The surprising solution to ocean plastic | David Katz

[@bdlp1403]

We need to change the way we package everything, specially small pieces of useless plastic that is hard to recycle. One time use plastics should be banned.

[@springrollwang4441]

I think it will be easier to dump plastic directly into the Ocean, by not sending plastic waste to poor country and dump in their Ocean, at least you save some green house gas.

[@mickeyj6419]

@@springrollwang4441 that's a TERRIBLE idea omygosh

[@Well_possibly]

evolunter, you might want to rethink that. It's common knowledge that reused plastic water bottles harbor bacteria.

[@benjaminbenavidesiglesias52]

That's for sure. First of all.

[@zeebeefpv2273]

one time use plastics should be recycled if clean or go to the landfill, and thats it. Everyone seems to believe that plastics is not supposed to be in a landfill, but thats the perfect place for it. it sits there and does nothing to the environment, we cover it up and build a park on it. trying to recycle dirty or exotic plastics is nasty and expensive, we should have just sent it to the landfills or burn it (with ash capture) and very little would have ended up in the ocean

[@user-jt1jv8vl9r]

The first thing we need to ban is bottled water. It's totally unnecessary and instead there should be drinking water available everywhere and we can carry reusable bottles.

[@skipperofschool8325]

I strongly fucking agree.

[@em2106]

R yeah too bad a lot of people are just lazy

[@damiansconberg4715]

Nope because bottled water makes more profit so that automatically means we should continue down that path and destroy the planet

[@sheepieworks4974]

@Medic Engineer no mate it's not a scam. the difference between bottled water and tap water is that in tap water there are chemicals and a lot of lime which is not harmful to the human body but makes it taste different which bottled water doesn't have. it's also great for people that go to contries where the water cleaning is different and might give you bacterial infections and food posioning since you;'re not used to it.

[@zerotolerance5581]

I live downhill from a landfill. No, I'm not drinking my tap water.

[@mahirorigami]

Set the playback speed to 1.25x You're welcome.

[@nathanmoore2687]

Mahir Cave genius thanks

[@TheVigilante2000]

1.5x is even better.

[@Smico85]

Came here to say the same thing in the same words :D *fistbump*

[@calliph]

Yeah. This dude emphasizes waaaaay too many words. Thank you based KZbin gods.

[@PantsB4Squares]

Its about the dramatic effect. I should have read this comment first. Hahah

[@aasemal-lmki8286]

Why not stop producing plastic in the first place. Or using biodegradable alternative plastic

[@droid_protocol_official]

aasem al-lmki it’s the next step

[@sugabopp]

because there is no other material like plastic, its cheap, strong and easy to use. so thats why we use plastic in everything

[@AClRCLEOFLlGHT]

The rest of the world couldn't afford it. The majority of the Earth's population is below the American poverty line, and plastic in all it's ease and cheapness, has given people access to and the ability to buy things they'd never be able to otherwise.

[@aasemal-lmki8286]

@@AClRCLEOFLlGHT i hope we find cheaper and better alternative and adapt it as soon as possible.

[@vishwateja315]

Search for envigreen. They make biodegradable bags which are substitute for plastic.

[@pambennett8967]

Hemp used to be mandatory to grow. Make it mandatory again. You can make plastic from it and it degrades

[@Epck]

Lol so true and paper

[@tparker2095]

@@Epck Paper comes from Trees, the demand for paper material will cut down 10 times the amount of trees when you ban plastic.

[@Epck]

@@tparker2095 yeah the reason I appreciate hemp is because it would become a substitute for the trees in paper manufacturing

[@Epck]

@@tparker2095 and I dont want to ban plastic I want to unban "hemp"

[@zeebeefpv2273]

you need to know that in order to make "biodegradable" plastics from hemp or any other plant, you need to add chemicals to it that make it totally NON-Organic. So the result of its breakdown is the same methane off-gassing as paper or other organics in landfills but it cannot be collected and reused like organic compost. Also there is a very limited number of uses for these types of bio-plastics because they do not have near the wide range of qualities and uses as olefin-plastics. Plus, I believe we need to focus all of our plant growing technology on making food for people, NOT for packaging! Plastic is perfect in a landfill, and the carbon used to make it is sequestered within it. It does not leach into the soil, and is a stable base for future (park) construction on the site of a decommissioned landfill. Its OK to be human, and it is OK as a human to have some waste. We need to continue to reduce and properly manage the waste, recycle all that we can, and know exactly the limitations of the waste/recycling infrastructure in the areas where we live so we dont send off worthless dirty "recyclates" to third world countries where it is easier for them to just dump it in the river instead of properly processing it like they say they will do. I really like hemp, but plastics has saved my life and affects people more positively than they will ever realize.

[@MsAwesomeify]

His analogy is "turn off the tap before cleaning up" His solution is to clean up the plastic, but didn't mention reducing plastic consumption 🤔

[@Teyrxq8]

recycling or stop using plastic

[@nikolademitri731]

Consumption isn’t as big a problem as production. Consuming the plastic, as long as it’s recycled (both a product made by recycled plastic, and recycled by the consumer), would effectively solve the problem (not perfectly, but substantially). If this was done on a massive scale, the tap would basically be off, though it would almost definitely be a slightly leaky faucet. Ensuring this model is the primary model means that less (new) plastic is being produced, and less plastic is going into the ocean. Idk, if you follow the whole thing through, I think the analogy does actually work. ✌🏼

[@editorjohn8803]

What you're saying Lincoln is a lot of words with no content. You're a platitude. This TED talk addresses one aspect of the plastic problem with a very good solution. Don't conflate issues.

