Why We Need Plastic Alternatives

It turns out, you can learn things from the comics page….

In my daily perusal of gocomics.com, I learned something new. Zack Hill, by John Deering made reference to a plastic trash island floating in the Pacific ocean. I was skeptical. Of course, I am about most things.

One of the most pressing questions about its existance is: if it’s so big, why are there no photos? The Oyster Garter (no I’m not making it up) blog provides a good analysis (all links are courtesy of The Oyster Garter, the bongo trawl links don’t seem to work…).

The most common misconception is that the trash pile is like an island, or a dense pile like this one in San Diego Harbor. It’s not packed in as tight as that – it’s more like a dense collection of tiny floating pieces of plastic, most of which are not on the surface. A big container ship or naval vessel going through there would probably not notice much out of the ordinary – after all, there is some degree of plastic trash floating on the surface all over the world.

To really get a sense of how much plastic is in there, you have to do a trawl, which entails dragging a net with a bucket on the end behind your boat. Here’s a photo of a bongo trawl taken off of southern California. (Credit: Barbeau Lab, SIO) And here’s a photo of what a normal bongo trawl should produce – lots of zooplankton, a few invertebrates, and the occasional small fish.

The widespread pollution caused by our “throw-away” society and our lack of concern for the consequences of our actions are putting the planet – and all life on it – in peril. While there are no easy answers, the Green party commitment to Ecological Wisdom and Future Focus and Sustainability (two of the Ten Key Values) puts the party ahead of the curve in working to keep the Earth inhabitable for all species.

Humans have made a huge mess of the environment and we have the responsibility to stop, clean it up, and promote policies that preserve and protect our only Home for ourselves and future generations.

Biodegradable Plastics – A Viable Alternative

The turmoil over “throw-away” plastic bags – and other products, bubbling just below our collective consciousness for years, appears to be erupting – finally.

Several cities have banned the use of plastic bags and there’s strong support behind the effort from the environmental community. Justifiably so, since the average plastic bag can take up to 1,000 years to decompose. But we need a viable alternative. I can’t be the only person that reuses those bags at home as trash can liners, repositories for kitty and doggie deposits, and a host of other trivial chores.

Instead of simply outlawing the plastic option, why not replace it with something better? Biodegradable plastics are one option, especially those made from starch derivatives.

According to Wikipedia:

Biodegradable plastics are plastics that will decompose in natural aerobic (composting) and anaerobic (landfill) environments. Biodegradation of plastics can be achieved by enabling microorganisms in the environment to metabolize the molecular structure of plastic films to produce an inert humus-like material that is less harmful to the environment. They may be composed of either bioplastics, which are plastics whose components are derived from renewable raw materials, or petroleum-based plastics which utilize an additive. The use of bio-active compounds compounded with swelling agents ensures that, when combined with heat and moisture, they expand the plastic’s molecular structure and allow the bio-active compounds to metabolize and neutralize the plastic.

The Green party espouses Ecological Wisdom, Personal and Global Responsibility, and Future Focus and Sustainability as part of its Ten Key Values. The use of biodegradable plastics supports those values, as well as having the potential to provide new jobs in a sustainable industry as demand grows.