The plastic is (not so) great!

[Christophe]

I present to you the open source movement Precious Plastic:

[izentrop]

Global recycling in chaos since China closed its bin https://www.sciencesetavenir.fr/nature- ... lle_133137

Plastic waste in front of palm trees in an abandoned recycling plant in Jenjarom, near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 8 March 2019.

Arnaud Brunet, director of the International Recycling Bureau (BIR) based in Brussels.

"China was the first market for recyclable waste." And its closure has "created a shock on the whole planet".

In Southeast Asia, Malaysia has been most affected. The country, which has a large Chinese minority, has become a destination of choice for industrialists seeking to relocate their business from China. As a result, the country's plastic imports have tripled since 2016 to reach 870.000 tonnes last year, according to official data.
Very quickly, people complained about the smell coming from the recycling of plastic waste but also, think the defenders of the environment, of the incineration of the types of plastic which can not be recycled.

"People were caught in the throats by toxic fumes. There were many who coughed constantly," Pua Lay Peng, a 47-year-old resident, told AFP.

"I could no longer sleep or rest, I still felt tired".

- Toxic smoke - ...
After many unanswered complaints, the authorities finally acted. Factories have closed and plastic import permits have been temporarily frozen.

By September, 33 factories had closed in Jenjarom and air quality improved even though plastic heaps remained. Environmental advocates believe that recycling operations have been moved elsewhere ....

In China, plastic imports fell from 600.000 tons per month in 2016 to 30.000 tons per month in 2018, according to figures from a new report from Greenpeace and the NGO Global Alliance for Alternatives to Incineration (GAIA ).

Whole areas dedicated to recycling have been abandoned ....

Some, however, have been able to adapt. The city of Adelaide, in southern Australia, which shipped most of its waste to China now retreats 80% of its rubbish on site, with most of the remaining waste going to India. ...

[moinsdewatt]

Corsica: an antipollution boat planned to clean the plastic island

Leparisien.fr Pierre Santini 27 May 2019

Thousands of tons of plastic waste sails in the Tyrrhenian Sea, between Corsica and the island of Elba. An alarming pollution, but which does not surprise the specialists. Some decided to act ...

It all started with an article in the Italian press: "Turtles found dead on a beach on the island of Elba, stomach filled with plastic". After a quick search, a huge plastic island was located offshore. Floating for several kilometers.

Very quickly, the information crossed the sea to arrive on the island of Beauty. "The Corsican canal is the highest density of plastic waste in the world. Up to four times higher than in the Pacific, explains Pierre-Ange Giudicelli, of the environmental association Mare Vivu. Because of the currents that go back to the Riviera, all the waste is blocked by the islands of the Tuscan Archipelago. "

According to experts, 85% of the waste at sea comes from the land. At this rate, without awareness, the Mediterranean will become a huge dump. "Pollution is not just the bad postcard with the plastic bottles stranded on the white sand. It is a public health issue. In this islet of plastic, the most serious is the submerged part of the iceberg with a whole micro-plastic soup that travels over enormous distances. The ingestion of these fragments by the smallest organisms in the food chain is a deadly cocktail of toxins. Fish feed on these microorganisms. And humans feed on these fish ... "

To avoid a disaster scenario, the "Corsican Blue Project" initiative was launched by naval officer engineers. Their idea: to create an autonomous boat, specialized in "antipollution". "We are in the technical engineering phase, waiting for the first plans of the naval architecture firm, says Julien Torre, one of the leaders. Our hybrid ship will be equipped to recover wastewater, treat it and turn it into fresh water. But especially to collect liquid and solid waste. "

A revolutionary tool for environmental protection. But the miracle solution does not exist. "As soon as there is plastic at sea, biodiversity is created around. Going to the boarding to snatch everything would be catastrophic. That's why our interventions will be done with scientists. "

While waiting for this famous boat, the "Corsican Blue Project" has teamed up with diving clubs. "We will also go on an excursion with our partners to try to locate this plastic island. A delicate mission. Last week, the maritime prefecture sent a reconnaissance aircraft "Falcon 50". The search over the Tyrrhenian Sea did not help. The plastic swims fast. Very quickly.

http://www.leparisien.fr/environnement/ ... D-32280599

[antwo]

Today, there are too many discarded plastic bottles, the seas of our beautiful planet are completely saturated with plastic waste and plastic bottles.
I found a great article Reusable bottles, to save the environment!

