You're Being Lied To About Ocean Plastic | Truth Complex | Business Insider

[@ItaloBarbiero]

In short: Corporations blames us individuals for their waste mismanagement. Gotcha.

[@vivigesso3756]

If I sell you a car and then you change the tires, is it my problem to dispose of the old tires? No.

[@ItaloBarbiero]

@@vivigesso3756 Stupid example really. They mismanage their own waste, not the waste after they sell me their products. Maybe watch the video before blabbering?

[@chrisrelhard]

@@vivigesso3756 if you made the tires, then yes, you should be involved with the disposal of the tires. you are responsible for creating the waste, you should be responsible for how it's dealt with. why is that such a radical concept? can you imagine if nuclear power plants didn't put any resources into dealing with nuclear waste? but civilians use the power, so obviously they should just take the blame for the waste, i guess?

[@e.v.g.e.n.y]

Yep, same story as with water waste

[@ryuujinusa]

always has been like that.

[@JukkaSundell]

Title says "You're Being Lied To About Ocean Plastic", i was waiting to see when she mentions, that 90% of ocean plastic comes from 3 rivers in Asia. It never came.

[@longsleevethong1457]

But she did try to convince everyone that trash is good for the ocean. Brilliant.

[@jayrowe6473]

You are correct, but not many people mention that fact.

[@watchchimp3102]

Actually, she did address this. But, by ocean waste, she's referring to the Pacific "garbage patch." Stating that the majority of that was shipping or fishing related. The majority of "littering" results in coastal pollution, and that's true regardless of where you are located. Buy, it's not significant in my mind to distinguish between the two. Plastic waste is plastic waste, regardless of where it comes from or ends up. 😮

[@waynejones8481]

What about cities like new york that hauled all their garbage in giant bundles out to sea for years. I dont know if any cities on the pacific coast did that.

[@FluttershyIsAGoddess]

@@waynejones8481 You mean when they hauled the trash to North Carolina?

[@bonedigger666]

Plastic drinking bottles never used to be a problem here in the US till they removed all the drinking fountains. Free water was everywhere, every store, every park, everywhere. Find out who paid to have them all removed and you got your bad guys.

[@shoelacedonkey]

It was a problem back then as well, people just either weren't aware or didn't care about it.

[@aceman0000099]

But also we hd glass bottles then ​@@shoelacedonkey

[@TTOS69]

I doubt most of people, especially the half that swear masks save you from hell, would go near a public water fountain anymore. That's the same environmentalist types too. Funny how ironic the Demo-hypocrites are. Sad actually.

[@minitea4315]

@@aceman0000099glass bottles that were returnable for 10 cents which is worth nothing now…Used to be worth collecting and retuenjng

[@sobieskireborn7361]

the jews!

[@NestlaysChaulkolateChips]

This is the same with all recycling. All these companies are pushing the responsibility on individual consumers, but most of the damage is done by them. Even if each individual is hyper conscious, it will not make a dent on what the companies are doing. We need to do our part AND hold these corporations responsible

[@danb6497]

Living in China atm. The amount of plastic wrappers and individual packaging is mind boggling. Never have I seen this many wrappers anywhere and I lived in Europe and the US before. I wonder what's the percentage of plastic consumed by China alone

[@Despiser25]

Communism is a political ideology of the lazy and dumb thieves.

[@jeffreybartlett4899]

It gets washed into China's drains, streams, and rivers ... and right into the Pacific.

[@karthur3421]

they recycle more than europe and US combined lol. fun fact, US and Europe both are the top polluters of the world, even more so than China and India combined, and even with LESS POPULATION then them. P.S. even more so since 2018 China and most of asia stopped allowing western countries to export their trash to asia. For context, straight out of wiki: China is the largest importer of waste plastics, accounting for 56% of the global market. Meanwhile, the United States, Japan, Germany, and the United Kingdom are the main source countries. Since 2010, China has begun to implement more stringent waste import policies that correspond with the quality of import waste and improvement of domestic production capacity. Likewise, environmental and health considerations have led China to introduce the waste import policy in 2017 which bans the import of 24 types of solid waste, including certain types of plastics, paper, and textiles. Based on a study by the University of Georgia, it is predicted that by 2030 with this policy, 111 million metric tons of plastic waste will be left unaccounted for. The western allied world could play the moral highground back then, not anymore, especially with another recent expose about the fraud that is green washing, only 5% of plastics from waste are ever recycled in the west.

[@JJ-si4qh]

Yeah, I live in a nearby country and the amount of plastic waste is mindboggling. And they make zero attempt to properly dispose or recycle.

[@cbjewelz]

Yea plastic makes me sick, especially since majority is effectively single use. The waste is mind boggling. It's so unnecessary, harmful, and ugly. As much as "corporations" are responsibly, consumer behavior is huge. Stop buy/using this shit and there will be a change.

[@maidenminnesota1]

How about the myth of plastics "recycling", where we ship our plastics overseas (of course) for "recycling", but as soon as the ships are unloaded the "recyclers" promptly dump it in the ocean, rather than actually recycle it? They literally push it in there with bulldozers, then take the money and run. Guess which continent this takes place in.

[@dead-claudia]

that's part of the "mismanaged waste" she talked about around 6:00

[@johnl5316]

The 'patch' does not exist. There is no evidence for its existence

[@johnhunt1931]

Samples and observational data sets. For example: Eriksen M, et al. Plastic pollution in the world’s oceans: more than 5 trillion plastic pieces weighing over 250,000 tons afloat at sea. PLoS One. 2014;9:e111913. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0111913. Law KL, et al. Distribution of surface plastic debris in the eastern Pacific Ocean from an 11-year dataset. Env. Sci. Technol. 2014;48

[@marksmart9754]

Next to my work place is a plastic recycler. Plastic buckets car bumpers etc come in. The paper work for the government grant is done, then it’s dumped. It’s a big scam . The operator recycles just enough to keep his grant. I work in Melbourne australia.

[@edreeves3342]

Exactly. The excuse that the recyclers give is that the plastic isn't clean so they dump it. I have two recycling bins, one for plastic and glass the other for paper. The truck that comes to pick it up dumps it all into the same compartment so why am I separating it in the first place, I have Ring Cam footage of them doing that.

[@cardsharkz485]

The problem is that in most countries of this world there simply is no real existing waste management. All garbage gets dumped into the next river or forest, and after the next rain season it is washed into the sea. No amount of recycling or reducing consumption in Western countries will change that. If our governments really want to change something, they should build garbage processing facilities in the emerging world.

[@emmanuelekene5150]

If that is the case, why did and do western countries still ship their plastic waste to poor Asian countries? Wasn't it just a few years ago that China banned the import of plastic waste?

[@raziismail8230]

No. Most of them not use so much plastic and wast, less consumption. They have decent waste management like landfill. Btw why so called developed countries export their "recyled" plastic to China and South East Asia Country? Can you last tech handle that?

[@thesprinklerguy2598]

you're willing to have our taxes increased to fund it? why is throwing money the number one solution to every issue? like in california where wage increase caused inflation and loss of jobs when the root issue is affordable housing

[@dcptiv]

@@raziismail8230 plastic is sent to other countries so it can be burnt. No every country has a ban on burning waste.

[@siewheilou399]

​@@emmanuelekene5150 And caused a panic.

[@JohnSmith-lo8cn]

"You will eat bugs, not use water, own nothing and pay more taxes to save the planet.... so that we can keep poluting it as much as we want and stay rich"

[@scottcantdance804]

*hand rubbing intensifies*

[@jamesbridges6502]

That own nothing part is super key. Its also been done brilliantly on their part because its been done very, very, very, gradually.

[@Mandred85]

And they got elected into power. Greed and Stupidity won.

[@nan14397]

Let me guess WEF

[@manci.manwlhs]

I turned 40 years old this year. I still remember vividly that milk, water, juices and other containers were made of glass and later Tetra Pack. One by one they switched to plastic. The amount of plastic we use nowadays is not just staggering but completely unnecessary. Like I have recently seen cookie cutters made out of plastic. Like what the heck?

[@awesomeferret]

Recently? Like what the heck? I had plastic cookie cutters as a kid over 25 years ago.

[@manci.manwlhs]

@@awesomeferret Yes, I have only seen them recently. We had only used metallic cookie cutters when I was a kid.

[@ThomasKemper-t6t]

i’m 45. i remember vividly playing with both plastic and metal cookie cutters as a child. your anecdotal experience isn’t proof of anything.

[@awesomeferret]

Remember, it's inherently suspicious to claim that you, as a "40 year old man" saw plastic so rarely. My mother grew up in the 60s, when plastic was new. Your grandparents probably remember having plastic plates and dishes if they were upper middle class, because plastic was new and high end. If you grew up in the 60s, you may have had a plastic toy car without moving wheels (single mold). The major change that happened about 30 years ago was consumable plastics, and you are correct that glass bottles were the norm 40 years ago. But reusable objects like cookie cutters really don't count. I have some plastic christmas ornaments that are way older than you. You probably have at least one plastic item that's older than you. Tldr: I would have agreed if it weren't for the cookie cutter nonsense. Maybe they weren't as common, but you made it sound like it was difficult to buy plastic cookie cutters until recently, which is just not the case.

[@manci.manwlhs]

@@awesomeferret You assume too much. Bye!

[@JohnSmith-op7ls]

Saying we shouldn’t try to clean it up because some animals made a home on some plastic is a comically bad attempt to use concern for nature against people.

[@hermanhale9258]

She didn't even say which ones.

[@MP-vc4nu]

That, but people honestly underestimate power of nature tbh. Once plastic hyped to be “lasting even hundreds millions years!”, yet there are already organisms eating and using plastics. Power of Mother Earth is on insane scale.

[@JohnSmith-op7ls]

@@MP-vc4nu True, these animals they worry about will adapt and outlive most humans despite changing environments.

[@stevefrancis1191]

I think she was trying to get the point across that the stuff already out in the ocean shouldn’t be top priority. The causes oh that stuff being there should.

