18 - Plastics Flashcards
Most of the plastic we use is for… How long does it last?
Almost half is for packaging (lasts less than six months)
A lot is for consumer products (3yrs) and textiles (5 yrs)
What are plastics?
Polymers: long-chain molecules made of repeating links, or monomers
Common unit is polyethylene
Slides 11,12
Look
What is the plastic cycle?
Continuous and complex movement of plastic materials between different abiotic and biotic ecosystem compartments, including humans
Slide 14, 15
How much plastic is produced, used and what is the fate of plastic?
8300 million tones primary production
In-use 2500 MT
Discarded 4900 MT
Recycled 600 MT
Incinerated 800 MT
Secondary production 100 MT
Slide 16
Slides 17-25
Just figures and stuff
Give two examples of mechanisms by which plastic pollution affects marine wildlife
- Magellanic penguin ingests straws, line which perforates their stomachs
- Green sea turtles eat balloons and string which causes GI distress and starvation
Slide 22
What is a nanoparticle? Microparticle?
Nano = a particle <1 um in diameter across their widest dimension
Micro = a particle between 1-5000 um in size (5000 um = 5mm)
Primary and secondary sources of micro and nano plastics
Primary: nanoplastics made on purpose for industrial use
Secondary: breakdown of macroplastics
Three routes of plastic particle entry into the human body
- Ingestion of plastic particles (in food, drink)
- Inhalation of airborne plastic particles (fertilizers, wastewater treatm, synthetic textiles)
- Skin contact of plastic particles: water, health and beauty products on damaged skin
Slides 29-33
Look
What are microbeads? Problem?
Microparticles, usually made of polyethylene or can be made of other plastics or glass
Problem: they do not degrade, often too small/lightweight to be removed by standard wastewater treatment
How can microbeads affect wildlife
- Easily ingested by filter feeders
- Are not digested
- Passed up the food chain
- If large enough, can accumulate in the gut
Slide 41
Slides 42, 43
Confused
Source of plastic fibers? Problem?
Clothing
Similar issues to microbeads: consumed by filter feeders, move up food web, don’t degrade
What are degraded plastics?
UV light can degrade plastics, break them down into smaller pieces
These pieces can sometimes aggregate and precipitate out (sink and end up in sediment)
Slide 47
What are benthic organisms? Effect on plastics?
Animals that live on the sea floor
Can influence the movement of microplastics between water column and sediments
e.g. particle capture and burial
Where are most plastics in our oceans?
Most in pacific ocean (upper middle)
Lots in the Indian ocean (east cost of Africa)
Lots around Australia
To lower your plastic foot print, look for certain ingredients in product labels:
- polyethylene
- polypropylene
- nylon
Why buy merino wool instead?
- natural lanolin found in wool has antimicrobial properties
- merino is soft and lightweight (like poly fibers)
How to properly care for clothing to prevent plastic fiber loss
- Use liquid detergent instead of powder
- Wash in cold instead of warm/hot
- Gentle cycle instead of heavy duty
- Air dry instead of dryer
Cooperation between what sectors is required to solve the plastic crisis? (5)
- Governance (legislation, regulation, education)
- Producers (investments, materials, practices)
- Consumers (reduce, reuse, recycle. Responsible disposal, cleanup, awareness)
- Waste management (zero waste, litter capture and removal)
- Research (marine, health, environmental, social science)
Slide 56
Six steps to strategy to reduce plastic pollution to near zero
- Reduce plastic production
- Innovative materials and product design
- Reduce waste generation
- Improve global waste management
- Improve litter capture
- Reduce input concentrations into ocean
Slide 57
Slides 60-65
COVID plastic pandemic
Three R’s
