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petapixel (unofficial)

Eye-Opening Photos Show How Plastic Waste is Polluting Our Planet

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The UN has a new online photo exhibition titled Plastic is Forever. Captured by photographers from around the world, the stark images reveal how mankind's use of plastic has impacted the daily lives and environments of people and animals across the globe.

Crying girl beside the house, Malaysia. This girl is growing up in a squatter settlement around Sabah, Malaysia. Garbage piles collected in several such areas are estimated to amount to 216,000 kilograms per month. Photo ©BRS / Fakir Mohamad bin Md. Nor (Malaysia)

"Plastic waste can take anywhere from 20 to 500 years to decompose, and even then, it never fully disappears; it just gets smaller and smaller," the exhibition states.

Manta ray plastic soup, Indonesia. A filter-feeding manta ray attempts to eat amidst the plastic in Bali's Nusa Penida. Recent research has shown that these manta rays ingest as much as 137 pieces of plastic an hour, which exposes their population to unknown long-term risks. Photo ©BRS / Vincent Kneefel (The Netherlands)

Of the 8.3 billion tons of plastic that has ever been made, half of it was produced in just the last 13 years.

"Microplastics in particular have been found in every corner of the globe, from the peak of Mount Everest to the trough of the Mariana Trench," the UN writes. "In fact, it has been estimated that humans ingest a credit card worth of plastic per week!

"Yet of all discarded plastic so far, 12% has been incinerated, only 9% has been recycled, and the remainder has either been disposed of in landfills or released into the environment."

It's the plastic that has been piling up in landfills and littering the natural world that the photos in the new exhibition focus on.

"This year, we asked people from all walks of life around the world to share with us photos that showcase how the indiscriminate use of plastic waste is impacting their daily lives and surroundings," the UN writes. "We are proud to present to you the top-tier entries."

Live with the environment, Bangladesh. These boys spend their days fighting for food and goods. It’s a daily war for them in the depot of Chittagong, Bangladesh. Photo ©BRS / Muhammad Amdad Hossain (Bangladesh) A woman scavenges for survival in a mountain of plastic waste, Pakistan. This woman is collecting and separating plastic bottles according to their type, so she can then sell them to recycling factories in Mandi Bahauddin Punjab, Pakistan. Photo ©BRS / Sufyan Arshad (Pakistan) Aerial view of the Korle Lagoon, choked with single-use plastic, Ghana. Major drainage systems in Accra, Ghana's capital city, empty single-use plastic waste into the ocean through the Korle Lagoon. The urban poor sometimes swim in it to recover recyclable material. Photo ©BRS / Muntaka Chasant (Ghana) Beach on fire, Indonesia. This local beach in Java, Indonesia, has become an illegal dumpsite for plastic waste. One of the residents can be seen burning the plastic, so it doesn’t enter her house at high tide. Photo ©BRS / Vincent Kneefel (The Netherlands) Bon appétit, Adriatic Sea. Trash heaps near the Adriatic Sea where the Bura wind spreads plastic waste onto the grazing fields. Photo ©BRS / Goran Dorić (Croatia) Chelonia Mydas comes up for a breath amongst debris, Brazil. A young sea turtle is trying to breathe in a puddle of water filled with plastic in Niteroi, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Photo ©BRS / Heidi Acampora (Brazil) Falling asleep, Bangladesh. A large number of homeless people in Dhaka, Bangladesh have lost their property due to natural disasters. For them, an asphalt street is the best they can hope for, otherwise they have to sleep on plastic trash. Photo ©BRS / Muhammad Amdad Hossain (Bangladesh) Ghost jelly, Indonesia. On the reef of a small coastal village in the Indonesian Banggai Archipelago, the villagers are doing their best to fight against plastic pollution. Plastic bags like this one represent a hollow deceit for animals that prey on jellyfish, such as sea turtles. Photo ©BRS / Shannon Switzer Swanson (The United States of America) Nature message in a bottle, Lithuania. Ever since ancient times, Lithuanian forests have been a place of tranquillity. Now nature is sending us a message, sadly in a plastic bottle. Photo ©BRS / Jurgita Šukienė (Lithuania) Plastic river, Bangladesh. Once an important commercial waterway, the Buriganga river in the southwest outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh, has now turned into a plastic river. Photo ©BRS / Shahriar Hossain (Bangladesh) Shame, Croatia. Countryside 30 km outside Split, Croatia, after a great storm. Photo ©BRS / Đurđica Milosavljević (Croatia) Survival, Philippines. A youngster takes a swim in a river polluted with plastic and other waste in Bocaue, Philippines. Photo ©BRS / Jophel Botero Ybiosa (Philippines) The plastic in our river, Indonesia. Fishing in the Brantas river of the East Java province, Indonesia, means going through loads of plastic trash, discarded by the residents of thousands of buildings. Photo ©BRS / Fully Syafi Handoko (Indonesia) Two boys, Kenya. The Njoro River flows from the Mau Forest, continuing along several residential areas. By the time it reaches Lake Nakuru, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Kenya, it is filled with plastic. Photo ©BRS / James Wakibia (Kenya)