[@ElStegosaur]

If you go into the ocean and get bacteria on you it's too late to come out, you're part of the ocean now.

[@pencilswordfish]

Coke - should we rethink plastic bottles, maybe go back to glass bottles? NAH lol you're funny. Let's guilt trip our customers into taking responsibility instead. There used to be a sustainable industry surrounding glass bottles (still exists in many countries), But Coke among others killed it because it was costing them (a relatively small amount).

[@garyt123]

Nothing to do with _"guilt trips"_ or anything remotely as emotional. This is money. The oil company lobbies don't just go for politicians, they go after their customers and potential customers too. Edit: Also if you (bother to) investigate, in some countries, like Germany, plastic bottles have a returnable value - depending on the size, etc. That way it makes no difference if the bottle is glass or plastic - it gets reused.

[@redfields5070]

When I was ten (1962) I collected glass soda pop bottles to make enough money to be able to buy comic books. 12 cents per comic book. Two cents each for the bottles (occasionally you could find a three cent bottle).

[@madMARTYNmarsh1981]

When I was young, growing up in England, if I bought a bottle of Coca-Cola in a glass bottle, the shop would give us 5 pence if we returned the bottle. The same was true if we returned aluminium cans when they first switched from steel cans. I've always wondered whether than was an attempt to socially condition people, an effort to get us used to recycling.

[@garyt123]

@@madMARTYNmarsh1981 It was because there was material value in that packaging. In the case of aluminium cans, there still is. Plastic is not worthless, it's just that it's a by-product of the processing of petroleum, so those companies will literally _give it away_ virtually free just to be rid of it. Recycling plastic is a con, it doesn't reduce the plastic on the planet at all - every tank of fuel you buy produces an average of 11Kg of plastic. Recycling plastic is the oil companies _best friend_ because while _hippies_ are recycling and _preaching_ recycling, _they_ aren't pointing the finger at those who are _really contaminating_ - and it ain't Coca Cola, or McDonald's..... it's BP, Exon, Shell, etc..

[@VeteranofthePsychicWars]

Bottle deposits. A few states have them in the US for glass, aluminum and plastic bottles. The big issue returning to glass is weight and breakage. It will be more costly to transport and that cost will be passed on to the consumer. One other thought. It will indirectly cause more pollution as you’ll need bigger or more vehicles to transport the same amount of product. Bottom line, there is no free lunch here.

[@adsfsd1]

In Denmark we have one bin for food waste, one for plastic and metal, one for paper and cardboard, one for glass and one for the rest. Food is made into biomass, plastic is separated into 3 types and reused for everyday products, the same with metals. Paper and cardboard is made into egg trays and other reuse products. Glass is remelted and reused. The rest is burned in huge factories where 20% of the burn energy is made into electricity and the waste heat is usually used to heat homes via water heating. When I heard America buries their trash in huge mountains I was shocked, what a shortsighted solution!

[@tmmsplace]

Depends on what it is and how useful it is. Biomass is great for making soil, no need to burn it. Why melt glass and it can be washed and reused? That seems shortsighted

[@kevinbeard9196]

In Denmark you're lied to .and you suck it up

[@fabianr.8572]

⁠@@tmmsplaceBiomass is being used for soil but not every type of trash can be put into one of those categories and if it can’t it’s considered “burnable”. Also not all glass is melted, there is a reuse system in place but glassware can only be reused a limited number of times. No shortsight here, just limited efficiency in recycling of some materials.

[@spheresartis1782]

​@@tmmsplace how are you gonna reuse a broken glass unless you melt it down? The glass products are not whole mason jars. many different sizes and variants

[@nujmalaysia154]

its manageable and workable if population is not as big as some countries like India or china

[@edawriter]

Business Insider does a good job of laying out the issues. There are no easy answers, but I'll continue donating to The Ocean Cleanup. I'm sure Boyan Slat is well aware that what he's doing is not a silver bullet. He has shifted some resources from the ocean cleanup to catching plastic at polluted rivers. The Ocean Cleanup is a PR success though that sheds light on a troubling issue that is getting worse. We can improve our environment by engaging with government officials and expressing our concerns.

[@RipliWitani]

How about hold countries that pollute responsible. The US government is responsible for the PFOA in the soil, while countries like China and India are responsible for plastic islands in the ocean

[@chlorophyllheart]

I was really glad when he started catching the plastic from rivers!

[@1wholovestrees]

Several years ago, I was on a boat in the Pacific that went through a similar garbage patch. Off the coast of California. I could easily see what created it: Plastic bottles, coolers, bags, and such. So this is entirely possible, and no, I wasn’t “lied to”, because I saw it firsthand. And I’m donating my hard earned money to The Ocean Cleanup!

[@madrush24]

I live in a small cottage on the beach in Oregon. The beach is literally my front yard, so I'm constantly picking up garbage. The majority of what I pick up is fishing industry trash (some coming all the way from Japan) and firework debris from beach-goers. All summer beach-goers illegally set off their own firework displays and leave behind the remaining bits: plastic, paper, cardboard, clay. I've never seen a single display where the debris was picked up. That's pretty irresponsible. How would you like it if I threw a giant firework party in YOUR front yard and didn't pick up afterwards? Over the years, I've noticed more and more small pieces of plastic that wash up with each tide change. They are so small and there are so many that it is impossible to pick up. They're obvious to the eye because of the many bright colors. I know these aren't considered "microplastics," but they give me a sense of how pervasive and serious the problem is. Boo on Dow.

[@SlammedZero]

Next door neighbor here in Idaho. My wife and I LOVE the Oregon Coast and visit often. We were there in April and I did my best to pick up some random trash that I saw on the beach. Makes me super sad this is the condition of our world. Hopefully us humans can band together and figure out a solution.

[@Aimia4]

Firstly, it's great that you do that in your local area, bravo to you. When I was young, a retired older gentleman (one of my friend's grandfather) would walk around our neighbourhood with a bin bag and a litter picker, and everyone in the neighbourhood loved him. I learned a lot from him. On to your point, I might be misunderstanding, but if someone cleared up their mess, would you know that a party has been had? Meaning, wouldn't you only find the evidence of those who didn't clean up after themselves? Perhaps you know the parties are happening because they're so close to your house, or something else I'm not aware of?

[@geronimo5537]

Much of the waste floating in the ocean comes from third world countries with poor non existence system to retain waste of society. The rest comes from the yearly diesters that dot the world bringing things from land into the ocean. Its not solely humanity placing trash there. Nor will you paying for a recycling service that places the same recycling in the same trash as regular garbage help prevent it.

[@TheChupacabra]

For me on the east coast it’s balloons. Every time a kid let’s go of a balloon it ends up somewhere. Many many Mylar balloons and their string end up on the beaches here

[@idiotburns]

lmao

[@kurtiousmaximus7130]

In Canada, we ban things without finding better options. Biodegradable Compostable plastic, was just banned in BC under a sweeping plastics ban. Rather than solve problems we regulate new ones.

[@kurtiousmaximus7130]

Oh, and two years in prison for misinformation on climate change or promoting positive reductions in CO2 or revolutionary substitute products if related to petroleum industry.

[@brentsmith1746]

There's no solution. Everything industrial is not natural and waste. If it was not harmful to the environment it wouldn't work as a viable product.

[@commingo]

That's because Governments are universally incompetent and corrupt.

[@clinthufkie3242]

Each administration just kicks the proverbial can down the road for the next one. Happens in every government around the world. Politicians aren't going to solve this problem.

[@shenaniiigans]

Unfortunately, many biodegradable plastics still degrade into somewhat or still fully harmful materials, so they're not perfect; there's a reason they were banned. That said, I'm sure some are still better than regular plastics. I hope we're able to innovate and create even better materials and solutions in the future because this problem is just... sad to see grow with no simple solution.

[@Mr.E.D.]

I used to work at a bottle making company. We had a pretty high recycling goal like 10% of the platic in our bottles needed to be made of recycled material. So we ground up in house the defective and good bottles that we had on hand and used that (not imported plastic). Just used extra electricity, manpower, and money with no extra benefit to the environment .

[@mwmentor]

The problem with this whole story is that there are three parts to it: reduce, reuse, and recycle. And it is only recycling that receives any real attention. And where does the recycling domain reside? With the consumer. So, arguably the biggest polluters of all - manufacturers - are making huge amounts of money, and divorcing themselves from the cost of reducing and reusing. And that is really where the problem really lies. It's time to recognize this and come up with solutions to coerce them into changing their ways of working. And this should not be allowed to include threats to consumers of price increases. That is patent nonsense. It is time that they and their shareholders who travel the world in private jets, private yachts (motorized), live in concrete monoliths, etc. came to the party and got real about their contribution to taking care of our planet.

[@person35790]

There isn’t nearly as much consumer plastic as there is fishing waste in the ocean. We can recycle every single piece of consumer plastic, and it will make next to no impact on ocean garbage. Nothing short of banning most kinds of plastics across the board is meaningful progress. Yes we should recycle, to keep up the processes so that it can be actually useful in the future.

[@BrodyYYC]

In the late 90's early 2000's the focus was much larger on reusing and reusing. Then the whole climate change thing exploded in popularity and recycling companies saw a way to take advantage of people that will just listen to something that sounds good without asking questions. Kind of like the whole climate change thing. You all of the sudden get looked down on when you ask questions.

[@soundsoflife9549]

The specifics about who was responsible for all the waste generation weren't addressed.

[@eloymarquez4783]

​@person35790 why don't try to solve BOTH problems?

[@josephspruill1212]

They can’t make money from it they won’t do it. Some say it cost money they cant get back. My boss bought a cardboard compactor. He sales the bales for $900 a bale. Yet, I’ve watched it myself. The guy that comes and pick up the bales does it for a lot of ppl. He doesn’t come and get all the bales for one cause he can’t sale them all. I worked in a plastic company for years. We used what they call regrind, Recycled plastics. The problem with this recycled plastic is it doesn’t melt right which causes streaks and flashes in the plastic. No one wants a lawn mower with a streak down the middle of the shroud. The only way to truly recycle plastics is to melt it back to oil and start all over!

