Ever wonder about what happens to plastic after we simply discard it?
The answer would very much surprise you...
I had a chance to view the documentary "ADDICTED TO PLASTIC" and what it had to say was not only quite disturbing, but also cautiously optimistic.
In short, the last 100 years of plastic production and development have produced some fantastic materials that are specifically tailored for specific applications. Each one of these materials are extremely durable... but that's the problem... they simply don't go away! These materials are forever with us, and we don't have to look far to see the effects of the tail end of this life cycle.
It's not only possible that we're creating a real mess in the environment, but that we're also polluting the food chain in the process, toxifying ourselves without realizing it.
BUT there are some people trying to do something about this. We are looking at recycling and re-manufacturing existing materials from both current and discarded (garbage) sources. There are other people currently in the process of re-defining and re-engineering acceptable parameters for the manufacturing and production of traditional plastics; these parameters include thickness, chemical composition and the ability to reuse and recycle, or close-loop these materials.
The most interesting development is the introduction of bio-plastics. These plastics are from food sources such as corn or starchy materials and can be engineered to decompose in UV or completely disintegrate on contact with water.
These are absolutely fascinating developments...
(click on above image for product link via Amazon.ca)I challenge you to view this film... It will get you to stop and think about who we and what kind of a mess we are capable of creating when we lose sight of global environmental responsibility.
Plastic is necessary, but it's time to shift gears and take this game to the next level.
The art of closed-looping existing systems and the current development of bio-plastics are a sure sign of the times....
Here comes the future!
Related Links:
DVD release via MongrelMedia.com
BioPlastics Magazine
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Very interesting, and sadly very true. There are some parts of the oceans that are completely contaminated by a kind of drifting island of plastic garbage, partially disintegrated into miniscule particles. Some of these islands are the size of France for instance. Noone knows how to fight these floating continents of waste plastic. Fish and sea birds swallow the stuff. Kids letting a balloon go into the air don't realise it may kill a seal some hours later, as it mistakes the fallen balloon for a fish and swallows it. Ship dump all their garbage in the ocean. We are the only animals who keep sh**ing in our own nest till we will cannot live in it anymore. In Europe it is now forbidden to give plastic bags away to custmers in supermarkets. The result is tremendous, and we should absolutely charge for tins and all kinds of plastic bottles, so that people bring them back to get a refund, or boy scouts gather them to pay for their summer camp. Plastic is too damn cheap, that's the problem. Keep up the good work, Gnomaedh!
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