority of the [18 tons of] debris—approximately 68%—was not even visible, with as many as 4,500 items per square metre buried to a depth of 10cm [4 inches]. About 13,000 new items were washing up daily.” The plastic waste has global origins and is leaching chemicals into the environment and the ocean. According to The Guardian, the study determined that the amount of plastic waste on Henderson Island is equal to the amount of plastic produced worldwide in just under two seconds!

Human beings have certainly not been the responsible stewards of creation that God originally intended them to be (Genesis 1:28). The Creator instructed human beings to “tend and keep” the earth (Genesis 2:15)—a role that will be put into practice when Jesus Christ returns to establish the Kingdom of God on this earth, and humanity is taught how to truly live the way God intended! For more information on this exciting topic, read “How Will the Earth Be Restored?”