3 ms·

So let's say we can pull all this plastic out of the ocean, then where do we put it? Won't it just find it's way back to the ocean?

PakG1 8y ago
If it can get economical, it won't (at least, not for a while). There are interesting cases of companies trying to make shoe products from ocean plastic (or perhaps it's shoreline plastic before it reaches the ocean, I can't really tell, but that's still helpful too). Adidas is the most marketable, but as I understand it, a few other companies are doing something similar, while some other companies aren't sourcing ocean plastic, but are sourcing water bottles. https://www.parley.tv/oceanplastic/#parley-air-strategy-1 https://www.parley.tv/oceanplastic/#parley-air-strategy-1 https://www.adidas.com/us/parley https://www.adidas.com/us/parley https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/14/adidas-sold-1-million-shoes-made-out-of-ocean-plastic-in-2017.html https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/14/adidas-sold-1-million-shoes-... https://www.triplepundit.com/2011/09/new-balance-newsky-sneaker-recycled-plastic-bottles/ https://www.triplepundit.com/2011/09/new-balance-newsky-snea... https://goodonyou.eco/9-ethical-sneaker-brands/ https://goodonyou.eco/9-ethical-sneaker-brands/
not_kurt_godel 8y ago
I would imagine it's possible to create landfills in areas that are 'geological material sinks' (lay-person made-up term) - i.e. places where particulate matter has a tendency to accumulate rather than diffuse elsewhere over time. Better to concentrate vast quantities of waste in isolated areas where it's relatively contained than let it pollute literally everywhere on earth.
sp332 8y ago
Plastic doesn't naturally gravitate towards oceans. If it's not dumped directly in an ocean or one of the rivers that flows into an ocean, it will be fine.
- ryacko 8y ago
  Plastic floats, the large surface area makes it likely it will be pushed into a river, and all water flows into the ocean, except for the water that leads to lakes or aquifers.
ars 8y ago
> Won't it just find it's way back to the ocean? No. The plastic from land that ends up in the ocean originates from 3rd world countries with no trash service, and people dump their garbage in rivers. Countries with normal trash service do not contribute plastic to the ocean. (There is another category of trash that started on a boat.)
slavik81 8y ago
No. According to Plastic waste inputs from land into the ocean (2015) [1], the plastic waste entering the oceans from land is mismanaged waste. They define mismanaged waste as "material that is either littered or inadequately disposed. Inadequately disposed waste is not formally managed and includes disposal in dumps or open, uncontrolled landfills, where it is not fully contained. Mismanaged waste could eventually enter the ocean via inland waterways, wastewater outflows, and transport by wind or tides." They claim that in the United States, only about 2% of waste is mismanaged (though, the total amount of waste generated is enormous and growing). The recovered plastic waste would probably be disposed of effectively, especially since the people collecting it presumably care more than average that it does get disposed of correctly. [1]: http://science.sciencemag.org/content/347/6223/768.long http://science.sciencemag.org/content/347/6223/768.long
- davidwitt415 8y ago
  I think it's important to note that the US ships a huge amount of its 'recyclables' to Asian countries who are happy to take the money and don't have environmental standards for dumping.
michelb 8y ago
I'd like to have it dumped on the lush lawns of the politicians and industry magnates in the most polluting countries, as a statement, before it will be recycled.
- macspoofing 8y ago
  You do understand that regular people use products and regular people pollute.

PakG1 8y ago

If it can get economical, it won't (at least, not for a while). There are interesting cases of companies trying to make shoe products from ocean plastic (or perhaps it's shoreline plastic before it reaches the ocean, I can't really tell, but that's still helpful too). Adidas is the most marketable, but as I understand it, a few other companies are doing something similar, while some other companies aren't sourcing ocean plastic, but are sourcing water bottles. https://www.parley.tv/oceanplastic/#parley-air-strategy-1 https://www.parley.tv/oceanplastic/#parley-air-strategy-1 https://www.adidas.com/us/parley https://www.adidas.com/us/parley https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/14/adidas-sold-1-million-shoes-made-out-of-ocean-plastic-in-2017.html https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/14/adidas-sold-1-million-shoes-... https://www.triplepundit.com/2011/09/new-balance-newsky-sneaker-recycled-plastic-bottles/ https://www.triplepundit.com/2011/09/new-balance-newsky-snea... https://goodonyou.eco/9-ethical-sneaker-brands/ https://goodonyou.eco/9-ethical-sneaker-brands/

not_kurt_godel 8y ago

I would imagine it's possible to create landfills in areas that are 'geological material sinks' (lay-person made-up term) - i.e. places where particulate matter has a tendency to accumulate rather than diffuse elsewhere over time. Better to concentrate vast quantities of waste in isolated areas where it's relatively contained than let it pollute literally everywhere on earth.

sp332 8y ago

Plastic doesn't naturally gravitate towards oceans. If it's not dumped directly in an ocean or one of the rivers that flows into an ocean, it will be fine.

ryacko 8y ago
Plastic floats, the large surface area makes it likely it will be pushed into a river, and all water flows into the ocean, except for the water that leads to lakes or aquifers.

ars 8y ago

> Won't it just find it's way back to the ocean? No. The plastic from land that ends up in the ocean originates from 3rd world countries with no trash service, and people dump their garbage in rivers. Countries with normal trash service do not contribute plastic to the ocean. (There is another category of trash that started on a boat.)

slavik81 8y ago

No. According to Plastic waste inputs from land into the ocean (2015) [1], the plastic waste entering the oceans from land is mismanaged waste. They define mismanaged waste as "material that is either littered or inadequately disposed. Inadequately disposed waste is not formally managed and includes disposal in dumps or open, uncontrolled landfills, where it is not fully contained. Mismanaged waste could eventually enter the ocean via inland waterways, wastewater outflows, and transport by wind or tides." They claim that in the United States, only about 2% of waste is mismanaged (though, the total amount of waste generated is enormous and growing). The recovered plastic waste would probably be disposed of effectively, especially since the people collecting it presumably care more than average that it does get disposed of correctly. [1]: http://science.sciencemag.org/content/347/6223/768.long http://science.sciencemag.org/content/347/6223/768.long

davidwitt415 8y ago
I think it's important to note that the US ships a huge amount of its 'recyclables' to Asian countries who are happy to take the money and don't have environmental standards for dumping.

michelb 8y ago

I'd like to have it dumped on the lush lawns of the politicians and industry magnates in the most polluting countries, as a statement, before it will be recycled.

macspoofing 8y ago
You do understand that regular people use products and regular people pollute.