[@ronaldkelly2234]

Lincoln The whole plastic cycle has many aspects of it. Don't throw his idea into the landfill simply because it doesn't address the who plastic cycle. That's just foolish. Many other people, I'm sure, are working furiously on all aspects of the plastic cycle.

[@MyOneEdit]

I think his analogy of “turn of the tap” means stop plastics from going to the ocean by recycling. He offers one solution.

[@elizabethbutler8641]

Manufacturing companies. They are the SOURCE of the plastic. We're not putting pressure on them.

[@sophia6297]

Amen 🙌

[@sophia6297]

I feel the same way about oil companies. We need to limit them, as they are the SOURCE.

[@cavewallmedia]

Yes good point as well. All part of "The Fix" for the global discarded plastic problem. . . to create alternatives. . .then to choose to only use these alternatives. . . will affect the companys producing the "bad" stuff. . it is market forces. . . and will indeed get to the souce.

[@dlmalley8639]

Sense PLASTICS are Oil based... It's the Big Oil Corporations that are ruining our FUTURE with Toxic Pollution. Plastic made from plant based cellulose is more Earth Friendly.

[@jewelweed6880]

We buy it, so they sell it. If we won't give them money, they have to change. But it takes effort and thinking on our parts, and a willingness to deal without certain conveniences. It would be easier for us if they change first. But it's easier for them to just keep doing what makes them money and is easiest on them. Vicious circle.

[@KungFuBlitzKrieg]

Your metaphor is flawed. Recycling is not equivalent to turning off the tap. It's more like bailing one side of the overflowing sink into the other side so less water (plastic) hits the floor (ocean). It may slow the rate of plastic entering the ocean, but the core problem remains. Until we ban the creation and distribution of single-use plastic bags, containers, utensils, etc., the plastic "tap" will remain open, and the ocean will remain at risk.

[@veduh]

KungFuBlitzKrieg his metaphor connects the main source of plastic in our oceans is impoverished communities who have no choice but to live in squalor- so they are turning off the “tap” of the main source- by turning that trash that has no place but in the streets in those communities into a currency and a way improve their life.

[@PantsB4Squares]

Time to give the elderly jobs. Put them in the sweat shops croaqueing grocery bags. That will help a portion..

[@joshtrudgeon5337]

exactly. according to analogy- plastic is the water, production and consumption industry of plastic is the water pressure, and the sink/kitchen is planet earth enter he he sees people with no supplies. He then began talking about how he was going to source the supplies for life to people who didnt have any, as long as they began using eye droppers to clean the overflowing sink in the kithen. droppings are to be collected in a bowl I transform their droppings into bowl of baby jesus tears of infinite value. I give their lives meaning and worth as people pay exorbitant amounts to pick droplets from my jusus tears of infinite value *applause*

[@joshtrudgeon5337]

no way solves the problem, and wastes time and energy toiling with the spoil

[@louisrifat2647]

kungfu and bytheunknown both very right - combined; now need to look at getting it out of the seas and stopping it getting there in the first place.

[@nickvoutsas5144]

Do not listen to your critics. Your contributions to saving the world will become your legacy. It’s people like you who give hope to the hopeless. Well done my friend.

[@robertosaja]

very interesting speech. And thank you, for seaking slowly, so I had understand better, because I'm not english motherlanguage. Thank you

[@danceswithcritters]

all you pessimists here, it's not perfect but it's far better than doing nothing.Sure there is profit to be made, is that so wrong?

[@amisfitpuivk]

It’s easier for them to call bullshit and say it won’t work and go about their tunnel vision lives rather than accept a subtle change in what they buy could possibly slow down the polution of the planet. Thank to denial, they are also immortal!

[@manfredschmalbach9023]

Yes, making that sort of profit in that sort of business with this sort of "business partners on the collector side IS in deed extremely wrong, but as long as this cynical approach works it's still better than nothing in terms of "closing the tap".

[@de0509]

ikr. The only reason the world was so hyped with solar power last year was because they found it got cheaper than coal. "The" coal, the one energy source thats supposed to be dirty but also cheap... and solar beat it in terms of price (at least in the middle east) World doesnt run fueled by goodwill and hippie thoughts. People can hate reality if they want, but reality is that people cannot work for free. Its not even a capitalism thing. Its reality. If you earn nothing, you cant feed yourself, and you cannot top up the energy you spent while doing good deeds, meaning you cannot do the good deeds anymore (because youre dead). Money isnt some kinda "necessary evil". Its a tool. Whether this tool is used for good or evil depends on the user

[@brittasings]

Someone who says "why dont we stop producing plastic..." is not pessimistic 😂

[@MT-ub8qg]

This is not a profitable enterprise by any stretch of the imagination and relies on dead end funding. Love the idea but this is a pipe dream.

[@andreograndedotatuape7447]

David, I cried watching your talk....your idea and ambition are encouraging....I want to join your platform here in São Paulo, Brazil...you are the man!

[@ihadagreatideaformynamebut1686]

Right, agreed. I just want to bring attention that it's not just one person “turning off the tap so the water wouldn't spill“. There's so many of us and not everyone concentrates or is skilled at one type of helping the environment. What this man is doing is from a completely different field than someone who would clean the oceans directly. And what he is doing might be absolutely necessary but it will take years for it to show results. The same goes for cleaning the oceans. But since it requires people from different fields I don't think it is necessary to start with one and finish with another. They should be happening at the same time, working hand in hand.

