Element A: PRESENTATION AND JUSTIFICATION OF THE PROBLEM
Problem Statement
The World Wildlife Fund reports that 80% of the 8 million metric tons of plastic that enter our oceans every year are from land-based activities, including plastic blown out of landfills and vehicles used for transportation of plastics. Plastics being thrown away or even recycled are continually being blown into rivers and making their way towards the ocean, where they have severe negative impacts on marine life.
BACKGROUND/ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Plastic is a very easy and durable material to make, and it’s made on huge scales in a variety of ways. In the 1950s when it first started being manufactured on this large scale, the only focus was the creation of plastic and not on the disposal of plastic. Because it’s not biodegradable, it has since been accumulating in the environment, especially lightweight plastics being blown by the wind from landfills and vehicles, gathering along beaches and in large gyres in Earth’s oceans. These plastics are being ingested in the stomachs of many marine animals and/or is getting caught on their bodies, causing serious harm to their health. Although not quantified, these plastics in the ocean contribute to toxic substances in the human diet as well, according to EPA chemist Richard Engler. Not only this, but studies have shown plastics have a tendency to absorb toxic and bioaccumulative substances which is present in trace amounts in all bodies of water (Seltenrich, 2015).
According to a study done by The 5 Gyres Institute, an estimated 5.25 trillion plastic particles, roughly 269,000 tons, are floating on the surface of the ocean (Seltenrich, 2015).
According to The 5 Gyres Institute, approximately 90% of the total plastic pieces collected from their global plastic sample study were microplastics roughly 4.75mm or smaller.
Plastic is killing more than 100,000 sea turtles and birds a year from ingestion and entanglement (Andrews, 2012).
Roughly 20% of plastic trash comes from ships and sea travel, and platforms that are offshore (Andrews, 2012).
ATTACK PATHS
Thousands of marine animals are detrimentally harmed by the continuous plastic pollution floating in the oceans in the form of 5 large trash gyres, random floating pieces on the ocean surface, microplastics, and plastics that have washed up on beaches. Many of these plastics contain harmful chemicals that are dangerous when ingested, adding additional damage to the bodily obstruction these plastics cause.
Some businesses and non-profits use portions of their money to go towards cleaning up oceans and beaches. Many businesses and franchises have the power to do much more, but it is not deemed desirable enough to do so. Finding ways for businesses to get more involved in cleaning existing pollution and preventing future pollution through more sustainable practices would help the problem.
Lightweight plastics are often blown off from transportation vehicles like trucks and ships, causing them to directly infiltrate the natural environment and affect the biodiversity in those environments. Plastic pollution in this form of run off is a seemingly insignificant but very real contributor to ocean contamination.
Consumers and the individuals in our population are everything; humans are responsible for plastic pollution and everyday people consistently use these plastics. If there was a solution that individual consumers could utilize in every day life, the numbers of plastics that enter landfills and oceans would decrease. Every person makes a difference, so it is important to stress this to individuals for them to be conscious of their trash.
ARTIFACTS
The Plastic in our Oceans
Jordan Wilkerson and Rebecca Senft, N. (2018, December 1). The Plastic in our Oceans. http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2018/plastic-oceans-cleanup/.
This blog post article discusses the multiple gyres that are found floating in the world's oceans and how plastics and microplastics dominate the content of these trash gyres. It explains that plastic, while easily manufactured, has no proper means of disposal and over one third of plastic is made for single use. These plastics that are not biodegradable end up in oceans in large amounts and slowly become microplastics which can more easily lodge into fish gills, turtle nostrils, and other animals. The post mentions how efforts are being made to try and clean up the larger plastics, but the problem is still grave and in need of more assistance, especially with microplastics.
Plastics in the Ocean Affecting Human Health
Andrews, G. (2012). Plastics in the Ocean Affecting Human Health. Retrieved September 27, 2020, https://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/health/case_studies/plastics.html
This article describes the five garbage patches that are currently floating in our oceans and how these plastics have toxins that are negatively affecting animals that come in contact with them. Non-biodegradable plastics are being blown from transportation vehicles and land platforms and gathering in these gyres, contaminating marine life. Once animals like fish ingest microplastics and chemicals absorbed by the plastics, these toxins circulate and bio-accumulate in the food chain and eventually work their way into the human diet, causing harm to humans. The article proceeds to describe the specific harmful chemicals that soak into plastics and where these chemicals come from. The article concludes by mentioning how plastic pollution is a symptom of our single-use culture and as a society we need to use less plastics and monitor how we clean and dispose of waste.
