[brian eiland]

Originally Posted by Boston

Plastic is made up of numerous petroleum based compounds, to produce 1 kg of Acrylic (PMMA, Polymethyl methacrylate) (23) 2 kg of petroleum is needed and up to 5 kg of toxic waist is generated (2,3).

Plastic never breaks down but instead photo-degrades into some of the most hazardous petrochemical substances known to man (3,6,7,38).

PMMA has an embodied energy of about 131.0MJ/kg with a density of 1180 kg/m3 (1,3,30).

Although it is difficult to determine the exact production level of plastics per yr. 2007 estimates range from 100,000,000 to 205,000,000 tons (28,45) with an anual increase of 9.5% (45)

100,000,000,000 plastic bags are used each year in the u.s. alone (10)

The U.S recovery (recycling) rate for all plastics in 2005 was 1% (3,5,8,10).

In 2007 World wide, less than 3% is recovered (3,5,8).

In an EPA ranking of the twenty chemicals whose production generates the most total hazardous waste, five of the top six are chemicals commonly used by the plastic industry. (10)

Recycling one ton of plastic saves 1000 gallons of oil (10,32)

Plastic as it photo-degrades releases binders like Phthalates, Bisphenol A, Nonyphenols and PBDEs along with countless other known carcinogens and teratogens (3,16,21,25,32).

Once the binders are released, plastic remains as a large molecule(3,17).

Dioxins are created both during production and incineration (2,3,16,17,31,32,46) dioxins are the strongest carcinogen known to man (3,5,6.7,31,38).

The number of harmful chemicals associated with the production of plastic are to numerous to mention in this comparison, however; just one a primary component of acrylics ( mainly polycarbonates ) is bisphenol A (BPA), a hormone disrupter, that releases into food and liquid at room temperature(3,16,17,21,), it is considered a teratogen along with thalidomide and is known to cause embryonic malformations (3.8.16).

Phthalates have been shown to cause genital malformations.

In 1999 Plastic waste had outweighed plankton in our oceans 6 to 1, by 2002 the number had risen to 10/1 (3,10,11,16,17).

The north pacific gyre alone, has a density of 14.8 million visible pieces of floating plastic per square mile, over an area twice the size of texas (3,11). Thats 1.9 pieces of plastic such as, bottles, bottle caps, lighters, beach palls, plastic packaging or plastic aquariums for every square foot of ocean surface spanning an area of 537,202 square miles (3,11). This is only one of six mid ocean gyre systems polluted to this extent (39). These areas of floating plastic range in size from twice the size of Texas to the size of Africa (3,11).

Plastic appears to have a half life longer than most radioactive compounds (3) with its use being required by the epa as containment packaging for low grade nuclear waist disposal (33,43).

Polyethylene has been approved for the long term disposal of liquid radioactive waist (3,40,41,42) ( of course they also approved glass, tar and concrete ). The long chain plastic molecule is so durable that its half life is still being researched.

Plastic virtually never breaks down in the environment beyond the molecular level (3,7,11). We are stuck with every piece of plastic ever created (11). Unless collected and incinerated there is no getting rid of it. Remanufacture is not effective in halting plastics from leaching contaminates into there surroundings.

There is little debate over the adverse effects of plastics to the marine environment (ref-all not one dissenting opinion as to plastics harmful effect on the marine ecosystem ), Various forms of marine life, eat so much plastic, mistaking plastic fragments for plankton that it has decimated our ocean communities (10,11,15,16,17,44). Filter feeders unable to distinguish between plastic molecules and plankton, ingest and include millions of tons of plastics into the food chain (3,7,10,11,16,17,32,44), leading to the contamination and eventual starvation of countless organisms (3,10,11,16,17,32,44).

Additional comments: the cost of collecting, destroying or remanufacturing Plastic (as most plastic is uneconomical to remanufacture) “must” be endured no mater how high because of plastics highly toxic and enduring nature; were as the recycling of glass can be safely limited to its economic viability with out adverse environmental effects, as long as source point gaseous emissions are controlled.

The numerous reference documents sited above can be found here in the original posting.

