Plastic polluting the Planet !

[Sheepy]

Everything’s terrible, if we’re actually going to solve the plastic problem we need a massive shift society wise. I used to hate having to sell logs in a plastic bag, seems wrong.

[Mesterh]

I think 3D printers are starting to take off, looks like a lot of plastic right there.

 

At least I have saved loads of turtles over the last couple of years by re using shopping bags. 

 

[sandspider]

16 hours ago, Squaredy said:

And by the way, I recently discovered that tea bags contain plastic.  No wonder they never seem to disappear in my compost heap.  Yet another scandal. 

I seem to remember that PG Tips (or one of the big tea bag makers anyway) recently committed to going plastic free in their tea bags. A step in the right direction.

[Squaredy]

Anyone breathing in plastic today?  Well apparently we all are.  I am referring to the revelation in the recent BBC TV programs that even inside our homes the air is full of tiny plastic particles.  Not seen the programs?  They were called "War on Plastic" and were very well presented by Hugh Fernley-Wasisname and Anita Rani.  They did talk about the plastic in our oceans as highlighted by the Blue Planet documentaries last year, but they showed that pollution in the seas is only part of the story.

 

Please watch if you care about our planet.  I thought I was well informed of the plastic problem, but I was still taken aback by some of the images of what happens to our so-called recycling and waste.

 

If you watch the program and are still happy buying plastic products you are very different to me.  And never again will I allow my children to have a Macdonalds Happy Meal toy.

[jamallio96]

Anyone breathing in plastic today?  Well apparently we all are.  I am referring to the revelation in the recent BBC TV programs that even inside our homes the air is full of tiny plastic particles.  Not seen the programs?  They were called "War on Plastic" and were very well presented by Hugh Fernley-Wasisname and Anita Rani.  They did talk about the plastic in our oceans as highlighted by the Blue Planet documentaries last year, but they showed that pollution in the seas is only part of the story.
 
Please watch if you care about our planet.  I thought I was well informed of the plastic problem, but I was still taken aback by some of the images of what happens to our so-called recycling and waste.
 
If you watch the program and are still happy buying plastic products you are very different to me.  And never again will I allow my children to have a Macdonalds Happy Meal toy.

Might as well go the whole hog and stop subjecting them to the fluff and chemicals maccy D's call food as well :-P

[Dan]

On 09/09/2018 at 14:53, Vespasian said:

How does our plastic waste end up in the sea....

 

i can't figure it. but i do see the odd vid of beaches in third world countries, the filthy bastards..  no wonder theres plastic floating round the oceans..   I was ruminating on this the other month when the problem was in vogue in the news..  My solution, plastic for us and the rest of the civilized world.

 

No plast for the shitholes as Trump would say...

Alot of our waste end's up being sent to shithole places as you call it! 

But our own waste is getting into the sea too. There is an old landfill from the 60s along the Thames estuary that is being exposed by coastal erosion and the plastic and other toxic waste including asbestos is washing out to sea every high tide! 

[Squaredy]

3 hours ago, Dan said:

Alot of our waste end's up being sent to shithole places as you call it! 

But our own waste is getting into the sea too. There is an old landfill from the 60s along the Thames estuary that is being exposed by coastal erosion and the plastic and other toxic waste including asbestos is washing out to sea every high tide! 

I remember some years ago seeing vast numbers of plastic bags blowing from the Cardiff landfill (Lamby Way if anyone is interested) and into the Rhymney river estuary.  I photographed it and wrote to Cardiff Council telling them, but I am sure it happens a lot.  This particular landfill site is in a very exposed spot right next to an estuary.  With the best will in the world, every day thousands upon thousands of little bits of plastic are going to get tipped there, and if it is blowing a gale many will end up in the sea.  I have just checked and this particular site was closed last year thankfully.  Now all Cardiff's waste is incinerated, so look out everybody East of Cardiff who likes to breathe clean air!

 

We in the developed world are not so innocent.

[Capetown]

Ten rivers, 90 percent of plastic

WWW.DW.COM

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Most of the plastic in our oceans doesn't get dumped there directly, rivers carry it to the sea. As it turns out, a very small...

 

[Haironyourchest]

Modern incinerators burn very clean. And produce energy as a by product.

[Squaredy]

5 hours ago, Haironyourchest said:

Modern incinerators burn very clean. And produce energy as a by product.

Clean compared to just burning on an open fire - yes of course.  But burning plastic waste is just burning fossil fuels in a similar way to burning coal or oil.  It produces lots of carbon dioxide and lots of particulates.  Larger particulates are removed, but under a certain size they aren't even monitored.

 

So I agree it is better than dumping our waste in the rivers and sea, but we need to drastically reduce our plastic waste in the long run.  There is no truly sustainable way to deal with it.