This is the story  of three plastic bottles,

with outcomes that impact nothing less than the fate of the planet.

To understand where these bottles end up, we must first explore their origins.

要瞭解這些瓶子最終到了哪裡去我們一定要先來探究其出處

The heroes of our story were conceived in this oil refinery.

故事中的主角們孕育於這個煉油廠

was formed by chemically bonding  oil and gas molecules together

是由化學鍵將油及氣體分子結合在一起

In turn, these monomers were bonded into long polymer chains to make plastic

單體一個接一個鍵結成長鏈聚合物

Those were melted at manufacturing plants and reformed in molds

塑膠粒在製造工廠熔化並在模型中重塑

to create the resilient material that makes up the triplets' bodies.

製造出三胞胎身體中的彈性材料

Machines filled the bottles with sweet bubbly liquid

機器再將這三個瓶子裝滿了甜性氣泡飲料

and they were then wrapped, shipped, bought, opened, consumed

他們被包裝、運送購買、打開跟喝掉了

Bottle one, like hundreds of millions of tons of his plastic brethren,

一號瓶就像他好幾億噸的塑膠類哥兒們一樣

當每天有更多垃圾倒進來不斷佔去空間

as more trash comes in and continues to take up space.

As plastics sit there being compressed amongst layers of other junk,

當塑膠品靜置在數層的廢棄物中被擠壓

and absorbs the water-soluble  compounds it contains,

Together, they create a harmful stew called leachate,

湊在一起就會產生稱為「垃圾滲出水」的有害湯汁

which can move into groundwater,  soil and streams,

其能滲入地下水、土壤和河流中

poisoning ecosystems and harming wildlife.

It can take bottle one an agonizing 1,000 years to decompose.

一號瓶要花上痛苦的一千年才能分解

Bottle two's journey is stranger but, unfortunately, no happier.

二號瓶的旅程比較奇特些不過可惜的是並沒有比較開心

He floats on a trickle  that reaches a stream,

he's slowly drawn into a massive vortex, where trash accumulates,

他緩緩移近於一個積聚垃圾的大渦流

a place known as  the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

一個被稱為「太平洋垃圾帶」的地方

Here the ocean's currents have trapped millions of pieces of plastic debris.

在這裡洋流將數不清的塑膠碎片困在其中

This is one of five plastic-filled gyres in the world's seas.

這是世界大海中布滿塑膠垃圾的五大環流之一

Places where the pollutants turn the water into a cloudy plastic soup.

汙染物在這些地方將水變成混濁的塑膠湯

Some animals, like seabirds,  get entangled in the mess.

有些動物像是海鳥會被這一堆雜物給纏住

They, and others, mistake the brightly colored plastic bits for food.

牠們和其他的動物誤以為這些鮮豔的塑膠粒是食物

Plastic makes them feel full  when they're not,

塑膠讓牠們以為吃飽了事實卻非如此

and pass the toxins from the plastic up the food chain.

並將塑膠的毒素順著食物鏈向上傳

which means they're destined to break down into smaller and smaller pieces

也就是說它們註定要碎裂成越來越小片的「塑膠微粒」

三號瓶子卻逃過了他兄弟們經歷的殘酷煉獄

But bottle three is spared the cruel purgatories of his brothers.

在那裡他跟同伴們被壓平以及擠壓成塊

where he and his companions  are squeezed flat

是的，這聽起來也很糟但是再撐一下

Okay, this sounds pretty bad, too, but hang in there.

The blocks are shredded into tiny pieces,

好像下了魔法三號瓶已經準備好

so they become the raw materials that can be used again.

As if by magic, bottle three is now ready to be reborn

For this bit of plastic with such humble origins,

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