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Partykongen t1_j69ok4m wrote

Reply to comment by -Ch4s3- in UV light from the sun slowly breaks down plastics on the ocean’s surfaces: researchers calculate that about two percent of visibly floating plastic may disappear from the ocean surface in this way each year by giuliomagnifico

Exactly. It's a safe material with a long life, possibly good surface finish and easily manufacturable into even complex shapes at a low energy cost. In many uses, it is invaluable as the alternatives either don't perform the same function as well or is just too energy intensive to manufacture and transport about.

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-Ch4s3- t1_j69ot84 wrote

Mostly if we could go after fishing waste and clean up the major rivers in South East Asia, there wouldn’t be a plastic problem in the Pacific.

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Stardust_Staubsauger t1_j69wzvj wrote

Thats only partly true. The US waste water plans pollute huge amounts of microplastics because they don't implement effective filter systems. The Source of the microplastics are cosmetics and personal care products. Complaining about other continents is easy but maybe put your own house in order first .

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0269749116309629

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-Ch4s3- t1_j6a3090 wrote

But that’s a minuscule fraction, as far as I’m aware from reading about the topic.

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Fairuse t1_j69q68b wrote

Are you willing to pay the price for the clean up? Most of the waste generate is behalf of your consumption.

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-Ch4s3- t1_j69qxmn wrote

None of that waste really comes from the US since China stopped buying American recycling. There’s a lot of single use plastics used in SE Asia, and they lack the disposal infrastructure we enjoy in developed economies.

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m_bleep_bloop t1_j69tyem wrote

Except that reuse infrastructure is mostly fraudulent, and generally involves exports to…Southeast Asia

That’s US waste that’s causing the problem

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-Ch4s3- t1_j6a3hr2 wrote

Those countries don’t really buy US plastic waste anymore.

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