Plastic (Notso) Fantastic 

  Innovative Activists Take on Plastic Waste

Finding plastic pollution solutions is a priority

The world uses a trillion plastic shopping bags every year. The world buys a million plastic bottles every minute of every hour of every single day. Eight million tons of plastic waste winds up in our oceans every year. In fact, with the world producing over 330,000,000 metric tons of plastic every year (50% of which is used only once and then thrown away) plastic pollution is a major problem on many levels.

Plastics in the ocean pose multiple threats. Thousands of marine animals are entangled and drowned by plastic refuse. When these plastics break down into microplastics they often combine with other pollutants which are then fed on by many marine creatures. That poison can build up into lethal amounts, contaminating their milk. Consequently they can wind up killing their own offspring. Dead sea animals are being found in increasing numbers on beaches with stomachs full of plastic waste. As for all the marine life consuming microplastics – as it works its way up the food chain – we don’t as of yet have any major studies on the effects of this pollution on humans.

 I’m betting it can’t be good.

Innovative Solutions to Fighting Widespread Plastic Pollution

On the positive side there is a growing response to plastic pollution around the world. Some cities are banning single-use items like bottled water and straws. There are firms striving to create truly biodegradable plastic. As mindfulness transforms into action, young activists are becoming increasingly creative in their approaches to this problem.

In August 2017, brothers Gary and Sam Bencheghib paddled through toxic filth down the Citarum River (widely considered the world’s most polluted river) in Indonesia in two kayaks made from plastic bottles. Gary had formed his own company called Make a Change World, which focuses on creating video projects about pollution’s effects on our world, using social media to spread the word. At a younger age he had witnessed a favorite swimming spot in Bali turning into a plastic dumping site. The environmental degradation deeply affected him.

They set out to create a series of videos which would hopefully inspire others to care for the environment (and realize just how intense plastic pollution has become). They used plastic bottles to help build their kayaks to show that plastic can still be a valuable resource (after its initial use). The videos of their two-week trip paddling down the Citarum were very successful. Afterwards the Indonesian government responded promptly and pledged to create a rehabilitation program for the river.

Taking on the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, One Bite at a Time

Boyan Slat and his Ocean Cleanup project are aiming at no less than clearing all the oceans of plastic by 2050. His first target was the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. This floating concentration of trash (mostly plastic) in the North Pacific Ocean is massive, reportedly twice the size of Texas. Slat launched his fleet of giant floating booms, which collected and funneled the garbage to a central tank. Sea Anchors which float deep in the ocean helped keep the booms mobile, along with gyres and deep-water tides.

Slat says this endeavor is very time-sensitive because the plastic must be collected before it breaks down into dangerous microplastics. After some technical difficulties with his booms, Slat switched his focus to how plastic is entering the oceans to begin with, which is mainly from extremely polluted rivers. This brought on the creation of his Interceptors, solar-powered trash collection barges which use the rivers’ natural currents to “close the tap” before the rivers’ plastic refuse can reach the oceans.

Making Waves

I’m impressed these young activists are addressing the consequences of global plastic pollution. Where federal agencies have dropped the ball (due to being controlled by the very industries they’re supposed to be overlooking), the Bencheghib brothers and Slat are just some of the many activists helping to fill the void. Significantly they’re very adept at reaching people and communicating with them on an intimate level. Solutions are needed now more than ever, especially with the dearth of real leadership in the world today.

I feel some hope knowing young people – outside of the system – are still striving towards a viable future, especially when so many have sadly deemed it a lost cause.                                                                                                    

                                                                                                   -Much Love, T. Stickle/2020