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For those who care, please support The Ocean Cleanup: http://www.boyanslat.com/plastic/ http://www.boyanslat.com/plastic/ An impressive undertaking (founded b

For those who care, please support The Ocean Cleanup: http://www.boyanslat.com/plastic/ http://www.boyanslat.com/plastic/ An impressive undertaking (founded by a 19 year old, no less) that's creating technology to solve this in ~5 years.

cbg0 13y ago
> we are currently only at about halfway our feasibility study From http://www.boyanslat.com/plastic5/ http://www.boyanslat.com/plastic5/
- ximeng 13y ago
  http://www.abc.net.au/environment/articles/2013/12/16/3911379.htm http://www.abc.net.au/environment/articles/2013/12/16/391137... After initial criticism from quite a few experienced people Boyan Slat toned down his claims.
oftenwrong 13y ago
The policy director of 5 Gyres has provided evidence that suggests the existing plan will not work: http://inhabitat.com/the-fallacy-of-cleaning-the-gyres-of-plastic-with-a-floating-ocean-cleanup-array/ http://inhabitat.com/the-fallacy-of-cleaning-the-gyres-of-pl...
spodek 13y ago
For those who care, please reduce your plastic use! Please try to pollute less all around.
- jader201 13y ago
  I'm pretty sure those who care are already doing this.
  - mimiflynn 13y ago
    There could also be a group of people that just found out about this issue, just started caring and are wondering how they can start to help.
    - jader201 13y ago
      My response was in response to the direct parent, not the root parent. My point is that most people that care about the environment already know the hazards of plastics, and are not the ones overusing plastics and polluting the planet with them. In other words, the solution isn't to get those that care to stop polluting the planet. The solution (or one of the solutions) is to get more people to care.
- drcube 13y ago
  It would also be great if people would refuse to buy items with anti-consumer clamshell packaging. That stuff is a waste in addition to being a huge annoyance. Let's kill two birds with one stone!
  - aestra 13y ago
    But it is good at preventing theft. :( That is the reason it is used.
    - drcube 13y ago
      It's good at preventing use as well. Because manufacturers and shop owners want you to buy it, but they could care less if you ever use it. Make the bastards come up with a better solution.
- InclinedPlane 13y ago
  That does basically nothing. My plastic either goes in recycling or the trash. Even if it goes into the trash it will end up in a landfill, not the ocean. The same is true for most folks in the 1st world. The problem is mostly with the actions of people who do not read HN, countries that continue to have poor or non-existent sanitation. Countries that still dump trash in the ocean.
  - wdvh 13y ago
    The obvious solution to this and other problems is to get these other people into the first world. Free immigration isn't just an ethical issue, it's also a practical solution to a lot of the problems that we as a society face.
    - xerula 13y ago
      Simplistic. There's not enough land/resources on the planet to sustain everyone living a first world lifestyle at our current rates of energy consumption and waste production.
      - InclinedPlane 13y ago
        Oh? Do you mind showing your work for that claim?
  - amark 13y ago
    That's true, but you're ignoring the other environmental impacts your plastic use (and my plastic use) will have. Raw materials, expanding landfills, landfill leakage, leeched chemicals from plastic bottles/containers into our food/water, reduced bird populations from eating plastics, etc.

cbg0 13y ago

> we are currently only at about halfway our feasibility study From http://www.boyanslat.com/plastic5/ http://www.boyanslat.com/plastic5/

ximeng 13y ago
http://www.abc.net.au/environment/articles/2013/12/16/3911379.htm http://www.abc.net.au/environment/articles/2013/12/16/391137... After initial criticism from quite a few experienced people Boyan Slat toned down his claims.

oftenwrong 13y ago

The policy director of 5 Gyres has provided evidence that suggests the existing plan will not work: http://inhabitat.com/the-fallacy-of-cleaning-the-gyres-of-plastic-with-a-floating-ocean-cleanup-array/ http://inhabitat.com/the-fallacy-of-cleaning-the-gyres-of-pl...

spodek 13y ago

For those who care, please reduce your plastic use! Please try to pollute less all around.

jader201 13y ago
I'm pretty sure those who care are already doing this.
- mimiflynn 13y ago
  There could also be a group of people that just found out about this issue, just started caring and are wondering how they can start to help.
  - jader201 13y ago
    My response was in response to the direct parent, not the root parent. My point is that most people that care about the environment already know the hazards of plastics, and are not the ones overusing plastics and polluting the planet with them. In other words, the solution isn't to get those that care to stop polluting the planet. The solution (or one of the solutions) is to get more people to care.
drcube 13y ago
It would also be great if people would refuse to buy items with anti-consumer clamshell packaging. That stuff is a waste in addition to being a huge annoyance. Let's kill two birds with one stone!
- aestra 13y ago
  But it is good at preventing theft. :( That is the reason it is used.
  - drcube 13y ago
    It's good at preventing use as well. Because manufacturers and shop owners want you to buy it, but they could care less if you ever use it. Make the bastards come up with a better solution.
InclinedPlane 13y ago
That does basically nothing. My plastic either goes in recycling or the trash. Even if it goes into the trash it will end up in a landfill, not the ocean. The same is true for most folks in the 1st world. The problem is mostly with the actions of people who do not read HN, countries that continue to have poor or non-existent sanitation. Countries that still dump trash in the ocean.
- wdvh 13y ago
  The obvious solution to this and other problems is to get these other people into the first world. Free immigration isn't just an ethical issue, it's also a practical solution to a lot of the problems that we as a society face.
  - xerula 13y ago
    Simplistic. There's not enough land/resources on the planet to sustain everyone living a first world lifestyle at our current rates of energy consumption and waste production.
    - InclinedPlane 13y ago
      Oh? Do you mind showing your work for that claim?
- amark 13y ago
  That's true, but you're ignoring the other environmental impacts your plastic use (and my plastic use) will have. Raw materials, expanding landfills, landfill leakage, leeched chemicals from plastic bottles/containers into our food/water, reduced bird populations from eating plastics, etc.