Too much plastic (stove, hydrogen, homemade, biodegradable)

[StealthRabbit]

we could BURN our plastics for fuel (as many countries do)

There is VERY little recycling in most countries, and some 'smaller' countries encourage MORE TRASH, as it = MORE POWER and the ash is used to make their miniature islands into LARGER Economic Powerhouses (i.e. Singapore... yesterday was named 'Most powerful Passport' in the world) USA is FAR behind (for many reasons, and very evidently behind in medical, healthcare, finance, and education).

[woxyroxme]

Originally Posted by kevxu

Amen. My town is littered with those damned bottles now.

Same here plus aluminum cans and drive-thru fast food garbage.

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by woxyroxme

Same here plus aluminum cans and drive-thru fast food garbage.

You need more HOMELESS!

Portland Oregon has plenty... (As well as a bottle bill - huge 'bounty' for aluminum and glass containers)

But... stomp on an aluminum can in Portland, OR and you will get SHOT!! (A SMASHED can is no longer eligible for bounty)
Please handle with care
(Homeless people AND aluminum cans)

[pontyrogof]

The complex interaction between marine debris and toxic chemicals in the ocean. Environ Sci Technol 46(22):12302–12315 (2012); doi: 10.1021/es3027105 ... document harvested from article bibliography: New Link in the Food Chain? Marine Plastic Pollution and Seafood Safety

Just sayin'....

[Nik4me]

Originally Posted by guidoLaMoto

OK OK Let's all agree plastic in the ocean is bad for us. The question now becomes "how bad?"

Answer: so little problem that nobody can be found who has gotten sick, died or had a deformed baby because of it.

Remember that 40,000 Americans die every year from traffic accidents. How many die from exposure to plastic?

Plastic and it’s components are proven to alter a biological environment on a scale that is unstudied and unknown to us to a full extent.
Not to get too political, but when first discovered its impact in the 70th - there were studies undertaken in UK if I am not mistaken on increasing of prevalence of homosexuality in plastic contaminated areas ( endocrine disrupters)
Never heard about it anymore- politically dangerous slope, I guess.
They now study how endocrine disruptors affect the sex make up and its changes in frogs

[guidoLaMoto]

Originally Posted by Nik4me

They now study how endocrine disruptors affect the sex make up and its changes in frogs

It's very difficult to design & perform studies of the effects of chemicals in the real world. Lab studies usually use unrealistic doses. And it is always unwise to extrapolate results from one species to the next (Eg- furosemide (Lasix) causes enhanced coagulation in horses and impairs coagulation in humans.) These studies have value in pointing out possible effects & mechanisms, but they should only be used to help design the next experiment, not to take corrective action and needlessly risk unintended consequences.

My recommendation: don't give water from plastic bottles lined with BPA to your pet frogs if you don't want homosexual frogs (Not that there's anything wrong with that)

[slowlane3]

For those of you on Facebook, check out the site there, "Break free from plastic". There is now more plastic in the world's oceans than fish. And its rapidly getting even worse, exponentially.

[slowlane3]

Originally Posted by Izzie1213

In the past number of years it seems that our daily lives have been increasingly dependent on plastics.
Just a few small misc. examples : soda crackers the boxes they come in are light weight cardboard still but the crackers are wrapped in plastic, it used to be a waxed paper. ****-n-span used to be powder in a cardboard box, is now liquid in a plastic bottle?

Yes...and why are detergent bottles, and car fluid bottles, made so very thick.... more than is necessary. And cheese slices are now individually wrapped.

[hunterseat]

Stopped by to say: I hate plastic.
I was working with FEMA in VI-STT. We were housed and fed on a cruise ship (there were a LOT of people) and I noticed the bars on the boat stocked soda can 6-packs with those plastic rings on them. I can't believe those are still used.

There are still some places in the US that have no recycling at all. Craziness.

[nativenewenglander]

The area of NH I live almost all plastic is being collected, then sent to a facility to produce diesel fuel. I wonder if this is happening in other parts of the country.