[moinsdewatt]

Plastic. Malaysia will return to the sender hundreds of tons of waste

Posted on 28 May 2019 The Telegram

Malaysia will return hundreds of tons of plastic waste to the sender, saying on Tuesday that it no longer wants to serve as a landfill for the world.

About 300 million tons of plastic are produced each year, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). And most ends up in landfills or in the oceans, generating pollution that the international community is currently unable to manage. China has long accepted plastic waste from around the world, before suddenly stopping last year, citing environmental concerns. Several Southeast Asian countries that had placed themselves in the slot left vacant by Beijing are giving up.

"We urge developed countries to stop shipping their waste to our country," said Malaysian Minister of Energy, Environment and Science Yeo Bee Yin. "We will return them mercilessly to their country of origin," she added, after inspecting several containers full of garbage in Port Klang, the country's busiest port. Official figures indicate that Malaysia's plastic imports have tripled from 2016 to 870 000 tonnes last year.

"We will not be intimidated by developed countries"
This influx has resulted in a rapid increase in the number of reprocessing plants, operating for many without permits and with little regard for the protection of the environment.

Yeo Bee Yin promised to crack down on illegal imports and non-accredited factories, calling the Malaysians involved in the activity "traitors". She said 150 illegal recycling plants had been closed. "Malaysia will not be the dump of the world," she said. "We will not be intimidated by developed countries. "

The ministry said 450 tons of contaminated plastic waste from Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, China, Japan, Saudi Arabia and the United States would be returned. Port officials have reported defects in the declaration of these containers, without saying when they would be reshipped.

"Locals complain of asthma attack and itching"
Malaysia allows the importation of clean and homogeneous plastic waste for recycling. But more and more voices are asking the government to ban imports of any plastic waste.

Lee Chee Kwang, of the Environnent Protection Agency Kuala Langat, said Kuala Lumpur had "failed miserably" in managing the problem. "The government must ban the entry of all plastic waste and declare it the number one public enemy," he said.

Joshua Tee, a village representative, told AFP that 12 000 residents in central Selangor State had protested against the activity of a recycling plant licensed to operate near their homes. . "The residents complain of asthma and itching," he denounced. It is estimated that 9% is the amount of plastic produced between 1950 and 2015 that has been recycled.

https://www.letelegramme.fr/monde/plast ... 297069.php

[antwo]

Plastic. Malaysia will return to the sender hundreds of tons of waste

Posted on 28 May 2019 The Telegram

Malaysia will return hundreds of tons of plastic waste to the sender, saying on Tuesday that it no longer wants to serve as a landfill for the world.

About 300 million tons of plastic are produced each year, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). And most ends up in landfills or in the oceans, generating pollution that the international community is currently unable to manage. China has long accepted plastic waste from around the world, before suddenly stopping last year, citing environmental concerns. Several Southeast Asian countries that had placed themselves in the slot left vacant by Beijing are giving up.

"We urge developed countries to stop shipping their waste to our country," said Malaysian Minister of Energy, Environment and Science Yeo Bee Yin. "We will return them mercilessly to their country of origin," she added, after inspecting several containers full of garbage in Port Klang, the country's busiest port. Official figures indicate that Malaysia's plastic imports have tripled from 2016 to 870 000 tonnes last year.

"We will not be intimidated by developed countries"
This influx has resulted in a rapid increase in the number of reprocessing plants, operating for many without permits and with little regard for the protection of the environment.