[@HakuCell]

the fundamental problem remains the current economic system, as in a monetary-market economy there is no profit in being eco-friendly (in fact taking care of sustainability might even have some extra costs), and in general there's no profit in taking care of health and well-being (on social, environmental and individual levels). if there is no profit in doing something, industries won't do it: either because they can't afford it (due to economic competition with other industries) or because they have become addicted to profit /power (which is an understandable symptom /consequence of living in a unhealthy economic system, which also correlates with the quality /health of society and culture). programmes like the one proposed in this video can alleviate plastic waste and the respective pollution, but if we wanna "turn off the tap", as he said at the beginning of the video, if we wanna address the root cause of the problem (which also happens to be the root cause of many big problems and of much sickness and suffering in our societies) then the "tap" is the current economic system. pollution (like the other problems i mentioned) is not a technical or technological problem: we do have the tools to clean the oceans and to produce goods and in general to live, as societies, in a completely ecologically-sustainable way. the problem is economic. another example is how eco-friendly alternatives are often suppressed by big industries as, otherwise, their profits and possibly their economic survival would be threatened. there are alternatives which would technically be feasible if enough people were willing to stand for them, or which might eventually be taken into consideration by governments anyway as the current system gets closer and closer to collapse, due to ecological crises and technological unemployment (due to automation); if u wanna learn more on this whole topic, the starting point id currently recommend is www.nlrbe.org (which stands for "natural law resource-based economy"), as at the bottom of that page u will also find 2 links that will bring u to the 2 main projects that i know of on this topic; i also recommend their most viewed videos (which are their main documentaries) on their respective youtube channels

[@C00kii0]

This sounds intresting...Collect the plastic and feed your family. The homless in my area would thrive from this idea. Making plastic a kind of currency seems like a perfect set up.

[@eclipse5393]

Plenty of homeless people already do this. It doesn't work in 1st world countries where the cost of living is higher.

[@garyconnors9837]

@@eclipse5393 and that is why this is not a solution, it would cause gentrification of the third world, which is good, but after that the citizens of the newly third world countries would produce more garbage and they won't need to recycle it.

[@kathyyoung1774]

How about requiring many welfare families to collect a certain amount. I know many able bodied people on welfare who can’t be bothered to work but have time to watch a lot of TV and go to bars.

[@johnholloway9441]

Ingenious solution to help solve the global plastic problem and help the developing countries as well. The industrialized countries are not going to stop using plastic and this is the best step I've seen so far in addressing this issue on a global scale. I noted that reading the comments below, no one has a better idea. Glass is too heavy (shipping cost) and breaks, some recycling areas in Florida have stopped accepting glass because there is no resale value. Companies like McDonald's have started to attempt making paper coffee cups that will hold up to heat for at least 12 hours, so far they haven't got a good solution, but companies like them will find one.

[@edaniellevideos]

Was so excited when he started off with "the solution to stopping the flood is turning off the faucet", aka stopping the plastic problem at the source....... but then he just talked about dealing with the end result aka pollution, which won't solve the overall problem.........

[@lillili77]

Elizabeth Danielle agreed. I think that this needs to happen simultaneously but as he said, when people are that poor it's hard to worry about recycling. So this way they are dealing with one part of the problem. We need to lobby governments around the world to ban single use plastics alongside this initiative.

[@camelCase1-f5l]

no one thing solves the overall problem. The "overall" solution is, in fact, a mesh of smaller solutions that have the same goals in mind act on different angles.

[@brittasings]

His plan is literally a bucket and mop🤣

[@privateperson5054]

I can't believe all of you totally missed what he said. 80% of plastic in oceans comes from poor countries. This is turning off the tap.

[@jewelweed6880]

@@camelCase1-f5l Yes! Exactly. No one thing will fix the problem. It must be hit from every angle.

[@lajwantishahani1225]

The option of bartering plastic garbage for necessary commodities will encourage many to use more plastic than before. My state has put a total ban on plastic with a few exceptions including food packaging and medicines. So while the new packaging is compulsorily of higher microns, many supermarkets are buying back the food packaging material at a nominal price; this will make people actively recycle what otherwise would be headed for the landfills and oceans.

[@monikanowotny1766]

It seems to be a good idea, but to make poor people clean up the mess we first world people make is questionable!

[@kamlarampersaddesilva3679]

Totally agree

[@springrollwang4441]

But I love to see Sea Bird suffocating.

[@jandrews6254]

Now, two years later in 2020, some of those poor countries are refusing to take first world’s recycling garbage and they’re sending it back to whence it came.

[@ericksonjustinAK]

What ignorant virtue signaling dribble. Most of the garbage in the ocean comes from 3rd world countries that have major rivers flowing through them. 90% comes from the major rivers flowing through 3rd world countries. Look it up. I’m all for helping those countries provide sanitation services to the poor villages and help those cultures have a shift in habits... as long as it doesn’t involve European or US politicians who will try to make it into a game of “I’m better than this guy. Vote for me to help you feel better about yourself and better than all of the people that vote for my opponent .” That crap gets us no where but to division.

[@nextlevelgamingplayer]

@@ericksonjustinAK Couldn't agree more. They pollute the ocean, so what better an opportunity for them but to clean up their mess whilst making a living out of it? I'd say they should be very thankful, and we should too.

[@lindaclasson1088]

Because it's such a huge problem, the plastic scourge isn't going to be solved with a single approach. The ultimate answer is to eliminate it and replace with something environmentally safe. But that's not going to happen any time soon. In the meantime we need to clean up the mess we've made and continue to make every day. It's going to take a diverse toolkit with many different approaches: Reducing our use. Banning or charging for plastic bags. Cleaning up the gyres. The Plastic Bank is yet another tool in the toolkit.

