Some of you may know that I am from Brazil and I have a Bachelor of Science in Sanitation and Environmental Engineering. Among the subjects I studied was waste management. Considering we are constantly generating waste on this planet, it struck me that only in 2010 a law that concerns waste management was enacted in my home country, the Brazilian National Solid Waste Bill n. 12.305/2010. Even though it was considered a revolution at the time and perhaps even now still is—I think it shows how much we are neglecting the crucial waste management agenda.

Don’t get me wrong, this was not the first bill of its kind in Brazil. However, the absence of clear goals, instruments, principles and rules can cause the accumulation and repetition of automatic actions that may lead to substantial issues in the future. Thus, the bill 12.305/2010 was created with the goal to protect public health and environmental quality; promote non-generation, reduction, reuse, recycling, and treatment of the solid waste; and to ensure the adequately environmental final disposal of the rejects (the waste that could not be recycled, reused or recovered). One important target defined by the Brazilian National Solid Waste Bill was the eradication of dumpsters in the entire country by 2014—a goal that was not achieved and postponed to 2021. Sadly, according to the Cleaning and Special Waste Companies Brazilian Association (Abrelpe), in 2017 dumpsters increased by 1% in the country, while the volume of waste destined to such places also rose in 4%. ¹ Irony can be ironic sometimes… Even with the bill, the waste management issue is not improving in Brazil.

This was supposed to be a short introduction to my review of the documentary “A Plastic Ocean”, but here I am… And indeed, there is a lot to say regarding this “waste disease”. Nevertheless, being now in Germany, I feel impressed, happy and excited when I see how well this country manages its waste. I don’t know what your opinions are if you were born and grew up in Germany. Still, compared to my upbringing in Brazil, Germany sets a great example to several governments in how to successfully implement domestic waste separation and recycling, ultimately supporting an improved quality of life, environment, and a better tomorrow for all. Now, without further ado, I will begin my documentary review, I hope you are still with me.

The documentary “A Plastic Ocean” impacted me in so many different ways. From the start of its first frame which quoted Helman Melville’s Moby-Dick until the end of the movie, it is an honest, heart-breaking, apologizing letter to the planet and to the biota present in it. This documentary was directed by journalist, filmmaker and adventurer Craig Leeson and begins with him talking about his astonishment as an 8-year-old kid when he saw a whale for the first time in a National Geographic magazine. As we are led to the ocean by the coast of Sri Lanka, diving alongside the British diver Rich Horner, the viewer is shocked as plastic and other kinds of waste are found in that area, especially because the beaches in that region have been closed for up to 30 years.

The film continues its trajectory in the ocean presenting several different locations and the environmental problems caused by plastic—up to this point, especially on the marine fauna. It is devastating as the viewer sees footage of a dying Bryde whale that had its digestive system blocked by a 6 square meter plastic sheet. Animals including dolphins, seals and sealions are physically harmed because they had some kind of plastic wrapped around their necks. It is not possible to live having this general thinking that when we throw something away, we are free of it. As some of the interviewers stressed, which is a 100% true, there is no “away.” We live in a closed system, one planet, and at this point we are well aware that nothing simply disappears. How outrageous is it to think that in some places in the ocean there is more plastic than plankton?

“A Plastic Ocean” exhibits didactically the ocean’s function and importance for the planet, as well as how it is possible for plastic to be transported from anywhere to the ocean. With an assembly of doctors and researchers, the viewer is guided through the documentary to understand the role of the currents, the existence of gyres, what is bioaccumulation, toxicity of plastic components and effects of plastic pollution on our health. There is not a moment when the viewer is left hanging. It is an essential documentary for every human inhabitant of this Earth. It emphasizes that we live in an interconnected world; it makes us travel to different corners of the planet and reminds us of social inequalities, sustainable alternatives, technological advancements and essential, immediate action. Besides counting statistical plastic production within the time frame we are watching the movie, as production never stops.

I would say find time and watch “A Plastic Ocean” today. It is a movie that challenges and confronts us. It opens our eyes to spheres of our planet and the current reality that we either sometimes neglect or are unaware of. We are active agents of change and it is a fact that we can help planet Earth. Bit by bit. One by one. The sum of everyone’s good actions can make a huge impact. And share this documentary or suggest to friends and family because, quoting Craig Leeson, “From knowing comes caring, and from caring comes change.”