[@mutchheritage]

One thing I've been very curious about is the amount of plastics dumped into the oceans by country. If I go to the east coast, west coast and gulf coast in the USA, the amount of trash I see is very menial verses what I see in the Phillipines and other Asian coastline, where waste management infrastructures are nill. I think Americans and European countries have a complex that we are causing all the problems in the world, and we are so busy trying to fix them with taxes and self flagulation that we can't even see clearly to the meaninglessness of these penitent actions.

[@WitOn4Wheelz]

What you say is true about where the plastic is going into the waters. But that plastic is coming from the American consumers often times when we ship it over there

[@StephenKlitzky]

Experts like to blame Western countries.

[@youshattaplah]

@@mutchheritage Asia do not have the capacity and proper infrastructure to manage tons of foreign waste.

[@SahilP2648]

Stop lying to yourself lmao. US produces 10-30x, maybe even more, the amount of plastic that Philippines produces but all that trash goes to landfill instead of the oceans. That doesn't mean it's better since plastic will not decompose for hundreds of years in the landfill. They dump in the ocean because that's the most cost efficient. Recycling is absolutely necessary and USA should be leading but they aren't. I have seen biodegradable plastic for a few cents more expensive per unit and no company uses it because it costs more, at the cost of the environment. Capitalism at its finest.

[@pinga858]

We (the US) ship a lot of trash to Asian countries. But to be fair, the west coast of the US has some of the strictest laws and enforcement when it comes to waste disposal. I grew up in San Diego and then moved up north here in California, been to many beaches hundreds of times, saw very little trash and was never an issue. Just about every "middle of nowhere" spot here has a proper landfill using tried and tested methods. The issue is, it costs more money to do it right, and states that don't care will just use that angle so they can get a free pass instead of dealing with it like we all should.

[@luke14fleming]

I find it odd that no one said China...

[@phampham4018]

Because shhhhhhhhhhhh

[@addicted2monster88]

Because that's racism these days. Can't actually state facts

[@SpaceRanger187]

you should see India

[@karamlevi]

Asian rivers are packed with plastic. This video sucks for omitting Asia and African contribution to plastics. It’s more anti West extremism hid in plan site. What’s next charging our western countries more tax?? Only for the problem to get 1-3% worse per year so our products get more n more expensive??

[@3in1skillet20]

chinas at the forefront of recycling

[@PureAudacity90]

Great video, thanks. This is what yt is for: someone does thorough research on a particular topic and shares its results in the condensed version as 20min vid. Unbiased, unpaid for any lobbies or large news agencies. Great stuff, thank you!

[@triplebog]

I think framing the argument as "fossil fuel industry vs honest governments" is a bit of a shallow take at the end. Say those companies put restrictions on plastic production, do they also put restrictions on plastic imports? If not, then all the soda companies just move their production facilities to china and nothing has changed but the price and a few dead local businesses

[@freethebirds3578]

What is this "honest government" you speak of?

[@staywoke2198]

Fossil fuels makes our way of life possible and have lifted millions and millions of people out of poverty and suffering

[@freethebirds3578]

@@staywoke2198 And the Left wants it all back for everyone (but themselves).

[@ryanmaines6290]

​@staywoke2198 Yeah ok staywoke2198 how's that woke mind virus treating you 😅😅😅 Harris 2024😂😂😂 If that deep state puppet gets elected watch this country continue to go to shit with more & more homeless⬆️⬆️⬆️ crime⬆️⬆️⬆️

[@tomvedra5405]

All driven by consumerism!!!

[@yellowtomato]

Returnable glass bottles worked for soda, bring them back.

[@jackscrack99]

It should be brought back. The cost [of plastic] for the big soda companies is not as important as the cost for the environment. Also the recyclability of plastic is terrible, while glass is almost perfectly recyclable.

[@eriklondon2946]

I get the intent, but in practicality often it is not easy to do in practice. (Trust me reuse Voss glass bottles A LOT). When you are going to the beach you don't want to break glass on the sand. But there could be a better tech innovation that we need. Say using a silicone or a mushroom based tech that would be soft and compostable. Not an expert in this field, but I have seen them replace Styrofoam with mushroom packaging.

[@yellowtomato]

Don't bring glass to the beach. It's hard to break glass on sand anyway

[@eriklondon2946]

@@yellowtomato Ok..... so you agree. Thank you. We need innovation.

[@PraetorianAU]

This is the norm when it comes to Beer in Czech Republic. When you return the bottles, you get quite a significant amount back making it worth your effort. Those bottles are cleaned and reused rather then being re-melted into something else.

[@hermestrismegistus3962]

Blaming the wrong people? So you're finally gonna tackle china, India, central/south America?

[@zapfanzapfan]

Ha, ha, nope... but there was the images from Honduras a least...

[@Despiser25]

Socialists dont like the truth.

[@jacooosthuizen3593]

Yip how to get plastic waste down by 90% fix their waste management systems in China,india ect...

[@dmacarthur5356]

But then she talks about and shows a graph saying that the EU and US are the biggest ocean plastic polluters? I'm calling BS on that. The rivers in China, India, and SA are choked with plastics. "This video is a lie" should be the title

[@gavinhill7389]

​@@jacooosthuizen3593hope that ect includes the rest of the world 🤣....or just stop buying stuff from those countries...but we can't because even tho prices are going up.... imagine the cost if we produced things in Europe UK and America 😱😱.....😂🤣

[@PowAngel]

For more than 35 years society was sold into the concept that ground water was polluted, and unsafe to drink, which caused a transition of people depending upon bottled water, leading to the increase of plastic pollution.

[@danieldiaz8234]

The way this video hardly touches base on the fishing industry yet is a major key player in the issue.

[@RipliWitani]

The video is a lie. They don't touch on the fact the majority of plastic waste comes from the 2B people living in China and India.

[@stephanc6138]

considering they are penalising countries who were already enviormentaly concious instead of countries who were very lax with their garbage diaposal°°° kind of a tell, actually. have one question what else

[@longiusaescius2537]

Shabbat Shalom

[@nichendrix]

But isn't the problem that the companies in countries environmentally conscious spread their factories over the world to lower costsx turning countries that otherwise would not have as much plastic being part oduced/consumed locally, into what the countries where these companies were from used to be?

[@longiusaescius2537]

@@nichendrix Maybe offshoring has some effect but it was mostly industrialization

[@unAgorist]

it is the western corps that have brought plastic to third world, so it was upon them to organize the waste management, beforehand.

[@nichendrix]

@@longiusaescius2537 well, most plastic in the world is produced by only companies, so industrialization doesn't quite account for that. Since it is always same 6 companies making plastics everywhere, industrialization by itself cannot be blamed for the increase in plastic consumption in poorer countries which do not necessarily have enough money to scale their waste disposal infrastructure, practices and education accordingly at the same rate as companies grow their production.

[@koray1621]

What... Those species lived in the ocean long before we introduced plastic. When we remove plastic they will continue to live in the ocean. It is not an excuse

[@Turntable668]

The fish crave the plastics apparently and I guess we will when we eat them. I wonder if these “marine biologists” would say we shouldn’t clean up oil spills lmao since there might be an invasive species that burns 0.044% of it a day into CO2 lol

[@redbomberr4594]

That's the debate they're having.

[@mammamia-qx5pz]

And the solid objects we introduced into the open ocean caused a huge change in that ecosystem because normally there's NOTHING, so removing it has the potential to cause huge destabilization of that ecosystem

[@antoombom9584]

Did you even listen? Their argument isn’t that it you remove it they will disappear. No, it’s the way you remove it that can be disastrous and kills them. Same with restoring a mangrove forest for example. If you dig with machines the whole process might be faster, but it leads to killing crabs and other living beings that are insanely useful for protecting the mangroves and enabling them to grow faster

[@Apostate_ofmind]

the 'ecosystem' in question is the one around garbage. Which shouldnt be there to begin with. So it *should* be destabilized. Yes i am a biologist.

[@StarEng]

It's important to remember that recycling is a business, and facilities in the US only sort plastic to see what can be sold for a decent profit margin. Then that plastic is sold overseas.

[@Kyle-xt8ip]

You mean to tell me environmentalist groups would blame me in order to protect big industrial pollutors? NO WAY. 😂

[@typhoon_nz6683]

I feel like you didn't watch the video? Companies will blame you, not environmental groups. Environmental groups were cited multiple times throughout the video talking about what the actual issues are and how they may be solved (by reducing plastics production, investing in recycling and waste management, etc)

[@ohthethings]

Me when i don't even watch the video I'm commenting on 🥴

[@nolongerblocked6210]

Name some environmental groups & the corporations they're protecting?? How the lie you told got 110👍(when I saw it) is just sad. Environmental groups _are not_ protecting industrial polluters.

[@blakepollock8074]

4:46 onwards

[@phylippezimmermannpaquin2062]

The same groups that are out there cleaning up the plastic?

[@bl8n2]

in Australia, we had a great recycling program for shopping bags and plastic food and other packaging. We could take it back to the supermarket and would be taken to depo's for processing...Suddenly they stopped it because there was nowhere to put it, there are still huge holding zones even warehouses and unused factories holding tonnage of bundles of pallet loads simply because there's no infostructure in place for such a massive demand for an great but incomplete plan.

[@addicted2monster88]

Walmart had the same thing here in my state. Used to be big boxes near the entryway where you could take old plastic bags and put them. But like you said, they were always full, and then they just disappeared.

[@sandisslantoneverything]

That is also the type of plastic that she was showing cannot be recycled. They were collecting them, in hopes of finding a way, but chemically, it just cannot be done. So they stopped collecting them.

