Drowning In Plastic

[Chelsea14Ian]

Watching drowning in plastic on BBC 1.Shocking the amount of plastic in a chicks stomach, just knocks you back.Thanks to this and David Attenborough bringing this to the attention of the pubic. It seems plastic is in every corner of the world. Let's hope it's not to late to stop this tide of plastic. There are signs that we are starting to move away from our love of plastic products.My hope is that the world will reduce and replace with cleaner products. 

[coolcat]

35 minutes ago, Chelsea14Ian said:

Watching drowning in plastic on BBC 1.Shocking the amount of plastic in a chicks stomach, just knocks you back.Thanks to this and David Attenborough bringing this to the attention of the pubic. It seems plastic is in every corner of the world. Let's hope it's not to late to stop this tide of plastic. There are signs that we are starting to move away from our love of plastic products.My hope is that the world will reduce and replace with cleaner products. 

Watching it as well...............shocking to see

[quo vadis]

36 minutes ago, Chelsea14Ian said:

Watching drowning in plastic on BBC 1.Shocking the amount of plastic in a chicks stomach, just knocks you back.Thanks to this and David Attenborough bringing this to the attention of the pubic. It seems plastic is in every corner of the world. Let's hope it's not to late to stop this tide of plastic. There are signs that we are starting to move away from our love of plastic products.My hope is that the world will reduce and replace with cleaner products. 

Like depleted uranium 

[Regulo]

Let's get one thing straight - I don't throw plastic into the sea or rivers, I dispose of it as asked. As do most people, I think. It's what happens to it after that. How does it end up in the environment? For too long the developed nations have conveniently and quietly been dumping our "recycling" on the Third world nations. Where, perhaps understandably, there are  more pressing needs than worrying about the environment. Agreed, we all need to reduce the amount being produced and used, but the disposal of what's already out there is a monumental task, one that will take generations to accomplish. Unless the plastic digesting microbes get out from the Japanese tip they're presently munching their way through - then we have a bigger problem on our hands!

By the way, I'm still shocked at the attitude of shoppers, who are still buying plastic bags by the handful every time they shop - why?

[JamesLV]

12 minutes ago, Regulo said:

By the way, I'm still shocked at the attitude of shoppers, who are still buying plastic bags by the handful every time they shop - why?

Strangely enough I was chatting with the Doris tonight about how quickly we’ve adapted to taking bags into the shops.

I guess to a point I’ve been conditioned as my dad owns a property in Italy and my mum lives in France, both started charging for bags many years ago...

[dnks34]

I missed the program but did intend to watch it.  

I have often thought that plastic might be being dumped into the seas deliberately.  Is it possible ships tasked with transporting it are infact dumping it over the side? 

I am also of the thought that we cant live on this planet and not leave a trace of our existance, its just not possible but we need to take steps to make sure the likes of this and other preventable environmental disasters do not happen. 

 

[ExSurveyor]

The floating islands of plastic in the oceans are in the main made up of discarded fishing nets,  this then traps other plastic.  Developing countries use rivers as waste disposal systems.  These countries now have greater access to goods that are wrapped in plastic without the necessary refuse disposal infrastructure.

The developed world can do their bit but without education and infrastructure in developing countries the problem will only get worse.

[Chelsea14Ian]

Like many we recycle, 're use where possible. The only way this problem will be solved is to move away from plastic and find a alternative.Sadly we can't do it on our own.There needs to be a world wide heads together to sort it out.

[Regulo]

Whether we like it or not, plastic is here, and in many cases, there's no alternative. Look around you now. I'd bet you can count dozens of plastic items, starting with whatever you're reading this on. To go back to wood and metal isn't viable. So we have to reduce our production and use of the type of plastic we now use without even thinking about it, packaging, single use bags etc. It can change, but like every other shift in public perception, it won't happen overnight. Doesn't mean we can't do it, we've all got a part to play.

[smellyloo]

In many ways it's quite ironic that nature has engineered a mechanism whereby we end up eating our own waste!!

A timely warning (perhaps a little late) that we must stop this obsession of wrapping everything we eat, drink and buy in plastic.

Perhaps a warning on all plastic products "WARNING ..... you might end up eating this packaging".

Superb bit of TV ....... 

[Cockatoo]

There has been a campaign on facebook for a while to get everybody that goes to the beach to pick up three bits of plastic and dispose of it properly. I tried this last time we were on the broads and while I didn't manage three pieces every day I did find a fair amount but if we could just stop unnecessary food packaging it would be a great start.

Examples like these https://www.hankermag.com/unnecessary-excessive-wasteful-packaging/

 

[Cockatoo]

11 hours ago, dnks34 said:

I missed the program but did intend to watch it.  

I have often thought that plastic might be being dumped into the seas deliberately.  Is it possible ships tasked with transporting it are infact dumping it over the side? 

I am also of the thought that we cant live on this planet and not leave a trace of our existance, its just not possible but we need to take steps to make sure the likes of this and other preventable environmental disasters do not happen. 

 

https://www.dw.com/en/almost-all-plastic-in-the-ocean-comes-from-just-10-rivers/a-41581484

 

[Bella]

Its in our back yards.. river banks, i did a litter pick yesterday on the Yare between bramerton and surlingham, theres plastic all the way, ingrained into the path, and in the reeds, everything from bottle tops, seringes, golf tees to  broken plastic and polystrene , WHERE IS IT ALL COMING FROM , PLASTIC TIDE. Got photos but cant figure how to attach.?