[NYCAP123]

50 years ago plastic was the butt of jokes. To call something "plastic" was to call it cheap. Most products were made of steel, wood, glass, rubber, etc. When they broke we rebuilt, repaired or found different uses for them.
The plastics industries went to great pains to make us a disposable society and we bought it. Now we're hooked. Now most things last a few days to a couple of years, but the plastic they're made of apparently never goes away.
For the past 20 years there has been a major push for recycling, yet you say that we still only recycle 3%. I'd call that failure and to continue beating our heads against the wall while we build plastic islands seems ridiculous. Maybe it's time to attack the problem from a different direction. What about pushing to use plastics only when another medium can't be used. Cloth diapers worked for a long time. What would be the effect if we stopped using just disposable diapers? Of course we're not willing to put up with diaper pails though are we. How about plastic packaging? No? Toys that last? Maybe we shouldn't put things into production for public consumption until we have a way to destroy it. Maybe, just because we can do or make something doesn't mean that we should. Of course the plastics industry (and a few others) wouldn't put up with that.
By the time recycling catches up to production we'll be up to our ear lobes. Not to worry though. By the time that happens we'll be able to raise ourselves up on a pile of nuclear waste so we can breath the polluted air. I'm just glad I won't be around when our great-grand kids ask why we weren't willing to sacrifice.

[brian eiland]

Originally Posted by NYCAP123

..What about pushing to use plastics only when another medium can't be used.
Maybe we shouldn't put things into production for public consumption until we have a way to destroy it. Maybe, just because we can do or make something doesn't mean that we should.

I don't think this is possible, nor probable. We've perfected plastic product production, so we can't ignore its use. Besides if it wasn't plastic we would be utilized some other materials that could well be harmful in the long run.

I think we just need to emphasize RECYCLE and/or proper disposal. If we thru out all of out paper products onto our streets and neighborhoods, what a mess we would have. We've recognized this problem, now we must recognize the plastic problem.

[NYCAP123]

If we thru out all of out paper products onto our streets and neighborhoods,

....It would disappear back into nature within a few months.

I think we just need to emphasize RECYCLE and/or proper disposal.

That hasn't worked during the past 20 years. What will make it different now? We need to recover 110% of what is produced. 3% doesn't even delay the inevitable.

We've perfected plastic product production, so we can't ignore its use.

In that case we'd just better accept the world we're creating and stop wasting our effort banging our heads against the wall. Want to go fishing for diapers kids? Sorry, the swimming fish are gone.

[Capt J]

Originally Posted by NYCAP123

50 years ago plastic was the butt of jokes. To call something "plastic" was to call it cheap. Most products were made of steel, wood, glass, rubber, etc. When they broke we rebuilt, repaired or found different uses for them.
The plastics industries went to great pains to make us a disposable society and we bought it. Now we're hooked. Now most things last a few days to a couple of years, but the plastic they're made of apparently never goes away.
For the past 20 years there has been a major push for recycling, yet you say that we still only recycle 3%. I'd call that failure and to continue beating our heads against the wall while we build plastic islands seems ridiculous. Maybe it's time to attack the problem from a different direction. What about pushing to use plastics only when another medium can't be used. Cloth diapers worked for a long time. What would be the effect if we stopped using just disposable diapers? Of course we're not willing to put up with diaper pails though are we. How about plastic packaging? No? Toys that last? Maybe we shouldn't put things into production for public consumption until we have a way to destroy it. Maybe, just because we can do or make something doesn't mean that we should. Of course the plastics industry (and a few others) wouldn't put up with that.
By the time recycling catches up to production we'll be up to our ear lobes. Not to worry though. By the time that happens we'll be able to raise ourselves up on a pile of nuclear waste so we can breath the polluted air. I'm just glad I won't be around when our great-grand kids ask why we weren't willing to sacrifice.

I agree, back in the days when drinking water came out of a faucet, coca cola came in a glass bottle that you got 10 cents for when you took it back, things were built to last, and groceries came in paper bags. We threw away a lot less stuff. Now people throw everything away, and buy cheap things that don't last and throw them away. It wouldn't take a lot to cut down on waste and use renewable or re-usable products like paper (you can replant trees), glass, etc. The US has become a very wasteful society, look at the gas situation. As soon as the prices came down, everyone forgot about conserving it or increasing the economy of cars.

[stevenpet]

A few weeks ago I was Google Earthing the Hawaiian Islands Archipelago and came across the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument website at http://hawaiireef.noaa.gov/ I spent several evenings reading about the atolls and the islands. One article specifically addressed the issue of plastics and marine life on the atolls at: http://www.hawaiianatolls.org/research/June2006/albatross_death.php It’s a good read and is written for the general public and is low in technical jargon.

It was disheartening to see that several other island are more plastics-infected than Midway. How can we protect these islands from plastics? Do we need to send frequent plastics-foraging groups. Yet since the birds gather food far away from the island and return with it to feed their young, would that really solve the problem at all.

