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Life In The Garbage Patch | Earth Wise

May 23, 2023 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

The ocean's garbage patches are teaming with marine life

A team of scientists has found thriving communities of coastal creatures living thousands of miles from their original homes and now ensconced on plastic debris in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. 

A new study published in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution reports that dozens of species of coastal invertebrate organisms – including tiny crabs and anemones – have been able to survive and reproduce on plastic garbage that has been floating in the ocean for years.

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is an area in the ocean between California and Hawaii, larger than Texas, where plastic debris has been collected by the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, one of five huge, spinning circular currents in the world’s oceans.  The patch is estimated to contain about 1.8 trillion pieces of plastic weighing an estimated 90,000 tons.  The Ocean Cleanup Initiative is dedicated to removing this immense accumulation of plastic, but it is an immense job.

Researchers discovered this new ecosystem after analyzing plastic samples collected by The Ocean Cleanup organization during its expeditions in the Pacific.  They were surprised to find 37 different invertebrate species that normally live in coastal water and only a dozen species that live in open waters.  These species have made their way from North America and have thrived.  So, the garbage patch has created a novel community that didn’t previously exist.

Debris from the Great Pacific Garbage patch constitutes the majority of debris arriving on Hawaiian beaches and reefs.  Hawaii’s fragile marine ecosystems have long been protected from invasive species because of the very long distances from North America or Asia.  With the coastal species now inhabiting the garbage patch, there is increased danger of colonization by them in Hawaii’s ecosystems.

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Coastal species persist on high seas on floating plastic debris

Photo, posted September 30, 2020, courtesy of Kees Torn via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Keeping Trash Out Of The Ocean | Earth Wise

February 23, 2023 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

The Ocean Cleanup Project

The Ocean Cleanup is a non-profit organization, founded in 2013 by Dutch inventor Boyan Slat, to develop and scale technologies to rid the world’s oceans of plastic.  It is an organization that proudly declares that its primary aim is to put itself out of business by successfully cleaning up the oceans.

A major activity of The Ocean Cleanup is efforts to clean the ocean garbage patches that have accumulated in several places, best-known of which is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.  The effort involves use of large U-shaped floating barriers that act as an artificial coastline to trap garbage which is then funneled into a barge for disposal.  Ten full-sized systems will be needed to clean up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

A second activity of The Ocean Cleanup is preventing garbage in rivers from making its way into the oceans.  Rivers are the main source of ocean plastic pollution.  The Ocean Cleanup has developed river machines called Interceptors that capture garbage for disposal.  Last fall, they installed a machine called Interceptor 007 in Ballona Creek, a waterway in the Los Angeles area.  In the first rainfall after installation, the Interceptor managed to stop 35,000 pounds of waste from entering the ocean in just a few days.

The original Interceptor models have been deployed in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Dominican Republic, and Vietnam. A different type called the Interceptor Trashfence is being tested in Guatemala.

The Ocean Cleanup states that if fleets of its barrier systems are installed in all the garbage patches and Interceptors in the 1000 most significant rivers, 90% of floating ocean plastic can be removed by 2040.

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The Interceptor 007 Stops 35,000 Pounds Of Trash From Entering Ocean

The Ocean Cleanup

Photo, posted February 23, 2015, courtesy of Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Phasing Out Disposables | Earth Wise      

May 5, 2022 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Starbucks plans to phase out disposables

Humans generate a remarkable amount of garbage.  According to the World Bank, humans produce 4.5 trillion pounds of trash every year, with at least 33% of this garbage not managed in an environmentally-safe manner. By 2050, global garbage generation is expected to reach nearly 7.5 trillion pounds a year. 

Globally, an average of 1.6 lbs of waste is generated per person per day.  While high-income countries only account for 16% of the global population, they are responsible for about 34% of the world’s waste. 

But almost everything humans throw away was bought from a company.   Whether it was the packaging or the product itself, we purchased it from somewhere.  There’s a growing movement to hold the companies responsible for the trash they produce. 