[@bouncedancer]

How can anyone vote thumbs down for this? It's brilliant, and not even a pipedream -- it's already a reality! Very exciting. Thank you, Mr. Katz.

[@GABRIEL-dz9mh]

They are probably oil industry masters/CEOs/oil rig owners

[@70ME3E]

so many underappreciating and misunderstanding comments with many thumbs up below.. it's crazy. I think this is one of the very best things humanity can do against the problem right now, nothing less. great work Sir, God bless you

[@therealcoolio3267]

Wonderful idea!!! This and the great ocean cleanup project launched at the pacific garbage patch recently are part of the sweeping fixes taking place to make a world of difference.

[@cjpsmachado]

Yes recycling is a good options as a midway plan while we don't ban plastic from our society as a spread material all over use. We need plastic, we may very well always need it, and if so will also always need to recicle it, but we need to rethink it's use and meanwhile have to clean up the mess we already made. Ocean cleanup is until now the best practical, economically viable and down earth executable way to do it. Anyway we need all the good ideas possible to help acting against this cancer, so in the end it's a good idea also.

[@camelCase1-f5l]

Most underrated TED talk.

[@destinyyork4324]

Mr. Katz, I found it very admirable how much you seem to truly care about the ongoing problem of ocean pollution. It is a factor that many people are beginning to become concerned about. There are also many sources that agree with plastic pollution being the leading contributor to ocean pollution, such as the International Union for Conservation of Nature stating that plastic makes up 80% of all marine debris, ranging from both surface waters, to deep-sea sediments (International Union for Conservation of Nature). With this being stated, it also contradicts your idea of not cleaning the ocean at all, but instead “turning off the tap”. This is reasonable solution, but has some flaws when regarding all of the plastic that is still left in the ocean. Some continued points that support this suggestion is that while there is at least 14 million tons of plastic that ends up in the ocean every year, there is over 300 million ton of plastic that are produced every year (International Union for Conservation of Nature). More of a reason to “turn off the tap” instead of focusing on just cleaning the ocean. In this scenario the ocean will never truly be cleaned as long as there is still new plastic being produced, which is where the idea of Katz’s Plastic Bank would come in (TedTalk). Commenter Shane McDaniel also makes a good point on the subject by stating “As he said " part of the solution". We are not going to eliminate plastic but we can limit our dependency and put much greater controls how it is controlled. This solution can be scaled up all over the world and make a serious contribution to the problem of plastic in our oceans. Combining this with bans on single use plastic globally we are beginning to solve this huge problem.” (McDaniel) While strong points were made there are multiple others that need to be brought up in concern with the flaws of the plan with the “Plastic Bank.” One of these being made by commenter “I Had A Great Idea For My Name But Then I Forgot it” is bringing the attention to the fact that there is so many people required for this field that it would take a long time to actually show results, and that instead of just sticking with the one solution where we focus on “turning off the tap” that both the Plastic Bank solution and the Ocean Cleanup Project should go hand in hand and work together at the same time in order to show faster, more efficient results (It). This is a strong argument because implementing the plastic bank in countries that are not in states of poverty could take years to take effect and then longer to actually show results. Another concern to look into, one that first came to my mind when I watched this video, is the fundamental problem that remains within our economic system, while it is a healthier way of life, unfortunately there is no profit on being “eco-friendly”, if anything there might even be some extra cost involved. This point could cause lack of appeal to the target audience when trying to expand this solution to other countries. A source that looks further into this idea and helps explain exactly what the issues with our economic system is, is the webpage “Natural Law Resource-Based Economy”. One of their projects, otherwise known as the Zeitgeist Movement, is a advocacy organization that focusing on the majority of the modern world’s social problems, including mounting ecologic crises ( (Natural Law Resource-Based Economy). After reviewing a couple different sources, including ones suggested by commenters, I have to disagree with the idea Katz suggest with completely ignoring ocean cleanup and only focusing on limiting plastic production and recycling old plastics. It would be a more efficient method of both ocean cleanup and “turning off the tap”. If anything, the ocean cleanup can help be a head start while the Plastic Banks try to spread and make their ways into countries who are not in states of poverty.

[@chandlerbing700]

Lot of potential in India...how can I be apart of this ?

[@collybeans586]

Drop and give me ten!

[@davidjames666]

Send a toilet to India

[@sreeharic536]

@@davidjames666 can you send back what they take during colonization.after that we will send a golden toilet

[@sreeharic536]

@@davidjames666 we have the best democratic system so any indian will not worry about corruptive qov. Will not last.

[@anishkumaran9256]

dream travel as an Indian, I can say that the ind govt is corrupt af

[@elsahunter6303]

this is so incredible, i love his mentality "turn off the tap". Such a smart idea, helping people better themselves well helping our planet.

[@tarasmith2029]

Another great contribution. It is inspiring to hear your idea and see it put into action. Walking the talk. It gives me hope and inspires me to do more. There is no time or room left for the coward that stands on the sidelines critical of those in the fight. Great work!

[@salty7056]

Wow, such simple solutions to clean up our plastic messes and lift up downtrodden people. By the way, I appreciated the speaker's timing and pauses. Gave me more time to contemplate and embed his points.

[@chrisoliverdelacruz5347]

Am I the only one who likes how he paces himself in his speech?

[@edwardhogan1877]

I must say I appreciate the presenter's slow and measured speaking style and general delivery. i guess the posts who want it speeded up are just too hooked on the modern mania for speed with everything. Spare a thought for the world's slowcoaches! If rushing "hot-foot" everywhere is always such a bright idea then why have we retained the expression "cool your heels"? Think about it next time you're fuming at a red traffic light or at one of the other inevitable delays that seem to be part of daily life. You're W-E-L-C-O-M-E!

