22 facts about plastic pollution

[waltky]

Plastics Contribute to Global Warming...

Plastics Contribute to Global Warming, Scientists SayAugust 01, 2018 - Add plastics to the list of causes for global warming.

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Scientists writing in the journal PLOS One said Wednesday that plastics emit the greenhouse gases methane and ethylene when they are exposed to sunlight and degrade. The researchers carried out tests on such common plastic products as water bottles, shopping bags and food containers. "Plastic represents a source of climate-relevant trace gases that is expected to increase as more plastic is produced and accumulated in the environment," said senior researcher David Karl of the University of Hawaii.

A man collects plastic and other recyclable material from the shores of the Arabian Sea, littered with plastic bags and other garbage, in Mumbai, India

Methane gas, both man-made and naturally occurring, is said to be a major cause of climate change. The manufacturing and use of plastics have come under scrutiny in recent years after environmentalists discovered a massive island of garbage floating in the Pacific Ocean — threatening sea life and the food supply.


Plastic drinking straws are the latest target of activists, who say they are used once and discarded because most cannot be recycled. A graphic video of doctors pulling a plastic straw out of the bloody nose of a large sea turtle has prompted some U.S. cities and companies to phase out the straws.

https://www.voanews.com/a/plastics-c...y/4509787.html

[gamewell45]

Many of you know that I am not the biggest fan of plastic, especially disposable one time use plastic, but nonetheless I think it's good to remind people every now and then of the destructive power of such a simple creation. We have the power to do so much good for the Earth, and this is one of those things we can all help with in my opinion.

The local eatery where I live has recently voluntarily replaced all plastic straws with paper straws. Contrary to popular belief they hold up pretty well.

[Tahuyaman]

The banning of plastic straws and such in American cities is a symbolic gesture simply designed to make people feel good about doing basically nothing.


Here's another fact American environmentalists won't address. 90% of the plastic in the oceans comes from China and other parts of Asia where they have a garbage collection problem.


The problem is relevively nonexistent in the USA. If you want to solve a problem you need to go solve it where it exists. Implementing these measures in the US is akin to bailing out a sinking battleship with a teaspoon.