[@alganhar1]

@@sandisslantoneverything It can be done, at least for many of those particular plastics, its just not even close to being economically viable. At the end of the day it not being economically viable amounts to the same thing. No company is going to be interested in recycling plastics that lose money in doing so.

[@sandisslantoneverything]

@@alganhar1 only once, or maybe twice because it changes it to a different type of plastic when you heat it, and break the carbon bonds. It is just delaying the inevitable.

[@kcwkembm]

Sounds like most liberal ideas

[@justhearmeout]

Please, no one yell at me. Aside from the weight. Why is glass not used more. It's recyclable, and we've made advances in weight and durability. (Which may be due to plastic) Again, just asking. Is it a weight thing, a durability thing, too difficult/financially feasible to do, or a political thing. Or, D) all of the above?

[@Sup3rB4dVideos]

It breaks and causes messes/spoilage/contamination, and the weight is like a lot so you can't just say besides weight

[@freetolook3727]

💲💲💲 petroleum industry

[@privatesarusollamia4698]

Some countries still use soda glass bottles.

[@SolarBurn]

Plastic is much cheaper to produce. Is always about profits.

[@privatesarusollamia4698]

@@SolarBurn imo it's about how people dispose of it. Where I live, they replaced using plastic with paper bags in fastfoods and supermarkets years ago and the one argument people around me said was: wouldn't that then get companies to chop more trees to produce paper bags? Which I think is a good point, but I do understand the point is because plastic doesn't decompose.

[@gabrielvdenton]

Thank you so much for all these truths. This video really brings a new understanding that I was missing. I am one of those either or people who had given up on recycling, but I always felt a reduction in plastic production was the obvious answer. The knowledge and perspective that recycling is part of the solution and that we can effectively recycle specifically #1 and #2 is really empowering. It gives you specific goals to work toward. 1. We can reduce what we use, even though we will have to give up some ways of living and find others. 2. Actually recycle #1&2... and... support the people working on reducing plastic industry in the social, political, and industrial levels. Plastic in paint, tires, clothing, food and drinks, containers, etc. We can do this!

[@joebottini1743]

Good piece, thanks for this. Glad to see the breakdown of different sources of plastic pollution. Also, the tires and paint reinforced the notion that there are tradeoffs. We could all use electric cars, but we need more batteries and more tires. Advocates, politicians, and businesses promote silver bullets when the world is far more complicated.

[@hugehappygrin]

We need a better power grid, the current grid cannot handle more than a few thousand cars in the US. Our government promised 500,000 charging station set to cost 7 billion dollars. 5 were built, only 3 work.. and they're diesel powered. Where is the remaining money? Why did they stop building them? What we need is at least 400 fission-steam power plants nation wide. Only then will the glorified gold carts be viable. Anything using lithium is currently too dangerous to use, and Musk said that even though some batteries are called lithium, there is actually no lithium in them, they are NiCad.

[@RipliWitani]

Evs use more oil than ice cars lol

[@dzcav3]

The comment about car tires was interesting. If tire particulates are a major problem, we should BAN EVs which wear out tires TWICE as fast as regular ICE cars due to greater weight and torque for comparable vehicles. By the way, tires produce particulate AIR pollution also; which means EVs are bad for both air and water ACTUAL pollution (not CO2 which is plant food).

[@karldavis7392]

Nobody wants to address the single biggest problem with reducing plastic production: the lack of good alternatives. I work in the glass industry, and I love it, but frankly we produce a ton of carbon dioxide. The amount of natural gas we burn to make glass, and to melt it for recycling, is staggeringly higher than for plastic. Metals are also energy intensive, and while glass can at least be made of sand, with modest mining harm, metals require intensive mining. Recycling helps some, but is still much more energy intensive, and greenhouse gas intensive, than making new plastics. You can buy milk in glass jars, but it's more expensive for a reason, it consumes more environmental resources. The easiest way to reduce consumption is to cause poverty, and there are some extremists who would literally do that, they would intentionally and dramatically decrease consumer purchasing power to reduce the production of plastics and emission of greenhouse gasses, but they don't have much public support and won't get it any time soon. There's the key problem - find something better - not just better in one way and worse in others, but better overall. Here's a caution - if you think you found something that's better but more expensive, you probably didn't, because if it's more expensive that means it's more resource intensive.

[@unAgorist]

what's wrong with co2 ? it's plant food, essential to life to earth, heavy, therefore in infinitesimal amount in the atmosphere. co2 is not a poison stop believe everything that come out of the tube.

[@victoriacarina9456]

Go and refill glass bottles then. Its not that complicated(!) to find alternatives that are better than polluting our oceans and making everyone sick through the microplastics in the food chain. But of course the companies dont care about that cause there's no money to be made in planet-friendly solutions.

[@Kris-fd9xs]

Oh no please don't generate plant food

[@krakoosh1]

Carbon dioxide is not dangerous. There’s less today than in the medieval warm period where they grew excess food. Plants need carbon dioxide so they can make more oxygen for us to breathe. Carbon dioxide also follows the temperature not the other way around. As it gets warmer CO2 rises. Then as it cools CO2 drops

[@maxpelletier2237]

But why always recycle first? Why not reuse the glass bottles. The beer and milk industry used to wash and reuse the bottles.

[@KainYusanagi]

recycling works if the costs to recycle it are paid by the manufacturer as part of the production.

[@BarrGC]

Recycling plastic however does not work very well at all, it is very much unlike metal, aluminum especially, which recycles VERY well. Plastic breaks down and at best only 10% of all recycled plastic ever can be re-used and it takes alot of energy to do so making it all very inefficient energy wise

[@KainYusanagi]

@@BarrGC This is actually propaganda from the plastic manufacturing and recycling industries. All plastic can be recycled, and most quite well at that- thermosetting polymers can't be simply melted down and reused because they undergo a chemical transition. Thermoplastics are infinitely recyclable just like glass; however, the manufacturers deliberately introduce additives like dyes to some thermoplastics to then be able to claim they aren't recyclable because they're "unpredictable" (simple spectral analysis can sort plastics by dye colour more than well enough, if they can't just, you know, stop adulterating the plastic; This was literally how we recycled glass until methods evolved such we didn't need to sort glass by colour). And that's just recycling them into the same material type- there's many other methods to recycle plastics, chemically or mechanically. What it really comes down to is cost. Either the manufacturers need to be paying for the cost of recycling- and thus affect whether or not they're willing to use all those additives or non-degradable thermoset plastics which would be far more costly- or use far more renewable recyclable methods, which mean a greater cost up-front but cheaper in the long run. Hell, just start using desert sand for glass-making en masse (because it's not suitable for construction due to the shape of the grains), and it'd be cheaper than plastic again.

[@jimoverman8438]

All costs are paid by consumers

[@KainYusanagi]

@@jimoverman8438 Because they hand the costs down to the consumer, yes, but the recycling costs are not intrinsic to the manufacturing costs, so the cost to recycle comes out of the margins for the recycler, rather than the manufacturer, and thus many items are considered to be not worth recycling because the cost to do so is higher than to make new product.

[@zen1647]

​@@jimoverman8438Which would reduce the amount of plastics consumers buy, maybe in favor of aluminium or glass.

[@JosephVanCampen]

Love the video. Really informative as a former worker for a company that directly delt with Dow and imperial oil. People don't care because the only way to stop them from producing more plastic is for people to stop using plastic and it doesn't sound like anyone in any industry right down to the people who have vinyl on their houses or drive a car or wear glasses or wear clothes. Nobody cares enough to not buy any of this stuff so you'll never see a change

[@SuperRambo111]

i'm being lied to? the shock! anyway...

[@detroy1234]

That's the mentality corporations hope the average person keeps

[@johnl5316]

The 'patch' does not exist. There is no evidence for its existence

[@bigdan7489]

11:37 - so it’s not just “SUV’s that Americans like to drive”, it’s EV vehicles too that go through tires like crazy. EV cars are CRAZY heavy and probably go through tires at triple the rate of a similar sized gas car. I love that they didn’t mention that lol

[@BrianMcKennaPuffnfresh]

An EV of similar size to combustion currently adds about 30% more weight. I don't know where you got triple from.

[@bigdan7489]

@@QuentinStyger no, I don’t have a “study”. I have friends who own teslas. They go through tires at about 3-4 times more than gas cars. It’s literally physics. You don’t need a “study” to tell you that more mass creates more friction, which is what causes rubber on tires to wear out. EVs are heavier, much heavier than gas vehicles. Don’t need a “study” to let you know if something is true or not.

[@freethebirds3578]

@@bigdan7489 People who have made Science their religion do.

[@BrianMcKennaPuffnfresh]

The Hyundai Kona EV is about 11% heavier than the petrol version.

[@spuds6423]

​@@BrianMcKennaPuffnfresh and that adds up over time. Think about how many particulates are being produced, especially in a highly populated urban area like Seoul, Korea.

[@Sunabe77]

In Germany the deposit on all plastic bottles encourages people to return them to a shop. Many people even started to collect littered bottles to make an extra income

[@hugehappygrin]

but. what does Germany do with the plastic bottles? what everyone else does, bale-store-bury.

[@friedawells6860]

They have this in North America too. I actually prefer the North America system to the German system because it works by bottle type (you can simply return ANY beverage container, glass or plastic, for a refund) whereas in Germany it works by the code on the bottle label, and if the label is damaged or scraped off it is not possible in Germany to return it.

[@LevelsAndMaps]

And then it gets shipped of to China and they throw it in the ocean. Biutiful.

[@babujakosia9395]

Same in Austria.

[@babujakosia9395]

@@LevelsAndMapsWhat are you talking about? The glass bottles obviously get reused dude.. Don’t know about the plastic ones…

[@rogerelliss9829]

It also helps if you can individually find a way to reuse plastic products. I reuse plastic bottles to store water for my farm animals, plastc bags can be used for a thousand things even when torn. I personally use it to make cordage, which is very useful on a farm. All i need to make it is a drill and something to hold the end

[@cameroonkendrick6312]

I don’t think shaming ourselves all the time is going to get us anywhere

[@kcwkembm]

Agreed. Thats one thing i dont like about christianity. I try to think of things, not if its a sin or not...but if it will lead me closer to enlightenment or not.