[grendel]

Bella the easy way to attach pictures is just drag and drop into the box below the bit where you type your message. (that is using a standard browser rather than one of our apps. 

[ChrisB]

The great danger of Micro-Plastic has recently been found to have entered the human food chain and is now not the preserve of fish, marine mammals etc. It is being found in us.

The human race has a propensity for self poisoning. My generation born shortly after the WWII seems to have more than our fair share of Cancer. Now I will put my hands up and say we of a certain age, who enjoyed the 60s smoked and drank like gooduns and that has not helped. However how much is down to the food we ingested. DDT spread over the fields, fertilisers and animal medications now all banned to say nothing of the household chemical revolution.

A nice breath of Flit anyone.

[ChrisB]

I wonder what it will be after plastic? But Climate Change might get us first.

[JennyMorgan]

Easter Monday, clearing up the detritus of an Easter Egg hunt yesterday. The amount of single use plastic is horrendous!

I wash my fleeces, microplastics in the water. I dry my fleeces, microplastics in the air. But aren't such plastics inert?  

[Chelsea14Ian]

Thanks to Sir David Attenborough, highlighting the dangers of plastic world wide.Is it to late,to get on top of the problem?Let's hope not.It seems problems like plastic and Global warming are only tackle now,because frankly the world no longer have a choice.The protesters in London have a point, however there hope to sort it out within five years is unrealistic.

[ChrisB]

26 minutes ago, JennyMorgan said:

Easter Monday, clearing up the detritus of an Easter Egg hunt yesterday. The amount of single use plastic is horrendous!

I wash my fleeces, microplastics in the water. I dry my fleeces, microplastics in the air. But aren't such plastics inert?  

It may be inert Peter but if it enters the lungs or other organs the irritation can cause all sorts of problems. I would think blue asbestos fibres were pretty inert!

[MauriceMynah]

The protesters may well have a point, but they've made it now and to carry on with it will not help their cause. I do find myself wondering what I'd find if I were to go through their rubbish bins, how much "single use" plastic will be found there. It is not for government to tell us what to do, but to advise those who wish to make changes how to.

It is for each and every individual to consider the data available and to react according to their beliefs. It is for industry to react to the demands made by the consumers.

However, It is that "available data" that I have a problem with. How much of it is driven by politicians as opposed to people who actually know the facts. Please let me take "the Electric car/Hybrid car/Diesel car/Petrol car" as an example.

We are told much, but how much of what we are told is true if ALL the factors are taken into account. are our concerns Global or local? It doesn't help the world if we use renewable natural resources here in the UK if as a result China has to generate 10 times the electricity to facilitate this.

Given the governments "U" turn on diesel I ask why I should believe them now while they tell me to buy an electric car (with 25% VAT).

I watched Attenborough's  climate change program the other day and found it high on emotional rhetoric, low on advice and information.

I shall don my tin hat and await your views.

[BroadAmbition]

Attenborough's 'Climate Change - The Facts' was a real eye opener - Shocking really

According to the programme, the writing is on the wall, the world has only ten short years to change or the effects won't be able to be reversed

Griff

[MauriceMynah]

11 minutes ago, BroadAmbition said:

Attenborough's 'Climate Change - The Facts' was a real eye opener - Shocking really

According to the programme, the writing is on the wall, the world has only ten short years to change or the effects won't be able to be reversed

Griff

Yes I agree, however what it didn't say was Who in the world has to change, What it is they need to change or how they can do it. We can all be harbingers of doom, but it's unlikely to help. 

[BroadAmbition]

They did offer advice, and its simple - Cut down on fossil fuel usage, eating red meat etc.  Even the most hardened sceptics must slowly come to realise that climate change and warming up the Earth is happening year by year.  Look at the wx right now - Hottest Easter on record apparently.  Which is great but me and MrsG are in a right mess with some sort of cold thing.  Day four now and it's not getting any better - Well hacked off

Griff

[annv]

It's classic example of some people in some countries that have a disproportionately affect on the rest of the world. John

[Seagypsy]

28 minutes ago, MauriceMynah said:

The protesters may well have a point, but they've made it now and to carry on with it will not help their cause. I do find myself wondering what I'd find if I were to go through their rubbish bins, how much "single use" plastic will be found there. It is not for government to tell us what to do, but to advise those who wish to make changes how to.

It is for each and every individual to consider the data available and to react according to their beliefs. It is for industry to react to the demands made by the consumers.

However, It is that "available data" that I have a problem with. How much of it is driven by politicians as opposed to people who actually know the facts. Please let me take "the Electric car/Hybrid car/Diesel car/Petrol car" as an example.

We are told much, but how much of what we are told is true if ALL the factors are taken into account. are our concerns Global or local? It doesn't help the world if we use renewable natural resources here in the UK if as a result China has to generate 10 times the electricity to facilitate this.

Given the governments "U" turn on diesel I ask why I should believe them now while they tell me to buy an electric car (with 25% VAT).

I watched Attenborough's  climate change program the other day and found it high on emotional rhetoric, low on advice and information.

I shall don my tin hat and await your views.

Should I put my hat on and stand beside you, whole heartedly agree with you. I don't remember seeing any plastic packaging when I was young, sugar was taken from a sack and put in apaper bag, butter and cheese were taken from a tub or cut from a block and wrapped in greaseproof paper the local fish.mongers slab was open to the street and we are still here. In the present situation of mind changing, lies and indesition could we ever believe anything we are told again