Report: More plastic than fish in the oceans by 2050. - Polidicks

[QUOTE]Plastic rubbish will outweigh fish in the oceans by 2050 unless the world takes drastic action to recycle the material, a report has warned on the opening day of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in the Swiss ski resort of Davos. An overwhelming 95 per cent of plastic packaging, worth $116-174 billion, a year is lost to the economy after a single use, according to the study by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. "In a business-as-usual scenario, the ocean is expected to contain one tonne of plastic for every three tonnes of fish by 2025, and by 2050, more plastics than fish," it said Source: [URL]http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-01-21/more-plastic-than-fish-in-the-oceans-by-2050-report-warns/7105936[/URL] [/QUOTE]

Horrible waste of material. And I'm glad that's what they're treating this as: an economic issue. Sure, it hurts the environment, but the real motivation to fix it is the pure worth this stuff has if it can be recycled. It's damaging to the economy if we just lose resources outright with one use.

Dumping garbage in the ocean has to be among the top dumbest ideas ever conceived.

Plastic is an incredible thing and also a horrible thing. On one hand, certain types can be stronger than metals, on the other it's hard as piss to recycle.

$174 billion worth of plastic a year? What the fuck how come that hasn't been made into an industry already? I mean yeah it'd be difficult to collect, but even 10% is more than most companies make.

Please, tell me something will actually be done about this?

I feel like it should be illegal to use plastic in single-use consumer products. And it should be illegal to use plastic to package products that don't need to be preserved. I hope something to that effect happens in my lifetime.

[QUOTE=rilez;49577037]I feel like it should be illegal to use plastic in single-use consumer products. And it should be illegal to use plastic to package products that don't need to be preserved. I hope something to that effect happens in my lifetime.[/QUOTE] We need to get rid of consumerism. We can't have an object inside a plastic bag inside a box inside a box.

[QUOTE=SebiWarrior;49577048]We need to get rid of consumerism. We can't have an object inside a plastic bag inside a box inside a box.[/QUOTE] Any idea on how that can be done effectively? I imagine that "save money, by saving material" mentioned before would help, but would enough people/companies be arsed to go through with it?

[QUOTE=DeEz;49576698]Dumping garbage in the ocean has to be among the top dumbest ideas ever conceived.[/QUOTE] It's not just dumping though, there's also shit like microbeads. Whoever thought of putting tiny bits of plastic in face-washing soap was fucked in the head.

Time to start launching some garbage into space.

[QUOTE=Tobin;49577110]It's not just dumping though, there's also shit like microbeads. Whoever thought of putting tiny bits of plastic in face-washing soap was fucked in the head.[/QUOTE] i never got that shit in the first place. you want to clean your face and skin right? Just have a hot bath and open the pores up & clean with normal soap. What special thing are they supposed to do? Make it feel like there are small af bugs in the bath?

[QUOTE=rilez;49577037]I feel like it should be illegal to use plastic in single-use consumer products. And it should be illegal to use plastic to package products that don't need to be preserved. I hope something to that effect happens in my lifetime.[/QUOTE] Places like the US and europe that might actually do this arent the problem, its places like india that dont even have good shitting quarters let alone trash pickup that are the problem. They just toss all their trash into the river.

All this and yet the UK have super strict recycling rules when it comes to the bins. Whats the point in us separating our recycling and shit when most of it gets pissed away into the ocean?! Seems like they need to talk organisations ithat flushes this shit out on a daily basis than the general public.

[QUOTE=gdfsgdfg;49577131]Time to start launching some garbage into space.[/QUOTE] I hope you don't think that's a good idea.

Sounds about right, It's a shame people won't do anything about it.

[QUOTE=ElderRanger;49577427]Sounds about right, It's a shame people won't do anything about it.[/QUOTE] While the situation is bad, people ARE doing things about it, more than just simple beach cleanups. I can't say the same about more commercialized/industrialized parts of the world, but it gives me hope.

From a recycling point of view and legal point of view, you would need to create laws for things that cannot be recycle cannot be made such as plastics that can't be broken down. Secondly things that aren't durable like thin plastic bags that are sold with shopping shouldn't be sold. It encourages not to recycle because the bag isn't durable and doesn't last that long as a result. Example being ALDI they have very useful bags made from cloth or plastic? Either way people buy them and bring them back to reuse them again because they are durable. Rubbish shouldn't be separate bins because people are just lazy that's the truth of things instead it should be send to be sorted, everything would be split into sub lines such as organics, plastics and metals and things that cannot be recycled or need to be cleaned. Organics would need to be broken down and turn into usable material like those packs of mulch. Plastics would need to be reclaimed or turn into something that can easily be reclaimed without issue. Again metals would need to be same.

[QUOTE=rilez;49577037]I feel like it should be illegal to use plastic in single-use consumer products. And it should be illegal to use plastic to package products that don't need to be preserved. I hope something to that effect happens in my lifetime.[/QUOTE] I concur. The disposable society we live in is the main reason this is even a problem. One thing we could grab back from our ancestors that would mitigate it: Buying things built to last. Well, that, and packaging, in the '50s all they had was cardboard which biodegrades over at most a few months. They knew what plastic was but the technology for it hadn't yet advanced far enough for them to use it like we do today. [QUOTE=SebiWarrior;49577048]We need to get rid of consumerism. We can't have an object inside a plastic bag inside a box inside a box.[/QUOTE] Planned obsolescence going away would do wonders for that.

