PLASTIC
WE ARE DROWNING IN PLASTIC WASTEWE ARE DROWNING IN PLASTIC WASTE
There’s no argument that plastics have greatly benefited humankind, but the benefits and convenience have come at a great price. We made it and now we depend on it. We are literally overwhelmed with the problem. This is the great plastics conundrum. It is a serious problem that science failed to properly predict.
It’s not just the images of common household waste swirling in vast garbage patches in the open ocean or tangled up with wildlife that have made plastic pollution into one of the most widely reported environmental issues of our day. Micro particles formed by the breakdown of plastics into the environment are an even greater threat to our planet and consequently, human health.
THE MYTH OF PLASTIC RECYCLING
Allan Maynard, MSc. NOVEMBER 9, 2020 THE CRYING INDIAN – If you watched TV during the 1970s and 80s you would likely have seen one of the most iconic ads ever made. A buckskinned, black braided Native American (but called “Indian” in those days) is seen paddling down a pristine river but eventually enters a polluted harbor. He paddles his boat to a bank strewn with litter. As...
IMAGINING A PLASTIC-LESS FUTURE
IMAGINING A PLASTIC-LESS FUTURE Allan Maynard, MSc. – January 5th, 2021 Home efforts are a good start. However - to solve the complex and overwhelming issue of plastic pollution, there is a dire need for solutions based on technology, for more regulation of the plastic and packaging industries and, in the long term, a comprehensive evaluation of how we evaluate economic...
MICRO-PLASTICS – THE HIDDEN CONSEQUENCE OF PLASTICS USE
Allan Maynard, MSc. November 23rd, 2020 Note – I realize these articles can be unsettling to read especially at a time when we may be looking for more uplifting news. However as a friend noted – the first step in solving a problem is addressing it. I feel obliged to do my small part towards increasing awareness of environmental issues and the need for science based...
THE MYTH OF PLASTIC RECYCLING
Allan Maynard, MSc. - November 9, 2020 THE CRYING INDIAN – If you watched TV during the 1970s and 80s you would likely have seen one of the most iconic ads ever made. A buckskinned, black braided Native American (but called “Indian” in those days) is seen paddling down a pristine river but eventually enters a polluted harbor. He paddles his boat to a bank strewn with...
WE ARE DROWNING IN PLASTIC WASTE: THE PLASTICS CONUNDRUM
By Allan Maynard, MSc. – October 26, 2020 From National Geographic 06/2018 – a market stall in Zhejiang, China Everyday, we touch hundreds od items that are made of plastic. Plastics have greatly benefited humankind. They help keep planes in the air, make automobiles more fuel efficient, and allow the shipment of clean drinking water where needed. From computers and...