[@frederickburns1739]

GREAT PLAN!!! We have to start somewhere!!!

[@prabhjotsingh1255]

actually they have

[@germanylicious]

Anybody who says ban plastic all together, please throw away your cell phone, laptop, iPad, and half your items in your office and home! You are being unrealistic!! This guy talks soo slow but I like his project and any doing and creating awareness is crucial. As for the solution I believe to mass shred into basic building materials and sell it back to manufacturers vs them buying new materials to make plastic. It also can be used in road building or you could make complete furniture, pipes, fences, etc. out of it. Possibilities are there, simple and doable. And yes it can become a self-sustaining business or management but for the greedy and profit driven of course not.

[@vanzon6176]

germanylicious i think You should ban the platic thats is unnesesary, like bags, bottles, food packaging and so on, you are able to produce that Economycly...

[@germanylicious]

VanzonHD oh of course. But I don't think people realize how much of our daily items are of or contain plastic.

[@oscarmike47]

cell phones, laptops and ipads only make up very small ammounts of plastics entering the ocean. the vast majority of plastics littering the ocean is from plastic bags, bottles etc. simple items which are consumed daily an thrown away daily. mostly in poor developing countries. i grew up in indonesia and there was plastic litter everywhere. in the rivers and on the beaches. how many iphones and laptops do you think i saw among that litter?

[@germanylicious]

Jon B oh true. I totally agree but I only named a few or I'd still be writing. I was trying to make a point because if you look around in your office there are tons of plastic items. Your microwave is too. Obviously not single use but that's why I said people that say ALL plastic! should be banned are being unrealistic even if not everything ends up in the ocean. You ban it all you won't even have the long term products. That was my point.

[@andjelatatarovic8309]

the packaging is mostly the place that plastic lies though; if you have a steel cooking oven etc... the plastic isn't necessary

[@madfaith777]

God bless you and your work !!Such a great thing!!!!

[@flurng]

Agreed - the last thing we need to do is clean up the ocean. But we STILL NEED TO DO IT!!!

[@DAT-OFFICIAL]

This is the *good* David Katz.

[@marcellobomfim5629]

Congratulations for putting words into action. Most just talk and do not act. Social plastic a good beginning...

[@DBoyAnimations]

Wow, this is a pretty intense speech, a very good solution, respect!

[@mmorgan8809]

David it was so great to meet you and share our common dreams around poverty, plastics in the ocean, and empowering women. Thank you for your great contributions.

[@raewhitney9187]

Nothing short of brilliant. Keep up the great job.

[@shanemcdaniel8762]

As he said " part of the solution". We are not going to eliminate plastic but we can limit our dependency and put much greater controls how it is controlled. This solution can be scaled up all over the world and make a serious contribution to the problem of plastic in our oceans. Combining this with bans on single use plastic globally we are beginning to solve this huge problem.

[@cavewallmedia]

Nice. Great idea/concept. . . to help along, the fix of the global discarded plastic problem.

[@morecowbell235]

I sort of skimmed through this. Did he address how we can greatly reduce our need for plastic? That's where it all comes from. We think we need it.

[@Matthias-wm8zi]

the long pauses aside: great talk!

[@paulus650]

youre not watching at normal speed still are u ?

[@raymondo162]

You CAN NOT be serious !! Pay impoverished island people to litter-pick, and then (sic) pay their pittance in to a 'savings account'............are you for real?? Are you a Mercan or something??

[@hvince67]

Full respect for his initiative, and I love it. But I disagree with his initial statement "The last thing we need to do is cleaning the oceans". Here's why, going back to his tap analogy (it's a very good one). Water is not just spilling all over the floor, the whole apartment is already in 3 feets of water! You need to close the the tap and you need your local fire brigade to pump the excess water. So we need both, remove the plastic in the oceans already and stop it from reaching the oceans in the first place.

[@andrewkline]

This is amazing.. just great! Best ted talk I've heard in a while..

[@cosmoganic]

Awesome! Would love to see this help solve the plastic problem in Australia. Along with so many other countries..

[@iKoyyy]

You know something is wrong with your speech when you set playback at 2x and it is still perfectly comprehensible

[@robertpsotka3525]

really ???

[@chrisbowpiloto]

I wanted to do something like this in Haiti after visiting there, but I couldn't figure out how to make it work. I am very glad that someone did!

[@ElPiniReFlash]

proud of my mom, she has a campaign to collect and reuse plastic bags that in this country the bill paper comes inside those, and most importantly the ones that help her are her students in their free time, I wish there were more people like her out there

[@bernadettemary2135]

only people in western countries would claim such naive statements to 'ban plastic altogether'. plastic is CHEAP and a source of income. maybe in the US or Europe such approaches are possible but its gonna take decades before the entire world reaches that stage. in the meantime this is an amazing alternative. hope to see it implemented all over asia soon, especially indonesia and india where plastic AND poverty are in abundance.

[@jesperburns]

Tell that to the Asians, South Americans and Africans. My country has curbed plastic waste to 30% of what it used to be and we're a small country to begin with.

[@lisamurphy9824]

I feel that everyone makes agreeable or not comments but if every single person did just one thing towards helping solve this situation, well I think it would make the biggest difference of all. We have so many intellects, scientist, volunteers and entrepreneurs in this world! Why are so many waiting for someone else to work this out...we’re in trouble and putting heads in the sand or tearing down ideas won’t solve anything. No?

[@anwarislamu]

Does not shut off the tap. We need to find plastic alternative quickly.