Faced with increasing consumer consciousness, many companies are stepping up and announcing initiatives to reduce their waste.  Starbucks is one of them.  The company’s white logo-emblazoned paper cups and clear plastic cups are instantly recognizable symbols of the brand.  But these ubiquitous cups are disposable and also serve as a symbol of our throwaway society. 

By the end of next year, Starbucks is planning to allow customers to use their own personal mugs at every location in the U.S. and Canada.  By 2025, the company wants every customer to be able to use either their own mug or to borrow a ceramic or reusable to-go mug.  This borrow-a-mug program is currently being tested in eight different markets around the globe. 

In lieu of regulation mandating corporate responsibility for waste, we will have to hope that more companies do the right thing.

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Starbucks is planning to phase out its iconic cups

Photo, posted June 11, 2010, courtesy of Sunghwan Yoon via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Plastic Bottles

November 19, 2018 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

https://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/11-19-18-Plastic-Bottles.mp3

Plastic straws have become outcasts these days and for good reasons.  But they are not the only bad actors in the world of plastic products.  Single-use plastic water bottles are another example of a real trouble maker.

[Read more…] about Plastic Bottles

Turning Plastic Waste Into Green Energy

November 14, 2018 By EarthWise 1 Comment

https://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/EW-11-14-18-Turning-Plastic-Waste-into-Green-Energy.mp3

In the Back to the Future movies, the DeLorean time machine ran on garbage.  We aren’t any closer to building time machines, but it might soon be practical to produce fuel from garbage.

[Read more…] about Turning Plastic Waste Into Green Energy

Cleaning Up the Garbage Patch

October 16, 2018 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

https://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/EW-10-16-18-Cleaning-Up-The-Garbage-Patch.mp3

We have been talking about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch for several years.  Two years ago, we reported on the activities of a company called Ocean Cleanup, founded five years ago by an 18-year-old Dutch entrepreneur named Boyan Slat.  Two years ago, the company was conducting comprehensive surveys of the patch, which covers an area twice the size of Texas and contains some 80,000 tons of plastic debris.

[Read more…] about Cleaning Up the Garbage Patch

Carmakers Protecting The Ground And Air

January 30, 2018 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

https://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/EW-01-30-18-Carmakers-Protecting-Ground-And-Air.mp3

There is quite a bit of effort underway to reduce the amount of pollution automobiles dump into the atmosphere.  The expanding role of electric cars is a big part of this.

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A Ton Of Plastic Per Person

October 27, 2017 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

https://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/EW-10-27-17-A-Ton-of-Plastic-per-Person.mp3

A study by the American Association for the Advancement of Science has produced an estimate of the total amount of plastic manufactured worldwide since the 1950s.  The researchers then measured that data against statistics on recycling, incineration and discard rates.  The results are sobering.

[Read more…] about A Ton Of Plastic Per Person

Wasting Less Food

August 4, 2017 By EarthWise

https://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/EW-08-04-17-Wasting-Less-Food-at-Home.mp3

We have talked about the problem of food waste before.  About 40% of the food produced in the United States goes to waste, which is a truly shameful statistic.  According to a Business for Social Responsibility study on the subject, about 44% of the food that goes into landfills comes from homes.  About a third comes from the food service industry.

[Read more…] about Wasting Less Food

Food Waste Into Tires

April 21, 2017 By EarthWise

https://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/EW-04-21-17-Food-Waste-into-Tires.mp3

Researchers at Ohio State University have developed a way to use food waste to partially replace the petroleum-based filler that has been used in manufacturing tires for more than a century.

[Read more…] about Food Waste Into Tires

Baltimore’s Trash Wheels

April 10, 2017 By EarthWise

https://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/EW-04-10-17-Baltimores-Trash-Wheels.mp3

Baltimore’s harbor is cleaner than it has been in decades thanks to the efforts of two solar- and hydro-powered trash interceptors built to look like googly-eyed cartoon characters.   In fact, they are known as Mr. Trash Wheel and Professor Trash Wheel.