Yeo Bee Yin promised to crack down on illegal imports and non-accredited factories, calling the Malaysians involved in the activity "traitors". She said 150 illegal recycling plants had been closed. "Malaysia will not be the dump of the world," she said. "We will not be intimidated by developed countries. "

The ministry said 450 tons of contaminated plastic waste from Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, China, Japan, Saudi Arabia and the United States would be returned. Port officials have reported defects in the declaration of these containers, without saying when they would be reshipped.

"Locals complain of asthma attack and itching"
Malaysia allows the importation of clean and homogeneous plastic waste for recycling. But more and more voices are asking the government to ban imports of any plastic waste.

Lee Chee Kwang, of the Environnent Protection Agency Kuala Langat, said Kuala Lumpur had "failed miserably" in managing the problem. "The government must ban the entry of all plastic waste and declare it the number one public enemy," he said.

Joshua Tee, a village representative, told AFP that 12 000 residents in central Selangor State had protested against the activity of a recycling plant licensed to operate near their homes. . "The residents complain of asthma and itching," he denounced. It is estimated that 9% is the amount of plastic produced between 1950 and 2015 that has been recycled.

https://www.letelegramme.fr/monde/plastique-la-malaisie-va-retourner-a-l-envoyeur-des-Hundreds de tonnes de waste-28-05-2019-12297069.php

Nobody is spared

[moinsdewatt]

France pours 11.200 tonnes of plastic every year in the Mediterranean

By Giulietta Gamberini | 07 / 06 / 2019, latribune

79% of this pollution is attributable to coastal activities, according to a WWF report. The 22 countries of the Mediterranean basin pour in a whole 600.000 tons of plastic per year.

If humanity continues to dump it into nature at the current rate, by 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in the world's seas. Here is the prophecy that has haunted public opinion like plastic manufacturers since a study published in 2016 by the Forum global economy with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. This Friday June 7, the eve of World Oceans Day, a new report from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF, World Wide Fund for Nature) reinforces it.

Entirely devoted to the Mediterranean, he points to the few 600.000 tons of plastic that end each year in the waters of the ancient cradle of Western civilization.

Releases at sea attributable to 79% to coastal activities
While managing its waste better than most of the other Mediterranean countries studied (Albania, Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus, Croatia, Egypt, Spain, Gibraltar, Greece, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Libya, Malta, Morocco, Monaco, Montenegro, Slovenia, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey), France has its share of responsibility in this scourge. As the largest economy in the region and the third largest country in terms of population, it is also the largest consumer of plastic and the largest producer of waste. In 21, each French has generated 2016 kilos per year, for a total of 66,6 million tons, ie 4,45% of the plastic thrown in the trash of all 18,6 countries analyzed.

Of these French waste, 98% is collected, 76% are incinerated or buried, 22% - less than in Italy, Spain, Israel and Slovenia - are recycled. However, 80.000 tons of plastics end up in nature every year, of which 11.200 tons penetrate the Mediterranean, alarmed the WWF. Releases at sea which are attributable to 79% to coastal activities, especially to tourism and leisure activities, of which 9% is directly caused by maritime activities (fishing, aquaculture and transport). 12% is brought by the rivers, in particular by the Rhone.

73 million euros per year of losses
The impact of this pollution is considerable, underlines the report, according to which 66% of waste discharged by France remains on the surface after one year, 21% returns to its coasts and 11% fails on the seabed. Plastic waste fouls boat engines and fishing nets, kills marine life, worries consumers of seafood, and discourages tourists. They cause losses estimated by the WWF to 73 million euros per year for France - and 641 million euros for all countries in the region, while the blue economy represents 6% of the GDP of 'together.