On a personal note, I never thought I would see the day I would say this, but I must confess that I have actually found one piece of legislation that I agree with President Bush on, and that is the creation of the Northwest Marine National Monument and the efforts being made on Midway Atoll to remove it’s toxic waste left over from the military. So, here it goes, “Thank you, President Bush.” (Just don’t tell anyone in Utah that I actually admitted this.)

[brian eiland]

Thanks for that contribution Stevenpet. I took the liberty to extract a quote from that article you sited, and to post a photo of the sample bird. Maybe we need to add some more 'shock value' to this problem.

Originally Posted by excerpt from article

In a perfect world untainted by man, our chick’s diet would consist of fish and fish eggs, squid, and octopus. Yet in our world and the “age of plastics” the chick will likely be fed some amazing indigestible, synthetic products.

On July 1, 2006, Cynthia Vanderlip conducted a necropsy of a chick that had expired a few hours previous. The “chick” had a wing spread of 5 to 6 feet and weighed approximately 5 lbs. The contents of the bird’s stomach amazed and shocked the teachers and scientists. The dead chick was severely impacted and literally full of plastics. Some pieces were approximately 6 inches long and several were sharp and jagged. We could conclusively state this bird was killed by the plastic debris because of the observed puncture in the lining of the proventriculus. We removed the plastic from our bird and counted an excess of 306 pieces of plastic!!!

Although a chick may be fed plastics, once they reach fledgling age they are usually able to regurgitate the indigestible material and cleanse their bodies of the plastic. However, if the pieces are too large or in this case, large, sharp and piercing, the bird may die an agonizing death; totally impacted and/or the lining punctured. As we walked the paths of Green Island we observed many young dead albatross. After viewing this incredible necropsy we contemplate how many of these young birds may have met a similar fate to the one we necropsied. Our specimen was chosen at random, selected only because we realized it had died within the last few hours

[Bamboo]

While I lived on Midway we did see lots of plastic. It collects there. I did also see dead birds. There is no doubt the NWHI is the center of the vortex for marine trash. It's not good in any sense. I did see staged pictures - like the one just posted (this one may or may not be staged). That's not to say birds do not eat disgarded lighters or other plastic- they do. But "volunteers" and scientists will find a dead bird and put those things in the cavity to make a picture more "effective", and pass it along for shock value.

[stevenpet]

That may or may not be true Bamboo. We would have to take them at their word until someone or something could disprove their claims. It wouldn’t be prudent to assume they were defrauding us without something more than the possibly that they could have done it.

As it stands now it would appear that the plastic was indeed found in the bird and counted just as they claimed. I don't see any reason to not take them at their word, do you?

[Bamboo]

Yes I do see a reason to not take them at their word- I have actual knowledge of photo's that were staged at and around Midway and nearby islands. That means I saw with volunteers and "scientists" (I use "" to means that they could be F&W employees,graduate students or scientists) staging photo's. It was a open activity- they did not care I knew what they were doing. It was much tougher to find photographic dead animals than to "recreate" a chick or bird that dies from plastic ingestion. I spent a year on Midway and have been to Lisianski and Kure.

[OutMyWindow]

This positive movement is catching on.....
_______________________

Plastic Bag Laws Spread
Cities around the world are moving to ban plastic shopping bags to protect the environment. A roundup:

• In April 2007, Leaf Rapids, a town of about 550 people in Canada's Manitoba, became the first municipality in North America to adopt a law forbidding the use of plastic bags by shops. The law calls for fines of as much as 1,000 Canadian dollars, though no one has yet received one, a town official says. Local businesses offer reusable cloth bags as an alternative.

• In March 2007, San Francisco became the first city to ban common plastic shopping bags. At least 30 villages and towns in Alaska have followed suit.

• In January, the New York City Council voted to require large stores and retail chains to recycle plastic bags.

• The following U.S. cities are considering fees or bans of plastic bags: Austin, Texas; Bakersfield, Calif.; Boston; New Haven, Conn.; Portland, Ore.; Phoenix; and Annapolis, Md.

• In Germany, stores provide consumers with the option of a plastic bag or a canvas- or cotton-made tote — for a fee. Many German consumers carry their own bags when doing the shopping and it's not uncommon to see some using wicker baskets or wheeled carts. Stores that offer plastic bags have to pay a recycling fee.