[@bdufka]

glass and paper ;)

[@Well_possibly]

PS, great username.

[@joh1997dude]

@@bdufka paper straws are the most disgusting things ever

[@nuloom]

Joh-dude straws were a dumb idea in the first place

[@ericksonjustinAK]

The tap is garbage in rivers in 3rd world countries.

[@TYDUNN506]

David Katz, your way of thought is brilliant, keep it up! We need to start adopting this ideas!

[@TYDUNN506]

Cleaning the ocean could be the humanity richest opportunity.

[@oldstudbuck3583]

“social plastic” Who created that word? Amazing

[@paulvarn4712]

We are entering the age when new materials science will eventually produce affordable biodegradable plastic and from new sources besides fossil oil. Plastic is light weight, strong, flexible, moldable, easily kept sanitary until needed, saves lives, keeps people healthy, makes our machines more energy efficient. As mentioned we need to get smarter what kinds of plastic we use for what purposes and learn from our mistakes, not set our standard of living back 100 years through narrow mindedness.

[@SharonPiano8]

Single use water bottles, drinking straws and unnecessary plastic bags have got to go, as a start.

[@l0g1cseer47]

Social plastic trade? Simply called it Green trading! Tin cans and cardboard also could go in. Bravo!

[@RoxMeNot]

This would be a 3 minute video without all the dramatic pauses... I kid.. Great thing he's doing here.

[@Nyanino]

So in order for there to be incentive to collect plastic, plastic has to be produced correct? It's a good idea, but not a long term solution as long as plastic is being produced, which hopefully won't be much longer.

[@cantrellesque]

Nyanino There's already plenty of plastic out there. No currency system works if its basis is limitless.

[@therealcoolio3267]

Ben Unfortunately we won’t have anything to replace it for at least another 30 to 50 years What this man is doing, and what Boyan Slat is doing over at his company, are two examples of viable solutions to some of the bigger part of the problem. No waiting around for the death knell of micro-organisms in our oceans, which most government bureaucracies don’t pay any mind to

[@Darkventus-jo3kx]

I hope this program reaches all parts of the world

[@naomibeery478]

Something needs to be done about other plastics in north america, like felt marker plastic, tampon plastics, mcdonald toy plastics, makeup plastics and other plastics that are made by the millions.

[@kathyyoung1774]

Naomi Beery Are you actually suggesting GLASS tampon inserters? Or steel?

[@Distaval]

This is a great idea because most of the plastic is coming from places that dont even have access to a screen where they can watch this video. That is why it's a better idea than an alternative. He is improving lives in more than one way. 2 birds with one stone.

[@nikolademitri731]

This is brilliant. Now, if only we could see this replicated on a massive scale. It would, no doubt, change the world. ✌🏼

[@mmolledo7747]

Great idea! I am disappointed by some of the comments though thinking that this is the ONLY solution. The problem is huge and there should be attacks on plastic trash from all fronts. This is a part of the solution. We need other methods and when there is less plastic available, then we will worry about that then.

[@Future_Pheonix]

Overall a good idea. The main three problems remaining though are- first of all, all the plastic that is being manufactured in great quantities is unhealthy for humans as well and affects our health. second of all, a lot of the waste ends up in the ocean before most people can reach it and clean it. The third problem, though that might just be me misunderstanding this, I heard him talk about this model being available in poor countries, which would help reduce it dramatically, but why stop there? What about the rest of the world? There's a lot of littering in my country and I'm sure this doesn't only happen in the most poor of countries. Recycling also isn't equally pushed and understood all over the world. This model is agreat start, but I think we should also start working on healthier and more environment friendly materials to replace plastic, as well as developing a better awareness for environmental issues and recycling worldwide.

[@PatrikKron]

I belive that there is not enouth money in it for people to walk the streats and pick plastic in countries that are not poor. Moreover in counties that are not poor most people does not need to worry about getting food to the table on a daily basis, therefor people have more time to care about recycling. I don't say that people in poor countries does not care about recycling, just that's it's a lower priority than getting food to the tables, and when you have more time that you do not need to worry about getting food to the table you can recycle. Moreover in most rich counties there's the facilities needed to recycle.

[@Future_Pheonix]

Patrik Kron even in countries where most people aren't starving, where the country itself isn't considered "poor", there are still plenty of people who live in poverty, so I disagree. As for caring for recycling, I once again disagree, it's all about awareness and a very case by case thing that depends on the country you're in and sometimes just your own awareness of the subject. Even if most people do care, there aren't the same facilities everywhere to provide everyone with recycling solutions, I care about recycling for example, but there are no recycling bins in the vicinity of where I live, some places here have them and some don't, and they even placed some and then took them back for some reason, it's a mess and has to be regulated more seriously, if you ask me. And then there's the matter of public places where people litter, and out in nature, like in nature reserves and beaches...or anywhere. Sometimes there aren't enough trash cans, or they aren't properly closed, so the wind carries the trash elsewhere, where it hurts the environment and the animals, I've seen it many times. Lastly since you said "rich" countries, I'd like to first remind you again that there is plenty of poverty to be found in many rich countries as well, and second that there are countries that are neither considered poor, nor rich, but something in between. Obviously in countries that have more poverty there is more money to be made and more cleaning will also probably be achieved, I was just suggesting taking it a step forward, maybe at least in a smaller scale or in specific places in other countries, where the problem is more apparent.

