Tag: plastic

Garbage patch kids

On By queeenvkIn Environment, Health2 Comments

Thanks to our beautiful ocean currents (and humans with their non-biodegradable plastic) there is a large patch of rubbish accumulating in the Pacific Ocean. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

How embarrassing that humans are living in squalor! If aliens were to land and see what we’ve done to our natural environment… I can just hear them saying, “My, my. Didn’t anyone tell you not to s*** where you eat?”.

Marine Debris Poster (4) AI9
By NOAA – http://marinedebris.noaa.gov/info/patch.html, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6808542

The Great Pacific Garbage patch was first described in 1988 and it is the largest accumulation of ocean plastic on Earth. It has now grown to be THREE TIMES the size of France, ie. 1.6 million square kilometres. It has gradually grown and continues to grow as the currents and winds push the debris towards this part of the ocean.

Without intervention marine life will continue to suffer and perish.

All of the plastic consumed on Earth has the potential to be swept into the ocean via various routes. Instead of degrading like your usual run-of-the-mill biodegradable product, plastic breaks down into smaller pieces of plastic. Which turns out to be EVEN WORSE. The plastic situation doesn’t get better over time and action must be taken to improve this predicament.

The plastic pollution floating through the ocean habitats also spreads disease and is damaging some very delicate ecosystems. For more information on how plastic is transmitting disease through our oceans see my post here.

Without intervention marine life will continue to suffer and perish as their stomachs fill with plastic. Habitat destruction can be devastating as there are far reaching effects leading to loss of entire species as well as resources.

The key message to learn from this mistake of ours is to reduce our personal plastic consumption to decrease our impact on these delicate habitats.

We’re all in this together.

Featured image credit: By vaidehi shah from Singapore – Litter on Singapore’s ECP, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=56641266

Plastic pollution myths busted!

On By queeenvkIn Environment, Food, Health, Help3 Comments

There are some myths currently floating around that could be harmful to the environment so I’m here to help with some mythbusting facts.

Myth #1

If I recycle my plastic waste I’m not harming the environment.

Fact: Many types of plastic cannot be recycled. Additionally, if non-recyclable items contaminate a bunch of recyclable products all of the recyclable items will be sent to a landfill.

This is why I can’t stress enough that COFFEE CUPS SHOULD NEVER BE PLACED IN A RECYCLING BIN.

Coffee cups are in no way recyclable. If these non-recyclable products contaminate the products being sent recycling, all of that recycling goes straight to the tip.

What you can do: Reduce use of all plastics. Bring your own coffee cup on your coffee run. Use canvas tote bags for all of your shopping and produce. Stop buying plastic toothbrushes (go for bamboo). Take advantage of this code for 15% off all purchases at Sand Cloud: VICK_Y15. Sandcloud.com has a selection of glass water bottles, metal straws and environmentally friendly organic sunscreen (packaged in a tin instead of plastic). You can feel really good about saving the planet with your next session of retail therapy.

Myth #2

Plastic pollution in the ocean isn’t harming humans.

Fact: Leaching of chemicals from plastics into our waterways not only affects our water but our food too. Large pieces of plastic break down into smaller pieces called microplastics. These microplastics are mistaken as food by sea creatures and are frequently ingested. The smaller fish that consume these plastics are consumed by larger fish until it gets to the top of the food chain, you and me! Do you really want to be eating food that is potentially contaminated with harmful chemicals?

Myth #3

Ocean plastic pollution mainly originates from dumping rubbish in the ocean

Fact: Plastics from all over the land can end up in the ocean, no matter where it was dumped. Most of the plastics that are now in the ocean originated from every day items that you and I use frequently – bags, bottles, caps, food containers. If we begin limiting the use of plastic in our lives we can make an impact on the reduction of plastic in the ocean.

Share your plastic reduction tips in the comments. My latest effort in waste reduction involves the use of beeswax food wraps and reusable ziplock bags to store my lunches for work! What’s yours?

Plastic pollution spreads disease

On By queeenvkIn Environment, Health1 Comment

Coral reefs are one of the ecosystems most susceptible to climate change, but their complex structure is also vulnerable to many other threats, most of these are sadly caused by humans.

It’s apparent that our plastic usage is affecting the life of coral reefs. Recent scientific research estimates 11 billion pieces of plastic contaminate our vital reefs! Plastic waste that is caught on coral reefs has shown to contribute to increased rates of disease within the coral, as stated by the study.

Plastic pollution

Plastic items such as bottle caps and toothbrushes which are commonly made of polypropylene, have been shown to become heavily inhabited by bacteria. For the research, the research group studied 159 coral reefs at the Asia-Pacific region where most global reefs are located. They inspected roughly 125,000 corals checking for tissue loss and lesions. The greater the amount of plastic that was entangled in the region’s reefs, the more disease they discovered.

circle plastic photo.jpg circle plstic bottle photo.jpg

Microorganisms often come with plastic, and the plastic adds stress to the corals as they cover daylight and reduce oxygen supply making conditions that enable certain pathogens (microorganisms that cause disease) to flourish. Such plastic waste can even cut open corals’ sensitive skin, exposing them to further infection.

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A great star coral infected with black band disease
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The solution

In recent studies, research on cross-species coral hybrids, inoculations with protective bacteria and even genetic engineering has been established. Researchers produce coral embryos by in vitro fertilisation (IVF), coral tissues of the infected ones are compared and its DNA can be preserved in a cold storage equipment. An increased focus on coral microbiology and application of laboratory culture techniques could serve as the string of hope and provide a lifeline for the ‘Rainforests of the Oceans’.

It’s time for a sea change

Everyone can help tackle the problem by reducing plastic usage. Science proves that small behavioural changes and collective efforts can lead to wide-scale transformations.