Hermit crabs stuck in plastic bottles… Pacific’s uninhabited island has the world’s highest density of trash

The uninhabited Henderson Island has the highest density of trash in the world. (Photo/AP)

Human-made trash can be found all over the globe, even on deserted islands in the South Pacific. Henderson Island in the British Pitcairn Islands Group covers just 37.5 square kilometers and has only been occasionally visited by scientists over the decades. One would expect it to be full of pristine beauty, but in reality, its beaches are littered with trash, ranking first in the world in terms of density.

According to a report by the UK’s Daily Mail, marine ecologist Jennifer Lavers from the University of Tasmania in Australia and conservation scientist Alexander Bond from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds in the UK calculated that there are over 37 million pieces of trash weighing 17 tons on Henderson Island, with 671.6 pieces of debris per square meter on the beach surface, making it the highest density of trash globally.

Today’s Henderson Island no longer boasts a paradise-like view but has become a “trash island” filled with man-made waste. Items such as toothbrushes, buoys, old fishing nets, plastic bags, and cosmetic boxes can be seen everywhere, posing a serious threat to local wildlife. Turtles can be spotted crawling through piles of garbage, with some found dead on the beaches. Many hermit crabs, unable to find seashells for shelter, are forced to hide inside plastic bottles or other containers.

Lavers said that what is currently visible is just the tip of the iceberg, with a large amount of trash still buried under the beaches and yet to be exposed. She called on everyone to pay attention to environmental protection, reduce the use of plastic products, and avoid littering on beaches. “If humans do not improve their consumption habits, remote islands with few human footprints may also be overrun by massive amounts of trash in the future, facing the same fate as Henderson Island.”