"Let’s work together to find a sustainable way to co-exist with plastic," the UN writes. "If #PlasticIsForever, then society needs to re-think and re-shape our relationship with this complex, useful and ubiquitous material."

The photographs in this exhibition were selected from winners of The Plastic Waste Partnership photo contest put on by the Basel Convention, the international treaty that's designed to reduce the amount of hazardous waste transferred from developed to less-developed nations. You can find a larger selection of photos in the online exhibition over on the UN website.

Image credits: Header photograph by ©BRS / Muntaka Chasant. All photographs courtesy the UN.

#culture #features #news #environment #exhibition #landfill #plastic #plasticwaste #pollution #un #waste

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dezeen@xn--y9azesw6bu.xn--y9a3aq
dezeen (unofficial)

Lego develops recycled bricks made from discarded bottles

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Toy brand Lego has created its first prototype bricks using recycled PET plastic from discarded bottles.

Created as part of the Danish company's drive to make all of its products from sustainable materials by 2030, the brick prototypes were created from recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET), a common thermoplastic used for products such as bottles and clothing.

White 2x4 and 2x2 Lego bricks on a pink backgroundAbove: Lego has developed prototype bricks made from recycled plastic bottles. Top: a one-litre plastic bottle provides enough material for around 10 bricks

The prototype, which has been developed over the past three years, was made from used plastic bottles acquired from suppliers in the United States.

A one-litre plastic bottle supplies enough raw material for around 10 2x4 Lego bricks.

A man pours plastic into a machine that creates Lego bricksLego has tested hundreds of different plastic variations

Lego trialled over 250 formulations of the recycled plastic to create a brick that complies with the company's quality, safety and play requirements.

Its "clutch power" – the ability to snap onto other pieces of Lego – means that it is compatible with Lego's standard bricks.

White Lego bricks on a conveyer beltThe recycled plastic bricks are now undergoing testing

Lego now plans to rigorously test and develop the prototype brick before assessing whether to move the rPET into production.

Tests will determine whether the patent-pending material formulation is strong and durable enough for Lego bricks.

"We need to work on how we colour the material consistently and look into the different shapes it can be moulded into," Lego told Dezeen. "Then we will be in a position to assess whether to move into pilot or trial production."

A hand holding 4 Lego bricksThe bricks are designed to be compatible with older Lego bricks

"Any new materials we use must live up to the high quality and safety standards as those we apply to our existing products – this includes the product durability," the brand said.

Founded in 1932 by Ole Kirk Kristiansen, Lego has become one of the world's leading toy brands. This is in part thanks to the iconic brick's durability.

Since 1963, the majority of the billions of Lego bricks produced each year have been made from a plastic called acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS).

Finding a material as durable as the traditional ABS bricks has proved to be difficult for the toymaker.

"For us, the challenge comes from needing materials that can be moulded to the accuracy of a hair width to ensure bricks produced today fit with those made over 60 years ago, while being durable and safe enough to be handled by children day-in, day-out," said Lego.

"Lego bricks are designed to be safe and durable enough to be passed from generation to generation rather than being thrown away. Despite this, we are committed to making our products from more sustainable materials in the future," it continued.