[@frodej6640]

Shaming is one thing. But when it is based on lies, it will not be effective any more.

[@canileaveitblank1476]

@@kcwkembm What is enlightenment? I’ve heard the word used, but without definition. ❤️🍀

[@mikeguilmette776]

@@kcwkembm You've touched on something there. The real reason sinful lifestyles are considered sinful is that those lifestyles are inherently destructive. Even if there wasn't a higher power, these lifestyles would still lead people to ruin.

[@stuartd9741]

Agree, and it kinda mocks climate campaigning, if we're told untruths about society... .. Most people are decent people and will recycle. .. Corporations on the other hand, always chasing the bottom line, cut corners.....

[@mendel5106]

How about animals and birds scavenging on landfills and garbage dumping sites... That problem of unhealthy materials going into this "food chain" has been around long before scientist started to check marine animals for plastic and rubber ingested by these poor animals. I totally agree that the 10 percent rate of recycling plastics in the USA today is abysmal and reprehensible. That's barely a dent!

> How about animals and birds scavenging on landfills and garbage dumping sites... That's a very, very small amount in the grand scheme of things.

[@MCowie]

Thanks. This is well presented and thought provoking. These are type of environmental discussions that need to happen. Most such discussions are a waste of time.

[@Insomn]

We need to have companies pre-pay the cost of recyling before they can sell their products. This will quickly trim down many unnecessary plastics, reduce overproduction, and eliminate cheap crap products where the true cost was previously absorbed by the failing waste system. Working at a retail store, I can tell you that most of the products we stock on our shelves just collect dust until they go on clearance and then they are sent off to become junk probably. We barely sell as much as we send back. We need an economy that's smarter and can produce the right amount of products to get to the right people when needed. This will probably mean less box stores and more flat-packed self-assembly and distribution warehouses.

[@markdsm-5157]

So what you're saying is.. the taxpayers shouldn't be on the hook for this. The customers should be paying for it. Does it take a PHD to realize they're the same people? So simple minded. BTW, you're in the West.. Most of sea trash is coming from the East, so go ahead and make us pay for someone else's problem.

[@brandonfoley7519]

They will just hand that off to you

[@supernova743]

One thing about progress is that it doesn't happen without pressure. Companies that receive subsidies have much less incentive to innovate. One thing to realize is that consumers ultimately decide which materials products are sold in. I doens't matter how great the product is or what materials its packaged in if the customer doesn't buy it.

[@Jirik0007]

Sorry to inform you, but in EU countries. Every company that creates/imports any product in packaging: plastics, foil, glass, paper cardboard, composite etc. is controlled and must report and pay a fee for each type of material as if it were thrown into nature and not recycled. In our little wine import company, it makes thousands of euros a month. The obligation to report and pay is determined by income and type of business, you cannot hide.

[@JD-ub5ic]

Rubber in tires and paint on infrastructure is a very difficult problem to solve. You could make rubber tire compounds harder so they lose less rubber to the environment, but that's the same thing as saying the tires will have less traction. This would cause more traffic accidents and deaths. You could use less paint on infrastructure, but this would mean more infrastructure failures as environmental corrosion is one of the major causes of failure and liberal use of paint prevents bridges from failing and buildings from leaking and eventually failing. Those are two very difficult problems to solve. What would be much simpler is to first stop throwing plastic into the ocean - I don't mean littering, I mean as you said managing unmanaged waste. There are communities in 3rd world countries where their "landfill" is literally to just throw plastic in the river. they have rivers inches if not feet deep in plastic that is a continuous stream to the ocean. We should hold the manufacturers "cradle to grave" responsible for their plastic. If a plastic bottle is put out into the world, it should be the responsibility of the manufacturer to ensure it is properly disposed of. This could be done through bottle buyback programs like is already done for glass, or by simply taxing the companies for each amount of their plastic that ends up in the environment. This would align the profit motive with the human and environmental motives and give the companies a reason to provide managed waste streams for their products where local governments can't afford to.

[@marcmelvin3010]

The problem with your approach of companies responsible for what happens to their products forever is fourfold. First, companies can have no control of where their products end up, and deciding what is the threshold amount that a company is responsible to clean up is an administrative, diplomatic, and legal nightmare. If a few bottles of something end up on Mt. Everest or the bottom of the Marianas Trench, how could any company afford to clean that up, and under what nations laws do we enforce that? What if the objects end up where they are by some unfortunate means such as a ship sinking? Should the manufacturing corporation be responsible, and if so, why? Secondly, this places an exceptional onus on corporations that produce things, as opposed to those who provide services, which would drive us further toward a service economy, and put more manufacturing in the hands of countries that care less about waste, possibly exacerbating the problem while it destroys what trading advantages we still have left. Thirdly, the added costs incurred by corporations tasked with chasing their products’ refuse all over the globe would end up increasing the cost to consumers substantially, and with little predictability, driving us further into inflation and making our products less salable to foreign markets, which again would induce corporations to move to unregulated nations. Fourthly, there is something morally repulsive about holding anyone or anything, even corporations, responsible for things they cannot control and decisions they can not command, and sets a legal precedent that could and probably would eventually be applied to individuals both in material and non-material issues. You have a party outside, and serve homemade cake and provide bottles of water that have the labels soaked off. Some of it gets dumped in the street as your guests leave. Who is responsible to clean it up? The people who produced the cake mix, or the people that owned the chickens that laid the eggs for the mix, or the water company for the water used in the mix, or the corporation that produced the it of salt in the mix? Or are you responsible, and how does anyone know whose cake it was if no one points a finger? And which corporation is responsible for the water bottles if the label is missing and the manufacturer cannot be determined? Or are your guests legally responsible?

[@JD-ub5ic]

​@@marcmelvin3010 The concept I'm describing is called "cradle to grave" ownership. It means that if you produce something, you're also responsible to provide a disposal path for that thing. I'm not saying the corporation has to go out and clean up the bottle. What I'm saying is that they should provide a disposal path, and for any product they make that is unaccounted for in that disposal path they are taxed to cover the negative externalities that are incurred by the public for that thing. So first, the companies making plastic products would have to provide a disposal path e.g. give us your bottle we dispose of it through our facilities or contractors. This ensures that the company considers disposal when they engineer the product. This is incredibly common for industrial chemicals and similar sorts of products. Second you tax the company for each product they make and refund it when they demonstrate they've disposed of it. Say a few cents per bottle. Now the company's profit motive is aligned with the motive of the people and the environment where it's in their best interests to incentivize people to return the bottles. If the people don't return the bottles, because the company doesn't have free enough access to the disposal path or whatever else, the company just doesn't recoup the tax charged to them when they created the product. This doesn't mean the company is going to have to go out and clean it up (except in the most severe case, with incredibly dangerous products where it the tax for having unacounted for waste may be incredibly high), but it does mean the "cost of doing business" is actually born by the company and not bystanders. Again an example of this is how glass bottles are already treated in many countries simply because theyr'e so expensive to make, there is a glass charge on purchase that is refunded when you bring the bottle back (this is done by the companies not the government, but still). This is the role of government. When the market doesn't price in the negative externalities such as damage to peoples health, destruction of natural resources, etc, the governments role is to step in with either regulation, or with taxes price the market failure back into the market. The cost to the broader economy can be a lot higher than the individual profit earned by that company since the externality is not priced in, that is what is meant by a market failure. This type of legislation already exists and for very good reason. See the Niagra Falls Love Canal disaster and similar disasters if you want to know why PCB's and hazardous chemicals are treated this way. Also see how nuclear waste is treated, and controlled substances. There is plenty of precedent for this I'm not just making it up - I'm an engineer who is familiar with waste disposal and I believe there should be cradle to grave responsibility.

[@DiNY-u9k]

Well, actually, someone suggested Hankook tires to me. They last five years and provide a quiet and comfortable ride. They were Car and Driver's best all weather tires a few years ago.

[@fumaremigel]

@@marcmelvin3010 interesting take. Something to think about.

[@ianl5882]

@@marcmelvin3010wow! What a great thinker! Impressive!!

[@ayoungtricknamedjim5498]

The heaviest cars in general are electric vehicles. They shred tires into dust at triple the speed of a tire on an ICE vehicle. The lie about electric vehicles being better for the environment are really starting to show. From rare earth mining, to the coal and petrol plants that produce the batteries, the power to charge the vehicle, as well as the plants that recycle them.

[@DavidVolz-xz7bl]

I had the same thought about electric vehicles and tires but i am no bug brain like those in charge.

[@benmlee]

Have you looked at the actual weight of an EV compared to a typical luxury sedan? Is really not much difference.

[@unclejoe7466]

EVs don't shred tires at triple the speed of American style SUVs and luxury cars that weigh at least 3 tons. EVs don't shred anything. There is as much material in an EV as a regular car, just new and different sources, and those sources are not as regulated, streamlined, or obscured as the traditional ICE supply chain, but they will be. EVs also conserve brake surfaces with regenerative braking rather than pollute more, which is another fake trop pushed by the ICE industry.

[@NONO-hz4vo]

An Accord for 2025 weighs 1469kg and a 2024 Tesla Model 3 weighs 1831kg. An extra 362kg on a 1469kg vehicle is pretty substantial at ~25%. Due to the non-linear relationship between weight and tire wear this contributes far more than 25% more wear as a lot of the calculations in tire wear involve mass multiplied by other variables. There isn't an easy number to put on this as the tire size and car type will change but it is often 2x as high even in the difference between a normal version and a hybrid. 3x as high isn't normal but can be seen in some instances.

[@davidbuswell5503]

​@@NONO-hz4voa BMW series 3 is the same weight as a Tesla Model 3

[@evabayliss7817]

I can’t tell you how long I’ve waited for someone to share the real truth about plastics 😭😭 thank you!! ❤

[@Lelabear]

George Carlin had a hilarious routine explaining how Mother Nature made humans because she wanted a layer of plastic but couldn't make it herself. Once she has her plastic layer we will become obsolete.