Sincerely,

Éverton Souza da Silva

P.S.: “A Plastic Ocean” is available on Netflix.

1 https://ecocircuito.com.br/legislacao/

The post The Waste Disease: “A Plastic Ocean” Review appeared first on Global Change Ecology.

This situation could happen soon. In May 2018, the EU has announced to ban certain single-use plastic items. These include: plastic cutlery, plastic dishes, plastic straws, plastic drink stirrers, plastic cotton buds and plastic mounts for air balloons. Single-use drinks containers will only be allowed to be sold if their caps are attached permanently so that they don’t fall off and lie around if people don’t pick their trash up. Furthermore, the member states have to fulfil some consumption reduction targets: they have to reduce the use of plastic food containers and drinking cups. Also, the member states will have to collect 90% of single-use plastic bottles by 2025 – the German Pfand system (you pay a certain amount when buying the bottle and once you bring it back to the supermarket you get this money back) might be a solution for this. In 2030, 100% of plastic bottles shall be recyclable.

In the future, producers of single-use plastics will have to pay according to the “polluter pays principle” which is an obligation set under the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU. This means that the producers of most littered plastic items have to cover the costs of clean-ups. The member states will have to pay as well: for the clean-up of nature and for environmental education campaigns. The same accounts for producers of fishing gear which accounts for 27% of the trash on beaches – they will have to pay for the clean-ups and awareness-raising measures.

Why did the EU pass these new restrictions? One reason for the ban of certain single-plastic use items is that 85% of the trash in the oceans worldwide consists of plastic. As we know (also from former articles on the GCE blog), this waste is polluting oceanic ecosystems and most of it is not biodegradable. According to the EU, the EU alone comes up with 26 million tons of plastic waste per year. Not even a third of this trash is reused – the rest goes to landfills or into the environment. The plastic and microplastic in the oceans finally ends in the stomach of birds, fish and other animals living in the sea. In the end, the microplastic in the ocean comes back to us on our plates – when we eat fish or even when we drink water from single-use plastic bottles as they also excrete micro plastic. Even veggies are polluted by microplastic as it also reaches our fields through plastic waste that is thrown away into the organic waste.

As the EU is mainly an economic union, there is of course also a financial aspect: On the long run, the EU will probably save up to 6.5 billion Euro (he did not state clearly if this sum is saved per year or in total), says EU-commissioner Jyrki Katainen from Finland who is responsible for jobs, growth, investment and competitiveness.

Are there going to be alternatives for the banned and restricted items? The producers of single-use plastic products are already working on that – Tetrapak for example has announced to switch to paper straws for juice or milk cartons until the end of the year.

This ban and restrictions are a good step into the right direction. They address harmful and unnecessary items which can be easily replaced: when going to a barbecue party, just take your own plates and cutlery, when cleaning your ears, use cotton buds with wood sticks – they are already available in drug stores. These things are not costing you more money (actually less, as you don’t have to buy plastic forks and plates).

But the critics towards these plans also have a point. Martin Häusling, deputy of the green party in the EU parliament, calls it  “politics of symbols” – he calls for a ban on the packaging of food and more systematic recycling. Others compliment the approach of the EU and throw in the idea of a tax on plastics: this would in their eyes be much more effective if we want to address the problem of plastic pollution. Another aspect of the critics is the question which materials are going to replace the plastic-based ones – so called “bioplastics” (made from corn for example) need a lot of space and resources and are also very slowly in degrading.

This is dead right. But instead of grumping, let’s acknowledge the positive aspects of this ban: It is an eye opener, targeting this really big problem of plastic pollution. It could push the discussion about how we can act environmentally better. It will change the consumption of single-use plastics by not allowing companies to produce them. It is not possible to stop pollution from one day to the other – but small steps could also in the end lead to success. This plan might have its flaws – but it is hopefully a step into the right direction.

To not to choke in a giant mountain of waste and trash, we must change the way we consume. This article is the part of a series dealing with the chaotic and broad topic of waste. We want to give you different views on the topic and highlight ways how to reduce your personal waste generation. Find more articles here.

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