Mon, 20 Dec 2021 05:33:52 +1100
Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>
<https://theconversation.com/plastic-trash-in-the-ocean-is-a-global-problem-and-the-us-is-the-top-source-a-new-report-urges-action-172848>
"Plastic waste of all shapes and sizes permeates the world’s oceans. It shows
up on beaches, in fish and even in Arctic sea ice. And a new report from the
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine makes clear that the
U.S. is a big part of the problem.
As the report shows, the U.S. produces a large share of the global supply of
plastic resin – the precursor material to all plastic industrial and consumer
products. It also imports and exports billions of dollars’ worth of plastic
products every year.
On a per capita basis, the U.S. produces an order of magnitude more plastic
waste than China – a nation often vilified over pollution-related issues. These
findings build off a study published in 2020 that concluded that the U.S. is
the largest global source of plastic waste, including plastics shipped to other
countries that later are mismanaged.
And only a small fraction of plastic in U.S. household waste streams is
recycled. The study calls current U.S. recycling systems “grossly insufficient
to manage the diversity, complexity and quantity of plastic waste.”
As scientists who study the effects of plastic pollution on marine ecosystems,
we view this report as an important first step on a long road to reducing ocean
plastic pollution. While it’s important to make clear how the U.S. is
contributing to ocean plastic waste, we see a need for specific, actionable
goals and recommendations to mitigate the plastic pollution crisis, and would
have liked to see the report go further in that direction."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
"Plastic waste of all shapes and sizes permeates the world’s oceans. It shows
up on beaches, in fish and even in Arctic sea ice. And a new report from the
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine makes clear that the
U.S. is a big part of the problem.
As the report shows, the U.S. produces a large share of the global supply of
plastic resin – the precursor material to all plastic industrial and consumer
products. It also imports and exports billions of dollars’ worth of plastic
products every year.
On a per capita basis, the U.S. produces an order of magnitude more plastic
waste than China – a nation often vilified over pollution-related issues. These
findings build off a study published in 2020 that concluded that the U.S. is
the largest global source of plastic waste, including plastics shipped to other
countries that later are mismanaged.
And only a small fraction of plastic in U.S. household waste streams is
recycled. The study calls current U.S. recycling systems “grossly insufficient
to manage the diversity, complexity and quantity of plastic waste.”
As scientists who study the effects of plastic pollution on marine ecosystems,
we view this report as an important first step on a long road to reducing ocean
plastic pollution. While it’s important to make clear how the U.S. is
contributing to ocean plastic waste, we see a need for specific, actionable
goals and recommendations to mitigate the plastic pollution crisis, and would
have liked to see the report go further in that direction."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