[@williamcozart8158]

It's not news to anyone that there's not a solid whole literal island of plastic in the ocean. It's way more spread out and not always visible with the naked eye, but still a problem that we should absolutely try to fix..

[@dragonsnack1335]

It's news to me. I've been told my entire life that there is a giant island of trash in the middle of the ocean. Twice the size of Texas and thick enough to walk on.

[@tinyky2598]

Speak for yourself, there are countless articles with countless people all referencing and believing that it is Literally a solid mass like how the pictures described. Just because it's not news to YOU doesn't mean no one else can have a different experience lmao get a grip

[@williamcozart8158]

@@tinyky2598 Sorry you have been so misinformed then, stinky

[@williamcozart8158]

@@dragonsnack1335 Can you name an article where that is how it is described?

[@urbanfrog8466]

It's news to me too. And quite a few other people I know. But good to know that you consider anyone who has a different experience to you or thinks differently from you is a no-one.

[@Northidahoshorts]

Gotta love an honest documentary that doesn’t get political. Period

[@zapfanzapfan]

Yeah, and fails to highlight that 90% of that waste is not from the eco conscious high income countries... that diagram at 8:00 is an eye opener.

[@RipliWitani]

She glosses over that fact because WEST is bad lol

[@topherdean1024]

Thank you. As the founder of Clean The Pacific and the President of Recycle Hawaii, I'm glad that you pointed out some of these facts. The biggest one at the end. What incentive does the oil and gas industry have to reduce virgin plastic production? They make wealth by exploiting oil and gas, recycling would reduce demand for oil and gas, so naturally, they do not want plastic recycling. If you hear the industry promoting plastic recycling, THAT'S a flat out lie, they obviously don't want recycling to happen. They're just saying that so you'll stick with the status quo and you won't push for regulations, or worse, stop buying plastic. Clearly, we need to stop single use plastic production immediately. The most recent studies from URI show that these nanoplastics imbed deeply in our brains and in all animal brains, leading to alzheimer's and dementia. We need a cyclical society, not linear. Reuse, not recycle. Glass/metal, not plastic. In my efforts to clean the shores of North Kohala Hawaii, I have found, as you say, 90% of the plastics that I remove are from the commercial fishing industry. And it's not just nets, in that clip you showed of dumping fishing tackle, I notice the ubiquitous laundry basket. Most people wouldn't associate that with commercial fishing, but in fact, they use those baskets to haul around their floats and stuff. They're flimsy and don't last long so they throw them overboard. My vision is to mandate at the UN an inventory of every plastic item on every commercial vessel. If you come back with the same amount of plastic you left port with, no fine, if you don't, you get fined. Another fact I find interesting is that the ocean is the biggest source and creator of microplastics. Macro plastic pollution breaks down rapidly in the ocean from the high alkalinity, exposure to to UV radiation and constant wave action. The plastics break down to the molecular level, causing a slurry of toxic petrochemicals that can extend down 50'. The nanoplastics are in the foam and the wind blows the foam up into the atmosphere where it travels for thousands of miles. My hope is that people won't watch this video for only a few minutes and leave thinking that the Pacific Garbage patch isn't a problem and that it doesn't exist and that it's just another "Liberal conspiracy." Hawaii Island is CHOKING on plastics from the Pacific Garbage patch and you know who else is choking on all that plastic? ALL THE MARINE ANIMALS! It pissed me off that the beginning of this video was making it seem like ocean plastic was good for marine organisms. So I wonder, this video is from Business Insider. Is it possible that the negative information about plastic is at the end of this video because editors at BI know most people won't watch the whole video, and the majority of viewers will only watch the beginning and leave thinking that plastic isn't a problem, in fact, it's good, it helps marine organisms? 😒

[@AkashYadavOriginal]

Can we have our plastic straws back now?

[@dennismsanquini83]

Paper straws are actually more unhealthy because the particles break apart into the drink you ingest.

[@AkashYadavOriginal]

@@dennismsanquini83 The amount of chemicals and glue used to make these abominations is deplorable. We now carry our own plastic straws as we refuse to drink from those paper straws that most restaurants provide.

[@addicted2monster88]

I've yet to see a paper straw 😂

[@AkashYadavOriginal]

​@@addicted2monster88Where do you live man? Over here everyone only offers paper straws. I can only get plastic straws from select stores.

[@sujankgowda4847]

​@@AkashYadavOriginalNah paper straws came up some time ago after the single use ban..now nobody cares and plastic still rules..even packaged drinks don't do paper anymore..not sure about juice centres and restaurants...From Banglore

[@asdasdasdasd8970]

People like to blame soft drinks but the biggest contributor is disposable water bottles. The countries that contribute the most to polluted waterways often have large, densly populated metropolitan cities with limited access to potable water. Water bottles are their only source for cooking, drinking and cleaning and by god do they consume a lot of them.

Have you watched the video at all?

[@classydays43]

America is one of those places. They'd d rather have undrinkable tap water and some capitalistic pride in buying bottled water than address the issue of potable water because the bottled water industry has it in everyone's heads that it's a better option to buy their product.

[@RipliWitani]

America is less than 5% of the worlds population. Try china, inda and the majority of Africa lol.

[@freethebirds3578]

@@classydays43 I drink bottled water, but I do not buy 24 20oz bottles at a time. I use 5-gallon bottles that are reusable. Municipalities have not yet figured out how to make decent water, and some places just have gross water. Here, you get eggs if you have a well, or swimming pool if you get city water.

[@classydays43]

@@freethebirds3578 every developed country in the world has clean water on tap. There's no need to figure it out when the solution has been sorted by someone else and applied domestically. Good luck with the battle, my dude. Drinkable tap water is a wonderful thing

[@ORGANISED-ATOMS]

I just want to hear her talk passionately (on any topic) all day. 🤷‍♂️

[@TheDemontr1]

no one is going to say how gorgeous she is?!

[@ORGANISED-ATOMS]

@@TheDemontr1 I mean that’s kinda where I was going with my comment.

[@y0nd3r]

Nonsense. She has vocal fry. Most women have vocal fry. Idk why that is, but I have to limit my intake. I wish there were software that would filter that sound out of people's voices, because it's super irritating. I even hear guys using it.

[@ORGANISED-ATOMS]

@@y0nd3r yeah, “nonsense” 🙄.

[@crystalclearwindowcleaning3458]

Thank you for giving us real facts and information and approaching this topic from a rational, reasonable viewpoint

[@kaianmonteiro]

We should do a worldwide petition to all plastic producers change their plastic production to algae based "plastic", it's the same machinery to produce and it can be cheaper and biodegradable!!

[@udance4ever]

err & what do u do with all the aggressive petro lobbyists who will find ways to argue otherwise?

[@kaianmonteiro]

@@udance4ever it's the end of petro paradigm.. They are just a few, we are millions, billions..

[@phylippezimmermannpaquin2062]

​@@kaianmonteiro this isnt v for vendetta. We got jobs and responsibilities. Change doesnt work like that

[@ReallyBigBadAndy76]

No, instead we have people protesting the genetically modified algae needed to produce those plastics. The protesters are, in fact, the exact same environmental groups (lobbies, really) that claim they want to reduce plastic use. But they reject alternatives. What they really want is to force everyone to live in squalor.

[@ludo5475]

Bio-based plastic is the exact same plasrtic as petro-based. So, not even a solution. PET and HDPE are the same no matter how they were made.

[@fetB]

look up Andreas Reitmeir, a german guy who invented a way to separate mix plastic with electricity because they have different properties, and he demonstrated etc and because he didnt want to transfer the patent, and deny him funding for "distortion of competition". Mind you, thats what he claims, but worth looking into. If true, its a pretty big deal

[@Iliketochopwood]

I got it. The oil rich countries in the middle east that really want more plastics can take all of the plastic waste bury it in the desert. Then in a thousand years its more oil and boom you have a full renewable system. Or it won't break down and its burred in the middle of nowhere in a desert out of the way either way.

[@mrdeanvincent]

A thousand years is like 0.001% of the time required to form oil. And that's if the conditions are right, which they're not. What you've described is like a regular landfill but worse.

[@shaheedroylance]

​@@mrdeanvincentnah, let him cook. Might take him a few swings, but at least his taking swings.

[@alganhar1]

If it only took a thousand years for all those marine organisms to become oil we would have a whole hell of a lot more of the stuff than we do.

You know, you can just burn the plastic right away for energy? You don't need to turn it into oil first.

[@shawnsg]

I wish they could simplify recycling labeling and make it super obvious. Like on a shampoo bottle there needs to be a recycling logo with a big green check mark as large as the brand logo.

[@dead-claudia]

it's no harder to separate non-recyclable plastic from recyclable ones than it is to separate different types of recyclable plastics. however, we lack a way to efficiently sort plastics that are recyclable from plastics that aren't, and so recycled plastic is rarely used. the bigger problem is that until 2020, we didn't even have a way to recycle thermoset plastics at all (they normally burn before they can melt, and they can often lose their material properties upon melting), and that tech is still very immature. thermoplastics can be readily melted down, but thermoset plastics can't. the real fix is in biodegradable plastic - plastic that can't harm the environment too much.

[@jasonplant5432]

Im reluctant to ingest new info from unknown sources. But this video is extremely important to watch.

[@PSeneca10]

Ban plastics say UN. Yet there are plastic water bottles at the conference!! Do as I say, not as I do.

[@scythelord]

Honestly I agree with banning plastic. We don't need plastic for everything. we did fine without it. There are alternatives. Drinks should NEVER come in plastic. Glass was and still is absolutely viable. Beer certainly has never stopped being sold in glass bottles. Why is it the only one to largely remain glass? Everything else would benefit from it. We could bring back the much more sustainable bottle recycling where they simply wash them and reuse them.

