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Old 09-01-2018, 07:42   #1
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Plastic pollution in our seas

I recently went to the Red Sea, Egypt, and was appalled by the quantity of plastic floating in the water. Please have a look at this petition....something really needs to be done.

https://www.change.org/p/un-secretar...ect-our-oceans

Thank you.

Neil
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Old 09-01-2018, 07:56   #2
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Re: Plastic pollution in our seas

Amen to that, Neil. I live bayside in St. Pete, and I can't believe the things that I see in the water HERE- styrofoam cups, marine gaskets, you name it. From what I see, we can't blame it all on the land dwellers. When I see things in the water that I can pick up and easily dispose of on land, I try to do it. I know it's not much, but if we all did it, it might make a difference.
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Old 09-01-2018, 08:00   #3
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Re: Plastic pollution in our seas

And, it's not always the fault of someone carelessly throwing trash on the ground, in streams or directly in the water. Once you throw your trash (in the trash), it's out of your control what happens to it. Did the bag bust on the way to the dumpster? Did the garbage truck drop a bag on the ground? Reducing consumption is my first thought on how to fix this issue!
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Old 09-01-2018, 08:03   #4
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pirate Re: Plastic pollution in our seas

Well.. in the UK and Europe they're making a start.. a ban on microbeads (wonder how many per serving of sea salt), a drive to eliminate single use plastics in fast food outlets..
But the quickest way would be to outlaw production of single use plastics and have a refund on all plastic containers.. then maybe the homeless can make a living clearing up after the pigs..
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Old 09-01-2018, 08:19   #5
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Re: Plastic pollution in our seas

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Well.. in the UK and Europe they're making a start.. a ban on microbeads (wonder how many per serving of sea salt), a drive to eliminate single use plastics in fast food outlets..
But the quickest way would be to outlaw production of single use plastics and have a refund on all plastic containers.. then maybe the homeless can make a living clearing up after the pigs..


The legislation is good. But looking at the estimates, most of the plastics, including fibers dumped during clothing and fiber manufacturing is coming out of Indian and Chinese sources. I can't even imagine the level of public education needed for this to get better.

When traveling - the rivers were being used as natural garbage disposal sstems .
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Old 09-01-2018, 08:48   #6
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pirate Re: Plastic pollution in our seas

From what I see the Western world is in a panic because the Chinese are starting to refuse all the Wests waste that its been taking by the billions of tons for recycling over the years.
Now the West has to solve its own problems legislation that should have kicked in 50yrs ago is just starting..
But hey.. don't let me spoil your blame game..

And yes.. education is needed but India for one is kicking off some great cottage industry ideas for dealing with their problems.
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Old 09-01-2018, 08:57   #7
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Re: Plastic pollution in our seas

I'm not interested in the blame game. I don't fault the less fortunate for being more concerned about survival and economic growth than sustainability. But the point re education stands.

In the US, I've seen adults shove fast-food trash down the storm water drain. We can regulate the industries but the education IMO will be key.
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Old 09-01-2018, 09:06   #8
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pirate Re: Plastic pollution in our seas

I think history proves that education will never change the users and abusers.. else litter and doggie poo signs in parks etc would be obsolete and relegated to museums..

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Old 09-01-2018, 09:12   #9
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Re: Plastic pollution in our seas

I guess it is the chicken and egg question.

My kids spent time in a Japanese school - where kids were cleaning schools instead of janitors. They were both neat kids and I'd like to think the education helped.

We shall see I guess.
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Old 09-01-2018, 09:25   #10
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pirate Re: Plastic pollution in our seas

I remember the old 'Rag and Bone Men' going round with their horse and cart.. the Steptoe's of the Midlands..
Its a thriving industry in India..