"To do so, we need to invent entirely new materials, as existing sustainable materials do not meet our safety and quality requirements."

White lego bricks arranged in the shape of a bottleA one-litre plastic bottle makes 10 Lego bricks

The bricks were created as part of the toy company's wider strategy to make all core Lego products from sustainable materials by 2030. Its sustainability goals include developing bricks from bioplastic and generating little or no waste. Last year, the company announced it will begin removing single-use plastic from its boxes.

Lego defines a sustainable material as something that is "responsibly produced, using renewable or recycled resources, generating little or no waste, use sustainable chemistry and be fully recyclable at the end of its life."

White Lego bricks on a blue surfaceThe prototype bricks are white, as Lego is still developing ways to colour the recycled material consistently

In 2018, the company launched sustainable bricks made from sugar cane. Earlier this year it released a set of flowers to help people "switch off and relax" at home, which included parts made from the bioplastic components.

"We're committed to playing our part in building a sustainable future for generations of children," said Lego.

"We want our products to have a positive impact on the planet, not just with the play they inspire, but also with the materials we use."

The post Lego develops recycled bricks made from discarded bottles appeared first on Dezeen.

#design #products #news #plastic #lego #toys #recycledplastic #petpolyethyleneterephthalate

Lego develops recycled bricks made from discarded bottles

Toy brand Lego has created its first prototype brick using PET plastic from discarded bottles.

johnehummel@diasp.org
John Hummel

Environmental disaster

Tons of toxic cargo

How a fire aboard a container ship has caused one of the worst environmental disasters Sri Lanka has ever seen.

The waters off Sri Lanka’s capital of Colombo seem calmer now, more than two weeks after a blazing 610 foot container ship lit up the coastline. Most of the X-Press Pearl, a four-month-old Singapore-flagged container ship, has settled on the bottom of the sea.

But the ocean has already begun to tell its own story. Lifeless fish are washing up on Sri Lanka’s sands, plastic pellets lodged in their gills. Those pellets have also covered picturesque beaches, lapped ashore by the waves. Dead turtles and birds have been reported on the coast as well, although the connection to the ship is still being investigated. [emphasis mine]

... Experts say the catastrophic effects of the disaster are only beginning to take hold. The ship’s cargo, now partly on the ocean floor, contains toxic chemicals and harmful items that could devastate Sri Lanka’s marine wildlife, as well as its fishing communities.

To better understand how this happened and the potential effect on Sri Lanka’s environment and economy, The Post mapped the ship’s path, had experts analyze its cargo, geo-located photos and videos of the debris on the country’s shores, and acquired models of the extent of its spread. The analysis shows the impact on Sri Lanka’s western coastline and the potential of further environmental damage that some experts worry will take years to repair. [emphasis mine]

Aboard the ship were nearly 1,500 containers, dozens of which contained dangerous goods, including nitric acid, sodium methoxide and methanol. In addition to the chemicals, the small plastic pellets pose a danger to marine life.

“It’s very close to a nuclear disaster, what has happened here,” said Muditha Katuwawala, a coordinator at the Pearl Protectors, a volunteer organization committed to protecting Sri Lanka’s marine life. “This is not a problem just in Sri Lanka. In the coming weeks, this is going to be a regional problem.”

... Markovich highlighted some of the most concerning mixtures on board:

  • Sodium methylate or sodium methoxide A highly reactive substance used as a catalyst to produce methanol. Toxic when inhaled. When it reacts with water, it produces sodium hydroxide, which is corrosive to fish and changes the PH of the water.

  • Caustic soda flakes Also known as sodium hydroxide. Used to make detergents and soap. In high concentrations, it can be very toxic for marine wildlife.

  • Methanol A widely used chemical. It evaporates quickly, so its effects in water are hard to understand, but studies have shown that it can increase algae blooms, which can in turn block sunlight from the surface of the water, damaging marine life.

  • Nitric acid What many think caused the fire. When mixed with air, it can cause acid rain. But when mixed with water, it produces nitrates, which are a food source for algae, causing blooms that destroy the water ecosystem’s balance.