[@kenny69ing]

almost as there is no alternatives yet bay banning it they can move to glass or cans

[@nathanrampage1]

@@scythelordwhile I kinda agree with you, we are actually having a lot of problems gathering the sand we need to make glass.

[@scythelord]

@@nathanrampage1 Because we generally aren't recycling it now. We wouldn't have any issues with it just reusing the same bottles.

[@JW-mb6tq]

Grew up with recyclable glass bottles as a kid. Worked fine. I assume the deposit system was not profitable just a cost of doing business. Yes it was odd to buy bottles that were used, but no one thought anything about it at the time.

[@Slimdude20]

“We could discover a new source of microplastics that’s even bigger [than paint].” Oh boy, do I have news for you…TPO Roofing.

[@themissingsock2437]

oh really?! I didn't know that!! That makes sense though now that you mention it.

[@DiNY-u9k]

Plastic can also be used in roads. When mixed with tar, it causes the roads to be able to expand and contract without being damaged. This leads to fewer road repairs. They had started to do this in some places but then they stopped.

[@christoduplessis8177]

One of my best friends lives right on the beach in Cape Town in South Africa. The amount of pollution in the ocean from when he moved there 10 years ago to now is staggering. This problem has exploded 😢.

[@rods6405]

That might have more to do with who is now running the country!

[@christoduplessis8177]

@rods6405 I think most of that pollution doesn't come from South Africa.

[@rods6405]

@@christoduplessis8177 So in the last 10 years whats changed?

[@danielmccay7130]

Thank you for doing actual journalism! Far too rare these days.

[@ffreitassR]

If you reduce the amount of plastic, what will remain in its place? I mean, you said yourself that even paint contains plastic. If we are talking about disposable items, or food packaging, you will be taking away the ability to preserve them, and using paper packaging is not the solution, since you need to deforest areas to plant trees and it takes more energy to make a paper bag than a plastic one. I'm not even talking about shopping bags, but packaging. For things produced on the spot, for immediate consumption, ok, but what about products that will stay on the shelves for days? Every paper box needs plastic, even aluminum cans need an insulating layer. I agree about reducing chemicals, but I don't know how much this would impact the varieties needed to supply the industries. In the end, it is very easy to say to stop doing something, but not to suggest a viable alternative.

[@shawnsg]

Part of the video's theme is that there isn't any one and done solution.

[@TheBooban]

@@shawnsgyes but it left out incineration. Most environmentalists won’t even look at that option but it’s far better than landfills.

[@labrosz7572]

I think it's a good solution to not need 20 different brands of bread wrapped in plastic on supermarket shelves. You need a bakery on every neighborhood with fresh bread that gets wrapped in paper when someone buys it. Juices, milk, detergent, soaps can all be sold in bulk or with vending machines in reusable glass/stainless bottles. Cheeses, ham etc can also be sold as a fresh cut and not need a plastic container. And food that is not sold should be used for animal feed or compost in a large organized scale. I may be missing something here and of course those changes are not easy to implement especially in megacities, however I think it's a good idea and achievable at least for Europe. But it requires passing laws that don't enforce all these practices strictly, the laws should favor and encourage those practices and let the people choose them because they are best for them.

[@ffreitassR]

@@labrosz7572 The market is there, anyone can try. But in the end, only what is efficient remains, and plastic packaging is still the best way to store perishable products safely (for better or worse). Another thing is waste. Imagine the amount of food that would be thrown in the trash because it was not sold that day. This results in increased costs and prices. About refillable bottles, the idea is not bad, but have you ever thought about why no one does this? Because people don't want to carry around empty bottles. It seems silly, but that's how it is.

[@raymondgagne8363]

@@ffreitassRI don’t agree with you about bottles. I come from a time milk was bottled, pop was bottled, glass was primary container from jams to whatever. People were used to it and can become accustomed to it again. You didn’t have that can or plastic taste in your mouth either, the product tasted much better. I’m all for glass containers and tin containers for bulk purchases. It is also healthier for consumers. If people don’t want to return the glass containers, no problem, leave them on the curb and the homeless will certainly be happy to retrieve them to cash them in to purchase food, clothing, or even shelter. A win win situation 👍

[@peterinbrat]

Don't forget how much of it is ghost nets from fishermen.

[@soundsoflife9549]

How much is?

[@zapfanzapfan]

Didn't she say the garbage patch was 70% (?) fishing gear?

[@blessedbeauty2293]

- *Legit: Unbelievable story* .. Thank you. I wish you had your own channel. No disrespect. 😊❤

[@alainvosselman9960]

Thank you for having spent time on this and sharing with us ! I wasn't aware. I know of the Ocean Cleanup project of this young guy who by now has created a fleet of filter boats cruising the ocean picking up plastics and recycling them on board back to plastic marbles to be reused by industry. My view : I think it's almost impossible to believe that in the year 2024 with proper research (which is costly) a different material can be invented/produced that is far less taxing on the environment. It's amazing that there's so many scientists/ companies/ inventors who what ? CAN NOT find a better material ? Or simply don't want to bother having to go thru the horrendous task, undergoing the pain and suffering that goes along with having to care about something ??

[@jamesmecham4266]

The heaviest vehicles are Electric. Therefore, their tires shed at the highest rates.

[@smacloopy4029]

Yes, EVs are much heavier and burn through tires faster due to high tork.

[@GlurglePop]

It’s good to hear a nuanced analysis from a sober source.

[@RipliWitani]

Even tho she fails to mention that waste mismanagement is caused by countries who lie about waste control. China, India and the Phillipines are bug culprits in the lie. We pay these countries to recycle and process the plastic but they dont.

[@SharynS.]

💊 As someone who takes over a dozen of pills a day, I bring home a *lot* of those brown pharmacy bottles. As best I can, I pull the labels off the empty bottles and toss them in my recycling bin. But I don’t know that the plastic bottles are getting recycled and I actually am kind of afraid they aren’t. I’ve asked several pharmacies if their [big box] stores have recycling programs but they stare at me like that’s the most ridiculous thing they have ever heard. It would be nice if some thought would be put into how to get your meds to you safely but also in a way that is beneficial (or at least not detrimental) to the planet. 🌎

[@soundsoflife9549]

When it goes into the recycle bin, it is no longer your problem. We pay so much already for our services for us to worry about someone else not doing their job properly.

[@y0nd3r]

The medical industry has an insane amount of plastic package waste. They have a lot of single use stuff that has to be covered in plastic for sanitary reasons.

[@martinclemesha8889]

Useful video for those interested in better understanding polymer pollution. It’s a very complex issue and caping production will only cause inflation which affects the poor more than the wealthy. Changing business models, producing safer chemicals, and better distributing wealth are more effective ways forward.

[@VanIslandsiren]

There are failed artificial reefs made from tires, no one is cleaning them up. I wonder how much tire particles come from these 🙈

[@Fujoshi1412]

And some made of metal and cement. And this is to help promote the growth of coral. I could imagine the tires got infused with some coral or pumped with calcium which is something they need to help built themselves.

[@Incomudro1963]

Some are being cleaned up. Most of the tire debris comes from the wear of the tire as it is used.

[@VanIslandsiren]

@@Fujoshi1412 The tires didn’t work for artificial reefs, but you are absolutely right that we have successfully made artificial reefs from sinking things like boats

[@alganhar1]

@@VanIslandsiren And various concrete structures, still experiments in that regard to find out the best methods, shapes and concrete mixes.

[@reallauradee]

Remember when they told us the straws are killing all the ocean life and forced those gross paper straws? Pepperidge farm remembers.

[@jujitsujew23]

Just follow the Ocean Cleanup…

[@Mike-tu7uw]

That is such a load of horseshit.

[@Cronik2783]

how so? ​@@Mike-tu7uw

[@randomjasmicisrandom]

None of this lying about what the great pacific garbage patch is or where it comes from has been from the ocean cleanup. They have been clear about how diffuse the patch is and how you can’t walk around on it, and how so much of the plastic is made up by ghost nets from fishing fleets. They also deal with the shoreline pollution with the river projects.

[@jujitsujew23]

@@Mike-tu7uw what are you talking about? Plenty of the clips she used were from the Ocean Cleanup…you have no clue if you think they are “horseshit” as you out it

[@johnl5316]

The 'patch' does not exist. There is no evidence for its existence

[@sujesh4684]

Watching this is like reading a paper from a sustainability journal. So much research and analysis. Great job explaining.

[@lkhvw2042]

Tell me you're funded by big oil without telling me...

[@Monkehrawrrr]

Ya wtf is this haha

[@vsznry]

Hope The Ocean Cleanup can make a difference.

[@relicgamer2137]

I like how you mentioned large heavy vehicles like SUVs wearing out tires faster and didn't mention how EVs do this and even more so. Also one should add the environmental disasters they have been making when they catch fire. And more so by percentage. And the amount goes back into the environment when putting these fires out.

[@paulc6766]

Not EVs.

[@MustachioFurioso9134]

There was only one study that said this, and that study drove the EVs very hard (hard acceleration and braking), not how most drive them.

[@adrianalexandrov7730]

@@paulc6766 more weight, more tyre wear

[@kaelthunderhoof5619]

Also there's no proper way to dispose EV batteries.

[@dead-claudia]

@@MustachioFurioso9134it's pretty easy to tell indirectly that evs are burning through tires faster - the tire industry sees it at around a factor of 3-4x that of a gas car (they see it through purchase frequency), and it's mainly caused by excessive torque causing accidental wheelspin when accelerating at low speeds or from a stop. (when it's wet, this is even easier.) it's a solvable problem, just requires some research bc it's not as simple as increasing tread depth.

[@gdibble]

👏 _Excellent journalism._ Best I've seen on this topic.

[@johnshultz2437]

A conversation about the costs of plastic without the benefits is not rational. Stop pretending like plastic production is arbitrary or malevolent.