• In January, China announced a ban on stores handing out free plastic shopping bags. The ban takes effect June 1, two months before Beijing hosts the Summer Olympics. The measure will eliminate the flimsiest plastic bags and force stores to offer more durable bags.

• Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania's Zanzibar islands have banned flimsy plastic, introducing minimum thickness requirements. Many independent supermarkets in Kenya's capital, Nairobi, now charge a small fee for each plastic bag but also give away a free, reusable basket with a minimum purchase.

• In 2003, Ireland introduced a 22-cent levy on every plastic shopping bag. That, the government said, resulted in a big drop in the number of bags that stores were handing out. Some switched to paper bags; others stopped handing out bags completely. In July 2007, Ireland raised the fee to 32 cents.

• Shopkeepers in the English town of Modbury, which has about 1,500 residents, eliminated disposable plastic bags, while some of the country's big grocery chains have offered customers money-saving incentives to reuse old bags.

• The Swedish government is encouraging plastic bag producers to continually develop greener bags. Two of the Nordic country's biggest grocery chains have made biodegradable paper bags and reusable cloth bags available to shoppers.

From the Associated Press

[AMG]

Originally Posted by outmywindow

• The Swedish government is encouraging plastic bag producers to continually develop greener bags. Two of the Nordic country's biggest grocery chains have made biodegradable paper bags and reusable cloth bags available to shoppers.

Yes we have got some biodegradable plastic bags at COOP since last year, unfortunately they don´t even last until you leave the shop...

So the old plastic bags are back, but we also have classic paper bags which I use, when it is not raining...

[OutMyWindow]

Originally Posted by AMG

Yes we have got some biodegradable plastic bags at COOP since last year, unfortunately they don´t even last until you leave the shop...

So the old plastic bags are back, but we also have classic paper bags which I use, when it is not raining...

Yup, I know what you mean, one of mine burst last month and took out about 15 square feet of lobby with pasta sauce. I still owe the concierge a bottle for cleaning it up.

We used to have paper bags here, but they stopped producing them for some reason. Weird, since we have idle paper mills and millions of acres of dead (pine beetle) trees going to waste.

[stevenpet]

That really is unfortunate to know Bamboo. That would have really bothered me to see. Integrity is very important to me.

Did these F&G employees or scientists offer any solutions to the problem? Were they on the islands just to ducument the hazards or were they cleaning up the plastics as well?

[Bamboo]

Originally Posted by stevenpet

That really is unfortunate to know Bamboo. That would have really bothered me to see. Integrity is very important to me.

Did these F&G employees or scientists offer any solutions to the problem? Were they on the islands just to ducument the hazards or were they cleaning up the plastics as well?

Sad but true as the saying goes. While it's bothering, it's really not that bad. It's not always easy to find a "photogenic" bird killed by eating plastic. You may not have the proper light, the proper state of decomposition, or location or any number of other factors. Do many birds die from eating plastic? Yes. Is it a problem? Yes. Can you get the "word out" better with a better picture? Yes. The real issue is that people become emotional and feel that measures like this are needed to solve the problem. Emotion clouds judgement which in turn can lead to actions that cross over ethical lines. F&W was on island to study wildlife- and many volunteers actually paid to assist in studies that were ongoing. Nearly all the people at Midway aligned with F&W seemed fanatical about environmental issues. The head of F&W while I was there retired (he was not so fanatical) and during his "going away" party only two of his staff attended. The rest held open disdain for him. Here is the first part of a Washington Times article announcing the closing of the fishing/diving/bird watching nature tours:
Public access has been cut off to Midway Islands - where a historic battle marked the turning of U.S. fortunes in the Pacific theater of World War II - because of "extreme" environmental policies imposed by the federal government, a spokesman said yesterday.
Kayaking was not allowed, nor was sailing or surfing. 3/4 of the beaches were completely off limits, and if you were sleeping on a beach and a monk seal came ashore near you (within 300 yards) F&W staff would wake you and make you leave the area. While the military utilized the island there were up to 5000 persons on island- when they left total population was under 200, and no more than 100 visitors were allowed at any given time. Bird populations exploded after the military cleared the island of underbrush and many trees. This is getting a bit off topic. Plastic is a problem. The NWHI see exponentionally more plastic and disgarded commercial fishing gear than any other island or group of islands in the pacific. While it is a problem and deserves our attention, we also must understand that those that document this are human and not immune to the same faults everyone may have. Money managers, professional sports referees, judges and police officers, (etc)... and scientists are all capable of "fudging" facts, figures and other things to change the outcome of a situation to favor what they wish to happen.