I recently read an article praising Method, a cleaning product brand, for creating a line of liquid soap that is packaged using recycled plastic from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
By now, many listeners may have heard of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, which is loosely defined as an enormous mass of marine litter that is trapped in the Central Pacific Ocean by ocean currents. While it is true that much of the debris is plastic in origin, it takes the form of particles suspended at or below the surface of the water. Most of this litter is very small. Pieces large enough to be viewed from a boat deck are uncommon.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch isn’t visible by satellite imaging either. Our understanding of its extent comes from net-based surveys, with estimates ranging from 270,000 square miles to 5.8 million square miles.
This brings us back to Method’s liquid soap. A little web-sleuthing revealed that their marketing is based on removing plastic from the ocean’s shoreline. Some of the plastic in their “Ocean” line packaging will be made from 3,000 pounds of litter gathered off Hawaii’s coast.
Cleaning up beaches is a laudable goal. And Method deserves credit for using 100% recycled plastic in all of its packaging, as well as receiving recognition from the EPA’s Design for the Environment program, which helps consumers identify environmentally-safe cleaning products.
But I can’t help but wonder… wouldn’t the plastic waste stream be better served by forgoing disposable plastic soap dispensers and using old-fashioned bar soap instead? The paper and cardboard used to package bar soap are easy to recycle, and your soap dish can last a lifetime.
Web Links
Method’s New Soap Bottle Is Made From Pacific Garbage Patch Trash
http://www.good.is/post/method-s-new-soap-bottle-is-made-from-pacific-garbage-patch-trash/
Turning the ‘Ocean Garbage Patch’ Into Packaging
http://www.wired.com/design/2012/07/method-soap-bottle-from-ocean-plastic/
De-mystifying the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch
http://marinedebris.noaa.gov/info/patch.html
Photo, taken on December 29, 2009, courtesy of NOAA’s National Ocean Service via Flickr.