CLEVELAND 2016 marcus@5gyres.org The plastics industry has - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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CLEVELAND 2016 marcus@5gyres.org The plastics industry has - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Apr 11, 2023 150 likes •869 views

CLEVELAND 2016 marcus@5gyres.org The plastics industry has bene fi ted from 50 years of growth with a year on year expansion of 8.7% from 1950 to 2012, with a global production of 288 million tons produced in 2012.

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CLEVELAND 2016

  • marcus@5gyres.org
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The plastics industry has benefited from 50 years of growth with a year on year expansion of 8.7% from 1950 to 2012, with a global production of 288 million tons produced in 2012.

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“THROW AWAY LIVING” 2005

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GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION

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South Pacific Gyre South Atlantic Gyre North Atlantic Gyre North Pacific Gyre Indian Ocean Gyre

Pla stic Po llutio n Ac c umula tio n Zo ne s (Lebreton et al., Mar. Pol. Bul., 2012)

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NORTH ATLANTIC GYRE

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NORTH PACIFIC GYRE

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INDIAN OCEAN GYRE

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SOUTH ATLANTIC GYRE

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SOUTH PACIFIC GYRE

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269,000 tons from 5.25 trillion particles

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PLASTIC SMOG

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SEA CHANGE 2015

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PO O R PRO DUC T DESI G N

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TIRE DUST NURDLES TURF FIBER TOOLED SHAVINGS UV SHREDDING DRYER EXHAUST CARPET WEAR ROAD ABRASION OF TRASH DESIGNED WASTE

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WHAT IS THE ECOLOGICAL IMPACT?

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DEREL I C T FI SHI NG G EAR

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ENTANGLEMENT

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Pho to : C hris Jo rd a n

INGESTION

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MICROPLASTIC INGESTION

(G o ld ste in e t a l., 2013) (C o le e t a l., 2013) (T ho mp so n, 2004)

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T RANSL O C AT I O N FRO M ST O MAC H T O C I RC UL AT O RY SYST EM (Bro wne , 2008)

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WHERE IS IT ALL GOING?

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PHOTODEGRADATION OXIDATION MECHANICAL DEGRADATION

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BI O DEG RADAT I O N

(Ze ttle r e t a l., 2013)

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FRAGMENTATION BY GRAZING

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SHORELINE DEPOSITION

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DEEP SEA DEPOSITION (Cauwenberghe, 2013)

100um 100um 100um

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THREE CONCLUSIONS

  • GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION
  • TOXICITY
  • ECOSYSTEM-WIDE IMPACTS

PLASTIC POLLUTION CAUSES “HARM”

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FOCUS ON PLASTIC BAGS

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Undeniable Trend in Bag Bans

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REUSABLE BAGS:

FALLACY OF CLEANLINESS ARGUMENT

…like you wash your socks. Wash your bags…

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DOUBLE SPEAK

RECYCLING OR LANDFILL?

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  • LCA 1 – plastic bag vs. paper bag
  • LCA 2 – double bag vs. paper bag
  • LCA 3 – plastic bag vs. recycled paper bag
  • LCA 4 – compostable bag vs. plastic bag
  • LCA 5 – recycled plastic bag vs. paper
  • LCA 6 - no bag vs. any bag

LCA of Convenience

ALL LCA’s EXTERNALIZE ENVIRONMENTAL COSTS

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1000x reuse and going …

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WORD MANIPULATION & DOUBLE TAXATION

  • CITY TAX

– (cleanup of plastic bags = MWM taxes)

  • SALES TAX

– (Grocers increase the cost of goods in

  • rder to absorb the cost of plastic bags.

Customers pay sales tax on those increases.)

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“What is missed on the conveyor belt tumbles over a giant rotor with stubby teeth that separates cardboard from the rest of it. This is where plastic bags get stuck and clog the system. The damn things blow around. They’re usually full

  • f other junk, like dog poop. They’re

more trouble than they’re worth.” Anonymous MRF owner

MRF MAYHEM

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TOO WASTEFUL TO VALUE

There's harsh economics behind bag recycling: It costs $4,000 to process and recycle 1 ton of plastic bags, which can then be sold on the commodities market for $32.

Jared Blumenfeld (Director of San Francisco's Department of the Environment)

  • It’s cheaper for me to send my plastic bags

to China than spend $62/ton at the landfill.

Joe Garbarino Marin County Recycling

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PROBLEM SUMMARY

  • Design facilitates loss to environment
  • Plastic is dangerous in the environment
  • Recovery rates continue to fail
  • MRF mayhem
  • Too taxing to the public
  • Stifles innovation and US jobs
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SOLUTIONS

  • Embrace science
  • Lead innovation
  • Support true cost LCA’s
  • Support EPR beyond recycling
  • Reject the path of frivolous lawsuits
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URGE RETAILERS TO PROVIDE CUSTOMERS CARBOARD BOXES

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TRANSFORM CULTURE Heirloom Culture Throw Away Living

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CLEVELAND 2016

  • marcus@5gyres.org
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THE GREAT DIVIDE

LINEAR vs CIRCULAR ECONOMY ECONOMY

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SIN LIST:

PRODUCT/PACKAGING/BRAND IMPACTS

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YOUTH DRIVING SOLUTIONS

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YO UT H T AKI NG C HARG E – T RASH AUDI T

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YO UT H SPEAKI NG O UT

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YO UT H L EADERS

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  • Marcus Eriksen

The 5 Gyres Institute