New Link in the Food Chain? Marine Plastic Pollution and Seafood Safety
Seltenrich, N. (2015, February 1). New Link in the Food Chain? Marine Plastic Pollution and Seafood Safety. https://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/doi/full/10.1289/ehp.123-a34.
Investigators in this article research the affects of marine life consuming harmful plastics and translating these toxins into the human diet. It opens by mentioning that this area of study is under researched but it is clear that there are adverse human health affects caused by ocean contamination. Many organic chemicals found in these toxins are hydrophobic, allowing them to sorb to plastics, which is what keeps them floating in our oceans. Various marine organisms consume the chemicals, such as PAHs and DDT, in various sizes of plastics and infiltrate the food chain through numerous trophic levels. The studies referenced in the article describe how these toxins seep into the organs of the animals that consumed them, which is what will happen to humans if consumed in a similar capacity. A common viewpoint concludes the article by stating that these health concerns are surrounded by skepticism and legitimate fear, as it is clear there is an issue but officials are not exactly sure to what extent.
ARTIFACTS: EXPERT RESOURCES
Organizations and Associations for the Cause
National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration (NOAA)
Government Experts
Environmental Protection Agency
Anna-Marie Cook
Senior Environmental Engineer
cook.anna-marie@epa.gov
Richard E. Engler
Ph.D, Director of Chemistry
rengler@lawbc.com
Educational Experts
University of Plymouth
Richard Thompson
Director of the Marine Institute, Senior Lecturer and Professor in School of Biological and Marine Sciences
publicrelations@plymouth.ac.uk
University of Melbourne
Brad Clarke
Ph.D, Senior Lecturer in Analytical Chemistry and Environmental Science
brad.clarke@unimelb.edu.au
MARKET RESEARCH
Target Market
Waste Disposal Services
Waste disposal services can implement methods and solutions to help improve the way plastics are disposed of on a commercial scale, and can help prevent plastics from blowing out of these sites or transportation vehicles.
Everyday Citizens
People in everyday life contribute to plastic pollution globally, which is why finding a solution that can be out on the general consumer market can help spread the solution to this type of ocean contamination on a large scale. Involving every person involved will collectively result in lessening everyday plastic pollution.
Market Research Survey
Our survey consisted of 11 questions to help us better grasp our market's understanding and opinion on the issue.
Survey Results
Figure 1
"Roughly how many single-use plastic items do you use in a week?"
According to our survey, the most popular response was that individuals use 10-25 single-use plastics a week, holding the largest percentage of 43.8% of participants. The next most common response, 35.4% of participants, reported that they use less than 10 single-use plastics per week. 20.8% of respondents said that they use 25 or more single-use plastics in one week.
Figure 2
"Do you recycle?"
Fortunately, 97.9% of respondents claim that they recycle their plastics and recyclable materials. However, 2.1% still acknowledge that they do not recycle. When scaled to the global population size of 7.8 billion, if even just 2.1% of the human population doesn't recycle, that is roughly 163,800,000 people. A single person can contribute to the contamination and damage of the ocean and marine life, which is why every person's awareness of proper recycling matters. This question does not account for those who claim to recycle, yet are unaware of proper recycling measures and requirements.
Figure 3
"What types of plastic are recyclable in your area?"
Most respondents (70.8%) stated that they are unaware of what plastics can and cannot be properly recycled in their area, which likely means many recycle materials that are not accepted, or even that they don't recycle materials that are accepted. The answers to this question indicate that our community is unaware of proper recycling, which inadvertently contributes to the pollution of these plastic items as they're forced into landfills and blown off of vehicles by being thrown away or improperly recycled.
Figure 4
"Do you think that the release of plastics into the environment is a serious issue?"
Mirroring the respondents in figure 1, 97.9% of our surveyed population believes that the release of plastics into the environment is a serious issue, confirming that one viable market option supports and believes in the concern. The understanding that a problem exists is clearly evident, which means there is a need for a solution.