11/13/18

BIOL*1500
L16 - Plastic

Assigned reading

Our World in Data: Plastics

1. Top Ten plastic exporters
2. Global plastic waste by disposal
3. Plastic waste generation by sector
4. Mismanaged plastics by region
5. Decomposition rates of marine plast
debris

*** Which plastics are recyclable, which

are not?

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Know the Identities,

Common Uses,
Properties and
Recyclability of
Plastic Polymers
Groups #3-6

Our World in Data

Assigned reading

Bonanno & Orlando-Bonaca (2018). Ten

inconvenient questions about plastics in
the sea. Environmental Science & Policy
85: 146-154.

What are the major categories of

ecological effects of plastics in the sea?

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Plastics in the news (1 of 10)

u Waves of Change is a CBC series exploring the

single-use plastic we're discarding, and why we
need to clean up our act
u But as the movement to ditch many of these
plastics grows, it's clear that what's required is a
mindset shift, much like eating healthier or
exercising, in order to incorporate this into their
daily lives

What are the components of this mind shift identified

in the article?
(CBC 2018.10.07)

Plastics in the news (2 of 10)

u 'Break Free from Plastic' audit campaign by

Greenpeace Canada
u Over 75 per cent of the 10,000 litres of shoreline
trash collected during the Canadian cleanups
was plastic
u "the companies that make the products that
should be responsible, not the consumer"

What FIVE Companies combined to account for

46% of Canadian identifiable branded trash?

(CBC 2018.10.11)

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Plastics in the news (3 of 10)

u CBC Saskatchewan reporters Janani Whitfield (left)

and Alex Soloducha took up a challenge to spend
two weeks without using single-use plastics
u "Have you ever cried in a grocery store? One of us
came close, after visiting three in a row that didn't
have lettuce that wasn't wrapped in plastic"

What shocking assertion did this article make about

Canadian production of garbage?

(CBC 2018.10.15)

Plastics in the news (4 of 10)

u Ocean Cleanup foundation launched the world's

first ocean cleanup system out of San Francisco
u notorious "Great Pacific Garbage Patch: giant
floating trash pile between San Francisco and
Hawaii that is twice the size of Texas; largest of
five ocean trash piles on Earth
u pipe, which is in the shape of a U, features a 3-
meter deep net underneath it to trap floating
plastic under the water's surface

u Despite benefits, what are the major concerns

(CBC 2018.10.16) expressed about this cleanup effort?

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Plastics in the news (5 of 10)

u Nova Scotians who have purchased legal

cannabis through the province's stores have been
taking to social media, surprised their paper
bags of pot are filled with so much packaging
u "I mean, a baggie has been doing the trick for
years and year and years now"

Who is responsible for requiring all of this plastic

packaging? What possible purposes do they claim
are being served?

(CBC 2018.10.21)

Plastics in the news (6 of 10)

u PM Theresa May has pledged to ban all avoidable

plastic waste by 2042
u Environmental experts have said that the anti-
plastic movement showed the public could be
"mobilised" for action on green issues
u Others have said that said demonising plastic could
do more harm than good

What is the major criticism being levelled on the UK's

focus on banning avoidable plastic waste?

(CBC 2018.10.22)

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Plastics in the news (7 of 10)

u Twelve-thousand bottles strung together,

surrounding a canoe, now hangs above all
those that walk through Ripley's aquarium in
downtown Toronto
u To complete the sculpture, the organization
collected empty bottles from people across the
GTA, giving them 10 cents for each one. Gray
said they collected enough bottles to construct
the sculpture in just three days

What is the specific political change that

(CBC 2018.10.25) Environmental Defence Canada & Ripleys are trying
to promote with this installation?

Plastics in the news (8 of 10)

u What if plastic were made from waste like

banana peels, coffee grounds and
cardboard takeout containers instead of
petroleum? And what if, after use, that plastic
decomposed like the biological materials it
was made from?

u What process is Toronto's Genecis using to

convert biowaste into what raw material that
in turn can be used to create a wide variety of
biodegradable end products?

(CBC 2018.10.29)

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Plastics in the news (9 of 10)

u Lenard Broadhead says biodegradeable materials

used in his new Honda are so "eco-friendly," hungry
squirrels find them irresistible
u Broadhead, who lives in Ottawa, says the rodents
have made a series of targeted strikes on his air-
filters, motors and fuel injector wiring, with repair
costs eating away about $1,000 of his savings

What tangible evidence exists to support Lenard's

claim that Honda was already aware that their
biodegradable parts attracted the gnawing attention
(CBC 2018.10.29) of rodents?

Plastics in the news (10 of 10)

u 2015: male Olive Ridley

sea turtle, Costa Rica

(Nature 2018.11.08)

What reasons did Ms.

Figgener's identify for
scientists to be cautious
about engaging with
popular press about
conservation crises?
Optional Video: ***WARNING: Graphic
Content & Inappropriate/ Strong Language!***