Japan's March 11 tsunami swept away entire towns. The refuse has been making its way across the Pacific and two weeks ago started appearing on North American west coast beaches, WZZM reported.
Will the refuse provide a rich treasure trove of scrap materials and souvenirs or will it be merely a nightmare garbage heap? Here's a first look at what's washing up along the west coast and what's expected in months and even years to come:
* Seven black buoys of the type used by Japanese oyster farmers washed up first. The first one made its appearance in Neah Bay in Washington state, WJLA reported. The buoys bear the name of a Japanese manufacturer, and Japan Times says a Miyagi Prefecture official asked that they be returned to Japan. Similar black floats have washed up on Vancouver Island, Peninsula Daily News reported.
* British Columbia fishermen have reported finding an unusual number of bottles with Asian lettering and plastics coming ashore, the Inquisitr reported. Canadian television showed these items and metal containers believed to be detritus from the tsunami.
* An oceanographer told the Anchorage Daily News that Alaskans should be ready for tons of debris to begin hitting their shores as early as this week.
* There's a floating island of debris whose size has variously been estimated as the size of the state of California and twice the size of Texas currently 1,500 miles east of Hawaii.
* Experts warn that some of the debris may be radioactive, the Sydney Morning Herald said yesterday, due to the damage to Japan's Fukushima Dai'ichi nuclear plant.
* Retired National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration employee Curtis Ebbemeyer said incoming debris could include anything from entire houses and car parts to just about anything else that floats. He noted that Japanese tsunami victims' families are anxious to receive word of traceable debris.
* The STS Padilla crew observed the 20-million ton debris patch in the Pacific. They say it contains, among other items, intact motor vehicles, household appliances, and televisions, Maritime Executive reported Friday. An earlier report by Japan Times said the detritus they saw included a refrigerator and a fishing boat that was traced to Fukushima Prefecture.
* With thousands of Japanese believed washed asea in the tsunami, beachgoers should be prepared for human remains to wash ashore, probably in about a year.
* It's possible the debris will wash ashore in sufficient quantities to clog ports.
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