In the UK around 550 kilograms of waste is generated per person every year, and 40% of that is recycled. In India, an estimated half a kilogram of waste is generated per person and a quarter of it is recycled.
India is a country where very little gets wasted. But the sheer size of the population means even that little waste adds up to huge numbers.
Across the country there is no formal garbage collection and so the way recycling is carried out may offer alternatives for developed countries such as the UK.
It’s a ‘carrot’ approach by small traders, who trade in rubbish rather than any government ‘stick’ threatening fines that drives the recycling effort.
In the Indian capital of Delhi, for example, only five per cent of homes have a formal system of garbage removal. And yet around 59% of the city’s refuse is recycled, providing a livelihood for more than 150,000 people.
I grew up in Delhi and when I was young my parents only bought us new clothes twice a year. For the most parts we wore ‘hand-me-downs’ from our older cousins. There was no shame in that – it was the done thing.
And those clothes which we couldn’t hand down were exchanged for household dishes and steel utensils from the Bartanwallah – a street vendor who would roam around with bundles of clothes and a bundle of brand new dishes, exchanging one for another. Most of our old clothes were ‘bartered’ for new frying pans.
These days, with cheaper clothes (and cookware), big cities have fewer Bartanwallahs than before. But they’re still plying their trade in smaller towns where the majority of the Indian population live.
By making it a trade from which the buyer and seller both stand to gain, recycling becomes something most people do willingly. If, for example, you were getting paid for your stack of old newspapers and magazines, you’d be less likely to sneak it in the black bin bag.
Enter the Raddiwallah. He or she too roams streets through residential areas, especially on weekends, offering to buy old papers and magazines. It’s a few pence rather than any big amount, but if a week’s worth of newspapers and magazines get you something in return, why would you say no? Most households have a dedicated raddi spot, where the newspapers are piled in a clean dry place ready to be sold on to the Raddiwallahs.
The Raddiwallah in turn sells this to companies who recycle old papers to make bags etc. One major fashion outlet – Fab India – often uses these ‘old-newspaper bags’ and so fashion conscious Delhiites may well end up with their new clothes in a bag made from a newspaper they read a few weeks earlier.
And for all your other household junk, there’s always the Kabadiwallah. Again buying things according to their weight and condition, the Kabadiwallah picks up old toasters, burnt out lamps, broken chairs, plastic flowers you name it. These are then sold on to companies who can use the raw materials to make something else.
For a country with a large but poor population making the best of everything is an obvious way to ensure sustainable living. But there is something deeper at play here. It’s not organised or regulated – but it is trading. They’re not making millions – but all these Raddiwallahs, Kabadiwallahs and Bartanwallahs are entrepreneurs.
If, instead of threatening to fine those who don’t recycle, councils paid a small amount for a kilo of newspapers, more people might willingly recycle.
Of course, lack of regulation means the Indian people who trade in rubbish are some of the poorest in the country. The number of children working in this sector is huge and there is no health or safety consideration for anyone.
But recently, there have been attempts to improve the working conditions for those in this sector, private businesses are attempting to introduce some organisation.
Paperman, a business based on the model of the Raddiwallahs, is thriving and is providing proper care and employment to the rag pickers and refuse collectors of Chennai (formerly Madras).
“We haven’t applied for grants from the government, because we wanted to make this business model sustainable,” says Mathew Jose, who set up Paperman in July 2010.
“We know now that it works and we are looking to expand to other parts of India. We are open to collaborations with foreign companies who want to work with us.
“Procuring waste from us is another opportunity for foreign businesses which we are considering. If there are businesses who want to source raw, recyclable materials from India, that would be something we would look at right now.”
The heady days of consumerism may be a thing of the past. But the future can only be truly sustainable if every part of the recycling chain wants to participate – willingly.
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Old 09-01-2018, 09:32   #11
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Re: Plastic pollution in our seas

As always appreciate you sharing. Thanks boatman (I imagine you to be Lord Mountbatten)
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Old 09-01-2018, 09:49   #12
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pirate Re: Plastic pollution in our seas

That was a copy and paste of a report..
I grew up in Karachi and Lahore..
Mountbatten did a stitch up but I get your meaning..
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Old 09-01-2018, 09:53   #13
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Re: Plastic pollution in our seas

A few years ago I saw a video of a Japanese inventor who developed a machine that could recycle plastic back into oil. I thought it was a wonderful devise. I don't know whatever happened with it. Seems like we really need this technology now more than ever.
Back in 2007 we took the ferry (Philppina Princess) from Manilla P.I. to Surigao. The waters in Manilla Bay were so polluted with plastic bags it looked like more plastic than water. I don't know how they avoided plugging the heat exchangers with all the bags.
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Old 09-01-2018, 09:57   #14
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Re: Plastic pollution in our seas

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Reducing consumption is my first thought on how to fix this issue!
And a good thought it is. The saying is "reduce, reuse, recycle." They appear in that order very deliberately, and for good reason. Reduction comes first, then reuse wherever possible, and only then, finally, do we recycle what we can.
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Old 10-01-2018, 09:53   #15
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Re: Plastic pollution in our seas

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But the quickest way would be to outlaw production of single use plastics and have a refund on all plastic containers.. then maybe the homeless can make a living clearing up after the pigs..
Yes, that's a good approach. I'd vote you for the next PM if I could.
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