Plastic Bottle Obesity on the Rise for Ocean Ecosystems

Interpretive Talk Outline

Theme: Plastic bottles weighing down our oceans.
Introduction:
1) Formation of trash islands.
2) Manufacturing of plastic bottles
3) Breakdown process.
4) Solutions how you can help fight plastic obesity.
Background:
1) 200 billion pounds of plastic are used each year.
2) 10% ends up in ocean equaling 20 billion pounds of plastic.
3) Of that 20 billion pounds of ocean plastic, 14 billion pounds slowly sinks
while ocean currents carry off the other 7 billion pounds.
4) Forming massive trash islands about the size of Texas.
Body:
How are plastic bottles making the ocean fat?
1) Formation:
a. North Pacific ocean gyre: a system of circular ocean currents
formed by the Earths wind patterns and rotation of the planet.
i. Acts as a highway for plastic moving in a clockwise
direction.
ii. Debris coagulates then splits up eventually reuniting with an
increased volume of trash than before.
b. Plastic is then linked by North Pacific Subtropical Convergence
Zone
i. Warm water from the South Pacific meets up with cooler
water from the Arctic.
ii. Prime spot for ocean life making it a major food source for many species
and a high productivity area for feeding and breeding
c. Invasive species
i. Seeds of organisms remain on the plastic as it travels from one area of the
world to another.
ii. Take over the native fauna of the region thus impacting the biological
makeup.
2) Plastic Bottle Manufacturing:
a. The amount of oil needed to make plastic bottles is 4% of the total global oil
consumption.
b. Each disposable bottle that is created uses the same amount of oil as if it was filled
one quarter of the way full.
c. Air pollution of bottle production.

i. Linked to causing illness or asthma in humans and animals that breathe in

the harmful chemicals.
3) Photo-degradation: the alteration of materials by light.
a. Plastic does not biodegrade; it can never be broken down
completely.
b. Sun breaks down plastic into tiny pieces called micro-plastic or plastic dust.
c. Aquatic organisms ingest micro-plastic
i. Mistake it for zooplankton.
d. Plastic waste then enters the food chain or kills the organism by chemical poisoning
or chocking.
i. Small fishbig fishpeople.
ii. Also effects fertility
Reusable bottles to the rescue:
1) Possible solutions: Personal fitness trainer.
a. Hydro flasks
i. Hot for 12 hours, cold for 24 hours
b. Klean Kanteen
i. Able to be exposed to extreme heat to boil substances.
c. Ooho
i. Frozen ball of water then encapsulating it in layers of
membrane made of calcium chloride and brown algae.
ii. Edible (natural).
iii. Received a $22,500 sustainability award (will see more in
future).
iv. Inexpensive and biodegradable.
2) Why use reusable water bottles?
a. Better for the environment thus reducing the amount of fossil
fuels and toxins into the air during production.
b. Tap water saves money.
c. Better for overall health due to BPA-free quality
d. They are convenient. Nowadays, almost all public facilities have
water fountains to fill/refill a reusable bottle.
Conclusion:
1) Plastic connected by the natural elements.
2) Oil and air pollution.
3) Hurting sea organisms and you.
4) What goes around comes around - contaminates of a single person are likely to
return to the original emitter or to future generations.