[@70ME3E]

"a great start, but.."? u underappreciate it so much. "I think we should also start working on healthier and more environment friendly materials" thats obvious bro.. and ppl are surely doing that too, yeah. until that, this might be the best thing there is so I would say it's freaking amazing

[@Future_Pheonix]

Air-Grip Biker I didn't mean to sound under-appreciative, I was simply pointing out the remaining problems that I think we should keep in mind, and I don't think trying to bring up the remaining problems into conversation is a bad thing. I think that on issues such as this we should keep bringing them up(while also praising the positives, which is why I said it was a good idea overall) and remind ourselves of what is yet to be solved. Yes, I'm sure there are people who are working on alternatives to plastic and other harmful materials, but I think the urgency of the situation requires that we focus on finding those solutions as much as we can and bring them up often, even public awareness alone can push things and influence the pace of this process. (Sorry if this reply was too long... Oh, and I'm not a guy btw...)

[@dudesweetpro]

I can't believe this is the first talk I've seen on not spending money on cleaning and investing into stopping the pollution at the root. This has been obvious to me since I moved to Indonesia. Good strategy but the plastic he is talking about though is only recyclable plastic. We also need to address all the other unusable waste plastic etc.. by helping these countries develop infrastructure to collect garbage and crucially teach the locals why it's bad to throw in organics in the oceans and rivers.

[@cavewallmedia]

Yep. very good extra point. . . Political & legal influence, on a global scale to educate and help develop education and infrastructure in underdeveloped countries. . . is also required as part of "The Fix".

[@davidanandrajapakse7694]

And here in slovenia I'm obligated to pay my government 60 eur/month so they collect my recycling that I need to pre-sort for them and keep 5 separate trash cans in a 40m2 apartment. Yay progress.

[@keinplannamen5711]

one of the best ted talks i have seen ever!

[@alexpalomo1417]

What an amazing project I feel so inspired

[@DBoyAnimations]

Alejandra Maria Palomo Santos same here ^^

[@demr04]

Yo tambien

[@brandboo6813]

i love his passion! His desire for a better environment and better planet and in doing so creating an sustainable economy. This is a brilliant idea! And a fantastic working model, whilst he does that we need to come up with solutions to now reduce plastics in products at manufacturing stage.

[@FIGHTTHECABLE]

This guy is making a business with plastic. He did not turn off the tap, he is cleaning up the water and selling it again.

[@vamp6767]

More like scooping it up from the sink before it spills onto the floor.

[@camelCase1-f5l]

supply & demand

[@joeycarbstrong-8710]

no

[@beautifulnature1814]

In the netherlands we already have that system for plastic bottles. You bring them back to the store and get like 0.20 per bottle. You can get money back or pay some of your shoppings. We separate glass, plastic, clothes and greens like vegetables and paper. But we do not get money back for all of it. They do create new products and make energy out of the vegetables. Google it 😃

[@chengvallido8634]

I love Netherlands and the Dutch people

[@nachannachle2706]

The concept proposed here is by no mean a rational solution to this practical problem. We need to move to a BETTER technology (evaporatable silicone? dissovable wax?) to replace plastic. People will stop being supplied plastic on their packaging and will therefore stop throwing/wasting it in the ocean/soil. It takes a long-term vision and requires investments, thinking and engineering; not just "social justice warriorism". Plastic banks are just another way to collect the plastic one one side before it reaches the ocean. Meanwhile, somewhere else, people keep dumping... :p

[@simonsteers142]

Why so many people not liking this information? this is gold!!!!

[@homebrandrules]

I wonder how chinas recent ban of the importation of plastics for recycling will affect his business model

[@PrettyPinkPeacock]

So true! Thanks for this comment!

[@homebrandrules]

PrettyPinkPeacock thanks

[@pierrecurie]

They probably create enough/have enough sitting around, that they can depend on that. China does not have a plastic shortage.

[@dlmalley8639]

He will find another project that will be planetary sustainable technology. He's a caring intelligent young man.

[@keifeewowo]

Quite a lot of Southeast Asian countries have been doing this for years actually... I just hope that local communities or cities or countries have a reward programme for collecting trash (not just plastic) and recycling that is sufficient for people to survive

[@theplantaria5169]

We can avoid plastic bags and other single use plastics. But what about packaged products because most of these are in plastics. Heartwrenching

[@anthonyvo8639]

This means well but plastic will always be made no matter what, it's how we can manage it by reusing, recycling, reducing what we use, and preventing it from reaching the environment that will help. Unfortunately in these poorer countries they dont have the means or knowledge to know better. I agree with giving people incentive (money) for collecting and recycling plastic since it will cause a domino effect for their community; more money, less trash, better opportunity for fish, more tourism, and more education, means overall better conditions for everyone. There is no way to reverse the damage already made therefore we must reduce future damage in anyway we can.

[@sofianebenz5122]

hello from the other side (Algeria)

[@katerinakaterinaki9143]

Plastic free life solutions : 1) shampoo and conditioner hair bar 2) green soap for hands and body 3) green soap for dishes, laundry and floor mapping- vinegar ,soda and lemon juice for domestic cleaning 4) Inox food fridge containers ,inox cup for take away coffee when you are out and glass/inox/silicone bottles to carry water 5) Bamboo/inox straws and bamboo toothbrush 6) Never buy balloons made of plastic,buy those with ilium 7) Markets that sale foods without plastic wraps! 8) Reusable bags from clothing fabrics 9) Sustainable trush bags 10) coconut oil for moisturizer and make up remover 11) Βuy less make up bottles and containers or refills 12) last step recycle your clothes and a little amount of plastic that you cannot avoid Don't use so much plastic and recycle less cause plastic recycle needs too much energy and petrol than inox and glass Those steps help you use 80% less plastic in daily life

[@jimbutler1189]

Social plastic is an important cleanup effort, and his effort is great. But for him not to emphasis the importance of ENDING plastic production is irresponsible. Plastic production is the source of flow that needs to be stopped.