[Read more…] about Baltimore’s Trash Wheels

Use-By Labels And Food Waste

December 20, 2016 By EarthWise

https://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/EW-12-20-16-Use-by-Labels.mp3

By some estimates, Americans waste as much as 40% of food that is produced.   None of the reasons are anything to be proud of, but one of the most frustrating is the confusing array of food date labels that are supposed to tell us whether the food we purchased should be eaten.

[Read more…] about Use-By Labels And Food Waste

Bidding ‘Adieu’ To Plastics

October 13, 2016 By WAMC WEB

https://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/EW-10-13-16-Bidding-‘Adieu’-To-Plastics.mp3

The use of plastics has increased 20-fold in the past 50 years, and production of plastics is expected to double again in the next 20 years.  According to Eco Watch, the average American throws away approximately 185 pounds of plastic every year.  And nearly one-third of all discarded plastic is not properly disposed of or recycled.

[Read more…] about Bidding ‘Adieu’ To Plastics

Too Much Waste

October 4, 2016 By WAMC WEB

https://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/EW-10-04-16-Too-Much-Waste.mp3

As the world’s population grows and becomes more urban and affluent, the amount of solid waste we produce grows and grows.  Over the past century, the total amount has risen tenfold.  By 2025, the world-wide total is expected to double again. The average person in the United States throws away their body weight in garbage every month. 

[Read more…] about Too Much Waste

Bottled Water

September 8, 2016 By WAMC WEB

https://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/EW-09-08-16-Bottled-Water.mp3

This year, Americans will consume more bottled water than soda for the first time.  The average American will buy 27.4 gallons of bottled water, over a gallon more than soda drinks.

[Read more…] about Bottled Water

Shoes From Garbage

June 24, 2016 By WAMC WEB

https://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/EW-06-24-16-Shoes-from-Garbage.mp3

Apparel giant Nike recently announced that 71% of its footwear now contains materials made from waste products from its own manufacturing processes.  They call the waste material “Nike Grind,” and it is made from recycled sneakers, plastic bottles, and manufacturing scraps from Nike’s factories.

[Read more…] about Shoes From Garbage

Recycling CO2

May 24, 2016 By WAMC WEB

https://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/EW-05-24-16-Recycling-CO2.mp3

The X Prize Foundation provides financial incentives for innovative solutions to various technical challenges.   Topics have ranged from developing spacecraft to trying to create a real-world version of the Star Trek tricorder.   Last year, the foundation launched a $20 million challenge to come up with technologies by the year 2020 that turn carbon dioxide captured from the smokestacks of power plants into useful products.

[Read more…] about Recycling CO2

Biodegradable Bottles

April 21, 2016 By WAMC WEB

https://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/EW-04-21-16-Biodegradable-Bottles.mp3

Plastics are the ubiquitous workhorse material of the modern economy.  Their use has increased 20-fold in the past half century, and production of plastics is expected to double again in the next 20 years.

[Read more…] about Biodegradable Bottles

Ugly Produce

April 4, 2016 By WAMC WEB

https://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/EW-04-04-16-Ugly-Produce.mp3

Estimates are that as much as 40% of produce in America is wasted.  We throw out fruits and vegetables for a variety of reasons, but one of the most unfortunate is when produce is tossed simply because it doesn’t look good enough.   Misshapen tomatoes, lumpy carrots, double-lobed potatoes, and crooked cucumbers end up in the waste bin instead of on our plates.

[Read more…] about Ugly Produce

Food Waste And Wildlife

February 3, 2016 By WAMC WEB

https://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/EW-02-03-16-Food-Waste-and-Wildlife.mp3

We have talked quite a bit about food waste and in particular its impact on world hunger and on the economy.  The world wastes more than $750 billion worth of food each year and 1.6 billion tons of food is left in fields, sent to landfills or scattered about the landscape.  Another 7 million tons of fishery discards are dumped in the sea.

[Read more…] about Food Waste And Wildlife

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