[@chadchadchadchadchad]

"Plastic was invented by Dr. John Shultz 2435. 3% of all profits from plastic products go directly to his grandson."

[@philjohnston7920]

well plastic comes from oil after all. as does most of the clothing worn by the western world. so to think the oil industry is going to stop any time soon is ludicrous.

[@RipliWitani]

Western world? Lol india and China don't use plastic?

[@daviddeshazo5183]

I hope we can make them make easier plastics to recycle. Or make BIO plastics that will breakdown and not harm the environment.

[@bartymurns]

Bio plastics are generally not much better at breaking down. In many cases they are identical to petro-chemical plastics, it is just that the source material is not fossil oil.

[@krumbadschniedl2539]

well thats what makes plastic so useful, the fact that it doesnt break down

[@molallamerica896]

Governments in all countries need to refine waste management. Consumers need to demand a move back to metal and glass. Stanley cups instead of single use plastic bottles.

[@CK-wo1ly]

I don't want to live in a world where sea animals and natural organisms are living on plastic. But that's just me.

[@zacharyvanderklippe5855]

Why does she start calling people out for blaming consumers for littering, and pointing out that most plastic in the environment is due to waste mismanagement. Then pivots to blaming over production... obviously reducing consumption in North American isn't going to help at all with waste mismanagement in other countries.

[@alganhar1]

She is not pivoting. She is LAYERING. What she is ACTUALLY saying is look, plastic pollution is MORE COMPLEX THAN YOU HAVE BEEN TOLD. But you are still looking for the easy answer despite that. What she is ACTUALLY stating is that the problem is with ALL of those things. Waste mismanagement, poor recycling practices, over production, and so on. The problem is not ONE thing, but all of them combined. And to combat it we have to come up with solutions to ALL of those issues, as dealing with only one will have little impact on the problem as a whole.

[@RipliWitani]

The solution is burning or landfills. The countries that recycle lie about it to make money. The Phillipines recycles the most plastic coming from North America. They get a bunch of money then throw the plastic in the ocean. Same thing happens in Asia and Africa. In the West the recycling plants are banned, so only the old plants can recycle.

[@ganondorf66]

​@@alganhar1 if you're compounding all reasons. It's kind of weird to ignore the two biggest reasons.

[@f.u.c8308]

• We send our trash over there • Our trash goes into the environment too • We have to control what is ours to control

[@stevodakine1]

We can’t even stop people from throwing dirty diapers in the parking lots. It’s still beyond me when I see that. There are many many people who do not think twice about littering. We need to fix people so we can fix the environment.

[@danhtran6401]

Pay them ... Set up a system they can turn in the trash for money.... Give homeless people something to do ....even better, credits, so they can get food ..

[@dinghao3107]

​@@danhtran6401 people will thrpw the thrash, and pick the same thrash up claiming ceedit for the work. I hate humans

[@redbeardreturns3550]

Ya can't fix stupid or spiteful people.

[@Rob-oz3gf]

Gulags Comrade?

[@kontopoulos3107]

PLUS -Masks, mcdonalds/ takeaway food containers, beer/soda coke cans/bottles, drug needles & wrappers, straws, plastics, bags Even orange peels ... YES (in)humans are the problems on all levels, then add politicians & media & the puppetmasters to this man-made sewer... no wonder people want to move to Mars!

[@colbr6733]

Very informative, wasn't expecting to hear plastic production will increase so quickly.

[@andreacasagrande2866]

I agree that we must reduce the amount of plastic produced, because it’s a serous problem, but with what are we going to replace it? If we are going to reduce the amount of plastic produced we need regulation for the new product, because the majority of time the replacing product have a bigger carbon footprint than plastic product, so increasing the production of them to substitute plastic we are increasing the carbon emitted in the atmosphere, which is also a huge problem. If it was that easy we would have a,ready done it. We need better regulation for the life cycle of every product we make, not only plastic, there are more enemies out there.

[@vasilikosolov]

It's like the video is attacking already environment conscious countries instead of calling out major polluters such as China especially china, India and countries in Africa.

[@bradbiesecker162]

@@vasilikosolov The maker of the video is not attacking environmentally conscious countries; she is speaking truth about the source of pollution and the message being given by environmentalists and the media. If you're hearing the truth and you feel like you're being attacked, then I think you were too isolated and ideologically focused in how you came to view the world

[@bradbiesecker162]

@@vasilikosolov and since countries and people and the media are putting out their views to the public in a public forum, it is anyone's right to critique their message

[@festerofest4374]

I spend time in the Dominican Republic, and the amount of plastic trash thrown into the rivers that gets washed out to sea is massive. Trash everywhere near the mouths of rivers, depending on the weather etc.

[@bradbiesecker162]

@@festerofest4374 so what is the cause of all that trash making its way to the sea? With whom does the responsibility lay?

[@festerofest4374]

@@bradbiesecker162 People who live along these rivers (there are many) throw their trash in as a means of disposal.

[@xManzi]

Guys, it's ok... We are safe. They took away plastic straws and substitued them with paper ones that can't last long enough to drink the whole glass. Also, don't forget that now we have bottle caps connected to the bottle... We are safe, God is in his throne and all is good with the world...

[@hinglemccringleberry9138]

We only lost plastic straws because of that one coked up turtle.

[@xManzi]

@@hinglemccringleberry9138 a great loss is great because of what we lost, not the reason for the loss that happened. 🤭 Also, f the turtles🤟🏻

[@ImTimT.]

The bottle cap idea is a good one though.

[@xManzi]

@@ImTimT. No, it is not. It is one of the stupidest ideas for "caring about planet" that they had. Because those who reuse bottles for other stuff just messes up with closing the cap, and it is too easy to break it off. They only managed to use more plastic in an attempt to use and throw away less plastic 😂

[@KevinDees-mx1nk]

Thank you for the unbiased information and for referencing your material like a true professional. Well done! It drives me nuts to see the status quo and all the False virtue around the situation.

[@tomanicodin]

At this point, corporations are so big and powerful that, what's the point of tryharding while we are being pissed on from above?

[@berserkerscientist]

Stop buying plastics. Its all in your hands.

Ha, you wish! If corporations were so powerful, we would probably have better regulations. Instead we get silly things like minimum wages and restrictions on immigration in much of the world.

[@oldtimers6460]

Honest report, refreshing to see. I had read a report claiming that the great sea garbage patch was nearly gone due to cleanups by specialist ships. No wonder people are sceptics these days.

[@ganondorf66]

It's growing faster than they can take out

[@josephchatfield3983]

Instead of burning coal in power plants burn plastics

[@FilipDworniczak]

I also wonder if this can be achieved - in smart way - so all toxic chemicals released in the process are somehow intercepted

[@zapfanzapfan]

If not power plants then at least for district heating.

[@VaporheadATC]

I highly doubt plastic burns hot enough to make that a viable solution.

[@zapfanzapfan]

@@VaporheadATC We burn it with other trash for district heating. There is a steam turbine making some electricity but most of the energy goes out with the cooling water into the district heating system.

[@enemyspotted2467]

Yeah, terrible idea unless you’re a fan of lung disease and smog. Burning trash releases a shit load of carcinogens, toxic and greenhouse gasses, unburned particles, soot, etc. New York City used to incinerate it’s garbage until they outlawed it.

[@dhargest]

Thank you so much for such a thorough report on such a complicated subject. And for putting the citations in the description.

[@billwendt9571]

Passing laws at the UN won't make a difference. BUT, using technology to find a way to MAKE MONEY from plastic trash by turning it into building products, road surfaces, etc - WILL WORK.

[@tealkerberus748]

Considering the health impacts on humans from exposure to microplastics, I would be very opposed to having road surfaces made from plastic. We already have microplastic particles from tyres that are so small, they not only pass from our lungs into our blood, but the cross the barrier from our blood into our brain too. Microplastic particles have also been found in human semen samples and various other parts of the body where we really don't want them. These compounds are toxic, mutagenic, carcinogenic, and cause neurological disorders. We need to stop manufacturing them, and we need to find ways to remove them from our environment.

[@y0nd3r]

Like Mike Reynolds and the folks at Earthship Biotecture.

[@dexterm2003]

We would be a lot further ahead if we followed the model of many of the Scandinavian countries. They have robust waste to energy which creates a "demand" for waste streams so that they can be converted in to power. They also use combined heat and power plants which utilize the waste heat to heat their homes. In Sweeden only 1% of their garbage goes to the landfill and many Scandinavian countries have a very high recycling rate. Many of the worst culprits for marine pollution are poor countries which do not have the infrastructure to collect or properly dispose of waste. If they were incentivized with reduced power bills and district cooling system they would likely dispose of more of their trash rather then mismanaging it.

[@privatesarusollamia4698]

Poor people don't have time to think about their impact on the environment... They're all occupied in what to do to stay alive and be able to eat the following days. My thoughts are to solve some environmental issues we should also try to solve problem about poverty. If everyone is well fed enough, maybe then they can start to think about the environment.

[@Xanaduum]

Wealthy countries show that wouldn't necessarily happen. ​@@privatesarusollamia4698

[@y0nd3r]

@@privatesarusollamia4698 how could we incentivize front yard food gardens? If we had a Federal Jobs Guarantee, we could train the under-employed to help maintain them.

[@mormeir339]

People forgot how to use their brain so much , connecting plastic amount we produce to amount of plastic being thrown away is a controversial issue. All types of crisis today are connected to the crisis in the education system, focus on the roots of all of the problems.

[@BarrGC]

Or maybe a big part of the problem is we are a hysterical species of alarmists and treat everything as if it's a crisis nowadays, as you have just illustrated

[@RipliWitani]

The educated ones are the ones who created the plastic. The environment people are also radical and educated, they completely ignore that 90% of plastic waste comes from developing countries

[@BarrGC]

@@RipliWitani There is so much logic that educated people are willing to ignore when it comes to anything that is remotely politicized, it's pretty disheartening

[@SuperDancollins]

Excellent report! Nice work. Thank you so much!