Added to this are the costs of cleaning, which in the most complex situations can reach EUR 18.000 per tonne of waste collected, and which are often covered by local authorities. Not to mention, upstream, the environmental impact of plastic consumption, which in France requires the equivalent of 74 million barrels of oil and generates the emission of 35,4 million tons of CO2.

Seize the opportunity of the next law "for a circular economy"
"It is therefore imperative that the Mediterranean States take ambitious measures to put an end to this scourge," concludes WWF France President Isabelle Autissier.

The NGO invites the Mediterranean countries in particular to negotiate a binding multilateral agreement aimed at putting an end to plastic discharges at sea before 2030, and Paris to seize the opportunity of the next law "for a circular economy", a draft of which must be presented to the Council of Ministers on July 3. In particular, the French government is urged to step up measures to reduce the production and use of plastics, in particular by encouraging business models based on reuse, and to develop recycling. France should even go further than the recent European directive on single-use plastic, advocates the WWF.

However, if the preliminary draft law "for a circular economy" today being studied by the National Council for the Ecological Transition (CNTE) has on the whole been positively received by the actors of the sector, it is rightly criticized for its lack of ambition in plastic. No new ban on single-use packaging is added to those already provided for by the law on energy transition and by the Egalim law. As for the provisions aimed at promoting recycling and the incorporation of recycled material, the recyclers consider that they could have gone further. And some players fear that the deposit system mentioned in the preliminary draft law will end up being applied only for the simple recycling of the only waste that is now well recycled, namely PET bottles. But parliamentarians could well, by way of amendments, show more ambition. The WWF report is also addressed to them.

https://www.latribune.fr/entreprises-fi ... 19289.html

[moinsdewatt]

Continuation of this 16 January 2019 post http://www.oleocene.org/phpBB3/viewtopi ... 7#p2279117 who reported the damage on the first test

Boyan Slat Continues Floating Plastic Collector Dam Project

........
This floating boom system is yet to prove itself on the high seas, where it should be towed after its test phase, by October 2019. If it works as expected, dozens of other dams could be deployed

https://www.clubic.com/amp/859338-grand ... ebute.html

The Ocean Cleanup website: https://www.theoceancleanup.com


001 Electronics and Instrumentation Layout of the Ocean Cleanup System

[moinsdewatt]

Humans ingest tens of thousands of plastic particles a year, according to a report

AFP • 05 / 06 / 2019

Humans ingest and breathe tens of thousands of plastic particles each year, according to research released Wednesday.
These micro-plastics, coming from the degradation of products as diverse as synthetic clothing, tires, contact lenses ..., are now found everywhere on the planet, on the highest glaciers as in the ocean floor.

Canadian researchers have compared hundreds of data on microplastic contamination with the average diet and patterns of US consumption.

Result of these estimates (which individually vary by mode and place of life): an adult man ingests up to 52.000 micro-particles of plastic a year. And if we take into account the air pollution, this figure goes to 121.000.

Some extra 90.000 particles need to be added if only bottled water is consumed, adds the study, published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology.

The impact on human health remains to be clarified, the researchers note. However, the finest particles (less than 130 microns in diameter) "can potentially pass into human tissue (and) generate a localized immune response," they add.

For Alastair Grant, professor of ecology at the University of East Anglia, who was not involved in this research, there is no evidence that the plastic particles pointed out in the study pose "a significant danger to human health" .

According to him, it is likely that only a small part of the inhaled elements reach the lungs, especially for reasons related to particle size.

For the authors of the study, research is needed on the amount of material reaching the lungs and stomach, and its impact on health.

And in the meantime, "the most effective way to reduce human consumption of micro-plastics will undoubtedly be to reduce the production and use of plastics," they add.

https://www.boursorama.com/actualite-ec ... 853445d68d

[moinsdewatt]

https://www.boursorama.com/actualite-ec ... 9a5195351f

An average person could ingest up to 5 grams of plastic each week, the weight of a credit card, according to a report commissioned by the WWF at Newcastle University (Australia), and published Tuesday.