[@1DigitalFlow]

Thats not his business model ;]

[@williamfischer8867]

This is a great place to start, A lot of arm chair referees have terrible things to say but I don't see them coming up with a solution.

[@tomjohn8733]

Good idea, only, besides recycling, the oceans and land needs to be cleaned up as rapidly as possible and a moratorium should be placed on commercial fishing fleets to allow the oceans fish populations to recover from over fishing. Humans populations must be allowed to use and farm any an all vacant lands in cities and communities. People must start becoming self sufficient..local farming!!

[@trupiil]

No one cares if there is no big monetary incentive for the elites in it.

[@johnsokoll]

ted talks need that thing that shortens silences and pauses. playing it fast is an imperfect solution to the way everyone talks on those stages.

[@bas182341]

fix his weird long pauses between his speech by putting the speed on 1.25

[@wa7john]

I am not sure about the economics of this but I applaud the idea of not just giving someone a handout. This builds selfworth and a better understanding of how the world works.

[@Zen_Power]

Only when the rich suffer the same as the poor will they open their eyes.

[@BOB-wg5uz]

i agree

[@mikebaker6804]

Applying the market to solve an environmental problem...brilliant!

[@lorenzolohman451]

For sure you are correct, we need to declare this to be a state of emergency.

[@gerriecastelyn5132]

Well done, I like the Plastic Bank initiative as it can help with prevention and environmental sustainability

[@stevenartascos2918]

Remember when we were kids, we use to go find soda bottles and return then to Any store and receive$.5 cents for each bottle.. just place a small refund to these items, $,10 for larger and so on, and make it illegal to throw it away.

[@Purple_Alien2511]

A very similar system is actually in place in India. Collecting plastic and selling them to companies has created a livelihood for many people. This sort of segregation + collection happens in units called DWCCs(Dry Waste Collection Centres).But a major hindrance is the lack of source segregation, and single use plastics that cannot be recycled end up in landfills. So, as the comments are saying, we should reduce the use of plastic, that is a better solution than recycling. And also, for this sytem to work, each and every one of us must segregate our waste into categories, so that they can be better dealt with and don't end up in landfills.

[@cavewallmedia]

Some good points, thanks. Yep his idea isn't new, he's just grabbed the title "plastic bank" But the principle, as you have already discovered is real. . . so it will help with the cleaning up. Your pointing out that recycling is not a solution in itself, is the excellent point. . . and reduce, and influence companies to reduce, is also part of "The Fix". . . Global teamwork in different areas are needed to fix this global discarded plastic problem. Thanks for your info.

[@claravrsnik7858]

The real problem is oil giant company like Shell, Exxon 🌬️☄️♻️🐾🕊️🐝🍃🎑🎋🎏

[@jeranbrown82]

This was absolutely spot on!

[@ShivSharma743]

Social plastic--> Alleviation of poverty-->Environmental protection

[@trevorvanzuydam8115]

its still important to clean the ocean, to say otherwise is to be grossly ignorant . the plastic is going into the food chain and affects everyone weather you eat seafood or not. but yes it important to encourage people to recycle before it enters the oceans.

[@kathyyoung1774]

Trevor Van Zuydam Unfortunately we all know many people who recycle nothing and places where you can’t find a place to recycle, which is why I often carry plastics and aluminum cans in my car until I can find a place.

[@Dimetropteryx]

This isn't a solution. The basic idea is good, but it doesn't replace cleanup, it complements it. 1. There is already plastic in the oceans. It won't be collected by these people. 2. The plastic they collect is being recycled. A percentage of that will end up in the oceans, adding to the plastic that is already there and ISN'T being cleaned up. Or to use his overflowing sink example, He's not turning the tap off completely, AND he doesn't get a bucket or mop, because he's decided that turning down the tap just a bit is good enough.

[@cantrellesque]

Dimetropteryx He didn't say don't clean up the ocean, he said do that last. This is not a replacement for ALL plastic waste scenarios, but it is a very smart solution that will help! If plastic is turned into currency, you might see some of the pirates off the coasts of poor countries doing some ocean clean up instead of high risk robbery. Try injecting a little imagination to improve ideas instead of rejecting ideas that you don't find perfect.

[@Dimetropteryx]

He did say don't clean up the ocean. That's what doing it last means. "Don't do it when it's critical to do it." As for "injecting a little imagination to improve ideas", that's what I just did. As for the idea not being perfect, that's not a matter of opinion. As for rejecting the idea, read the second sentence.

[@cantrellesque]

Dimetropteryx Your first sentence is a categorical statement rejecting this solution, ”This is not a solution." Also last, doesn't mean not at all. You have an interesting use of language that I can't follow. Good luck with future communications.

[@Dimetropteryx]

Wrong. The first sentence rejects the framing of this as a solution, in direct contradiction of his claim that it is one. As I already explained, last does mean at all and that has nothing to do with language, and everything to do with the fact that there will never be a "last" to do this in. I have a feeling you are very eager to opine and less eager to communicate.

[@asheswillfa11]

The value of plastic wouldn't be high enough to replace the potential reward of robbery.

[@markcross109]

The best and maybe the most efficient solution for these is for the world to setup a global law about plastic manufacturers prohibiting the use of plastics, instead use cartons with aluminum foil inside to replace sachets and plastic bottles by using so cartons can decompose and aluminum can be recycled and has much more value therefore there would be much people that will gather the aluminum to recycle it.