  • Limestone Is composed of calcium carbonate, a saltlike substance that is harmful to aquatic life.
    Lubricants Because they do not mix with water, these oil-like substances can block all the airwaves from the top of the water, depriving fish of oxygen.

  • Priled urea A form of fertilizer. Contains a high nitrogen content, which is a food source for algae and can cause blooms.

Ajantha Perera, a Sri Lankan environmental activist and scientist, said that any change to the pH of the water could alter sensitive algae, which in turn could kill parts of the coral reef that would push fish away from the area if there is no longer a food source for them.

“It could become a dead region,” Perera said. “Because once the coral reef is gone, then the fishery would also go down. So we are looking at years, if ever, for regeneration.”

Although not themselves toxic, the plastic pellets, known as nurdles, can strangle small sea creatures. When scattered on sandy beaches, they can cause the temperature of the ground to rise, affecting the incubation of turtle eggs.

“The most long-lasting event and widespread for the region is definitely the plastic,” said Charitha Pattiaratchi, a professor at the University of Western Australia’s Ocean Institute. “They are in the ocean forever,” he added.

... “The area where the ship burnt and sunk is a very rich fish breeding and feeding ground. Immediately, people are reluctant to eat fish, so there is a huge threat to the income” of fishermen, he said, adding that the fishing economy in that part of the country could “totally collapse.”

#Environment #Oceans #SriLanka #Plastic Pollution #EnvironmentalDestruction

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/interactive/2021/sri-lanka-cargo-ship-fire-pollution/

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anonymiss@despora.de
anonymiss

#Bob Cassette Rewinder: #Hacking Detergent #DRM for 98% #Cost Saving

source: https://github.com/dekuNukem/bob_cassette_rewinder

If they truly wanted to cut down on single-use plastics, what's wrong with user-refillable detergent compartments like every other full-size and commercial dishwashers? That sure seem a lot less hassle than mailing #plastic cartridges back-and-forth around the world.

...

In the end, I'm glad I tamed another totally unnecessary subscription-based internet-connected "smart" device, and managed to reuse and refill the cartridge for 1/60 the cost of buying new.

#capitalism #hack #software #waste #environment #guide #DaanTech

GitHub - dekuNukem/bob_cassette_rewinder: Renew and Refill Bob Cassettes for 98% Cost Saving!

Renew and Refill Bob Cassettes for 98% Cost Saving! - GitHub - dekuNukem/bob_cassette_rewinder: Renew and Refill Bob Cassettes for 98% Cost Saving!

danie10@squeet.me
Danie

Researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory develop a truly recyclable plastic called PDK

Researchers from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the Department of Energy have been studying an enticing, new type of plastic. Called polydiketoenamine, or PDK, it’s an infinitely recyclable material. Literally 100% of it can be reclaimed and reshaped into a new plastic item as many times as a company could want.

“The idea here is that we’re designing new polymers with ease of recycling in mind,” says Corinne Scown, staff scientist and deputy division director at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab.

See Scientists develop a truly recyclable plastic. Is the world ready for it?

#environment #plastic #recycling #PDK

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If we can’t ditch plastic, we can at least make it more recyclable—at least that’s what researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the Department of Energy are proposing with a new material called PDK.

https://gadgeteer.co.za/researchers-lawrence-berkeley-national-laboratory-develop-truly-recyclable-plastic-called-pdk

Scientists develop a truly recyclable plastic. Is the world ready for it?

If we can’t ditch plastic, we can at least make it more recyclable—at least that’s what researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the Department of Energy are proposing with a new material called PDK.

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crenel84@joindiaspora.com
Stuart Whitmore

I've always limited my use of in-store plastic bag recycling bins to just shopping bags. Turns out I've been sending a lot of plastic to landfills that could have been turned into various recycled plastic products. PlasticFilmRecycling.org has more info on what you can put in those bins instead of trashing it.

#recycling #plastic #environmental #earth-day

Recycle Plastic Film Wraps and Bags

PlasticFilmRecycling.org is supported by the Flexible Film Recycling Group (FFRG) of the American Chemistry Council. The FFRG's goal is to double plastic film recycling to two billion pounds by 2020.