[QUOTE=ElderRanger;49577641]Rubbish shouldn't be separate bins because people are just lazy that's the truth of things instead it should be send to be sorted, everything would be split into sub lines such as organics, plastics and metals and things that cannot be recycled or need to be cleaned.[/QUOTE] That alone is a logistical nightmare. [QUOTE=TestECull;49577652]Planned obsolescence going away would do wonders for that.[/QUOTE] That's why I am a huge proponent of modular technology - it doesn't have to be simple modular (lay person can do it), but modifiable enough to not warrant a new complete phone every few years.

[QUOTE=Bradyns;49577667]That alone is a logistical nightmare.[/QUOTE] Actually there is an implementation of this, I believe its Brazil? and they do control capping of everything to save piles of rubbish.

[QUOTE=gdfsgdfg;49577131]Time to start launching some garbage into space.[/QUOTE] How long before there's more trash than stars in space? I imagine that should somebody decide to do that and see just how much space there is in space, in <10 years when the sky is bright there will be no stars, planets or sun, just rubbish.

[QUOTE=SebiWarrior;49577706]How long before there's more trash than stars in space? I imagine that should somebody decide to do that and see just how much space there is in space, in <10 years when the sky is bright there will be no stars, planets or sun, just rubbish.[/QUOTE] There's more up there than you think... [url]http://www.alexras.info/code/orbital_objects/[/url]

[QUOTE=SebiWarrior;49577706]How long before there's more trash than stars in space? I imagine that should somebody decide to do that and see just how much space there is in space, in <10 years when the sky is bright there will be no stars, planets or sun, just rubbish.[/QUOTE] Well judging by the fact that there are more stars in space than there are grains of sand from every beach and desert combined, probably a long time

[QUOTE=ZakkShock;49577721]Well judging by the fact that there are more stars in space than there are grains of sand from every beach and desert combined, probably a long time[/QUOTE] I don't know, I honestly believe that if we resort to launching all of our trash in space, there'll be no blue sky anymore

[QUOTE=Tools;49577005]$174 billion worth of plastic a year? What the fuck how come that hasn't been made into an industry already? I mean yeah it'd be difficult to collect, but even 10% is more than most companies make.[/QUOTE] Right? Common sense says its sensible and its sure as hell responsible for the environment. To companies/investors it's certainly attractive from both a economic and PR sense, I feel the only reason no one has done it yet is due to the logistical reasons of it as well as trying to compete with already existing plastic manufactures.

[QUOTE=Tools;49577005]$174 billion worth of plastic a year? What the fuck how come that hasn't been made into an industry already? I mean yeah it'd be difficult to collect, but even 10% is more than most companies make.[/QUOTE] Because recycling is actually more expensive than starting with new raw materials. It would cost them money to recycle it, not earn them more.

[QUOTE=SebiWarrior;49577706]How long before there's more trash than stars in space? I imagine that should somebody decide to do that and see just how much space there is in space, in <10 years when the sky is bright there will be no stars, planets or sun, just rubbish.[/QUOTE] This sounds silly, but I get what you mean. This is exactly why we have to focus on better managing what is produced and what those products are packaged in and/or made of. Also, make recycling an absolute priority, because at any given time you'll get a product that is lots of little things in little vacuum-sealed plastic bags (like LEGO) in an even bigger bag, in a box. All of this just ends up in a city dump, then some animal's stomach, and then the ocean. [editline]21st January 2016[/editline] [QUOTE=Silence I Kill You;49577789]Because recycling is actually more expensive than starting with new raw materials. It would cost them money to recycle it, not earn them more.[/QUOTE] Then they should find a way for recycling to not be so expensive, otherwise we're fucked. Also, use other materials, specifically biodegradable materials, to package certain things. Does anyone remember that fungus that was proposed for use to replace styrofoam?

I hate to say it but this doesn't surprise me at all and no one will give a fuck until it becomes a major problem or cuts profits. Maybe fishing fleets would get annoyed and do something in the future? Sure all of us genuinely care but the people with pockets deep enough to arm large vessels with the equipment to fish for plastic instead of actual fish will probably do nothing until they start getting more plastic than they do fish. To partially solve this issue you'd have to make it profitable to fish for the plastic in the ocean out no one will take on the task. Maybe it's just me but I think that's the reality no one will do it for free. Maybe they could pay people or fleets based on how much they bring in. Just like they do with junk yards? Idk just a thought.

[QUOTE=TAU!;49577792]Then they should find a way for recycling to not be so expensive, otherwise we're fucked. Also, use other materials, specifically biodegradable materials, to package certain things. Does anyone remember that fungus that was proposed for use to replace styrofoam?[/QUOTE] I'm just giving an answer to his question. If someone could find a way to make recycling profitable, companies would jump on it in a heartbeat.