rap presentation 2010

Photo from AMRF

When did plastics become so popular? Throwaway

Living

Post-war boom in plastics production

What’s Made of Plastic?

What is Plastic Made of?

SY

NTH

ETIC

BIODEGRADEABLE

How many plastic beverage bottles get used every year in the US?

Q:

Chris Jordan

Chris Jordan

We use 50 billion plastic beverage bottles

every year in the US

DETAIL

50,000,000,000

“But I Recycle…”.

What percentage of plastic gets recycled in the US?

Less than 5% of plastics are recycled…

CIWMB White Paper

Plastic recycling in China

(California Integrated Waste Management Board, “Plastics White Paper” 2003)

Municipal Waste 50%

Recycled 5%

Made into Goods 20%

Unaccounted for 25%

Where our plastic waste goes

The “missing” 25%

LA Beaches After The Rain

Ballona Creek Algalita

Santa Monica Beach Ben Kay

Great Pacific Garbage Patch

• A giant, eternal swirling spiral of floating trash• Twice the size of the US and growing• Home to an estimated 100 million tons of plastic

There is 42 times more plastic than plankton at some spots in the North Pacific gyre.

Source: Algalita Marine Research Foundation

Chris Jordan

Chr

is J

orda

n 100 billion plastic bags get

used each year in the US.

100,000,000,000

ACUTAL SIZE

This is an artist’s visualization of what gets used in just five seconds

Surfrider Foundation

All of this (more than a half-pound of plastic) was removed from the stomach of

an albatross, a large sea bird

How many marine animals die every year due to

Plastic?

A. 100

B. 100,000

C. 1,000,000,000

Q:

B100,000 marine mammals die each year because of plastic litter in the Pacific ocean alone.

How do plastics affect our

health?

Toxic Plastics

Plastics Leech the Chemicals They Are Made Of

Bisphenol A (BPA)• Plastic hardener• Used in DVDs, canned food

lining, baby bottles, water bottles

• Chemical found in 93% of Americans over the age of 6

Phthalates• Plastic softener • Found in toys, food

packaging, shower curtains, nail polish, hair spray and shampoo, baby teething rings

These Chemicals are ‘hormone mimickers’ that affect the

Endocrine System.

Plastic Bath

A study of 20 teens across America detected they had phthalates (plastic) in their

blood and urine.

Look up your products at SKIN DEEPwww.cosmeticsdatabase.com

Bring Your Own…

• REUSABLE WATER BOTTLE

• CANVAS BAG• CUP OR JAR• TUPPERWARE• SILVERWEAR

Use Biodegradable (PLA)

Bioplastics are better, but not the answer• Require INDUSTRIAL COMPOSTING

(140° and fed microbes)• Cannot be recycled; can contaminate if mixed in• “Renewable;” but genetically-modified• Does not emit GHG’s

when incinerated• Don’t break

down inthe water

THINK TWICE• Do you really need a

bag for your bag of chips?

• Ask the waiter to wrap in foil instead of styrofoam

• Do you really need the straw?

• Don’t buy things with excess packaging

• Buy the can instead of the bottle

• Shop at the farmer’s markets

REFUSE, REDUCE, REUSE… then RECYCLE

Encourage EPR

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)– Companies that produce and package products are responsible

for the costs of collecting and disposing of their packaging waste– Motivates producers to reduce the amount of waste they produce

• Adopted by Germany in 1991– Packaging waste reduced 14%

in first four years– Recycling rose to 75%

Plastic Laws• California: AB 1998:

Proposed a Ban on plastic bags in major retail stores in CA. This did not go through Legislation.

• Los Angeles: Supervisors ban Styrofoam in LA County offices & concessions. (Already banned in Berkeley, Calabasas, Laguna Beach, Malibu, Newport Beach, Oakland, Palo Alto, San Francisco, Santa Monica and West Hollywood)

Spread the Word…with a SMILE

Share what you’ve learned • Lead by example• Ask your friends and

family to join you• Speak to city council• Write letters to

government officials

What will you do to rise

above plastics?

Share your Pledges with our network!

Rise Above Plastics

@RiseAbovePlstcs

Be the change you wish to see in the world.

For more information visit:

www.riseaboveplastics.org

www.greenambassadors.org

www.surfrider.org

www.algalita.org

www.seaofconsequences.blogspot.com

http://www.ewg.org/chemindex/term/468

PASS IT ON…