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01-06-2019, 01:48 PM
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#21
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Northern IL
Posts: 26,888
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Quote:
Originally Posted by imoldernu
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Not to trivialize this issue, but the perception that the media presents doesn't match reality (surprise!). emph mine
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_..._garbage_patch
Quote:
Despite the common public image of islands of floating rubbish, its low density (4 particles per cubic meter) prevents detection by satellite imagery, or even by casual boaters or divers in the area. It consists primarily of an increase in suspended, often microscopic, particles in the upper water column.
....
An estimated 80,000 metric tons of plastic inhabit the patch, totaling 1.8 trillion pieces. ...
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So let's apply some good old fashion 'rithmetic.
a Metric ton is ~ 2200 pounds, trillion is 10^12, so....
176,000,000 pounds of plastic in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
1,800,000,000,000 pieces of plastic in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
Divide, very small number... multiply by 16 to get ounces, and...
The average weight of each plastic piece is 0.001564 ounces. Maybe easier to visualize, it would take 639 of them to make up an ounce.
Again, this is not to trivialize the issue, those small particles can cause problems. It is just to put some this media stuff into perspective.
-ERD50
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01-06-2019, 02:34 PM
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#22
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Northern Ohio
Posts: 3,182
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Plastic in the oceans comes mostly from Asia - the top six countries for ocean garbage are China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
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01-06-2019, 02:37 PM
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#23
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Champaign
Posts: 4,722
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Just think about ingesting those little pieces of plastic. This is one way to visualize the damage we are causing. How much does a plastic fork weigh?
__________________
"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."
Ralph Waldo Emerson
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01-06-2019, 03:04 PM
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#24
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 17,774
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A new acquaintance suggested I look at these shoes, which are made from recycled plastic water bottles: https://rothys.com . The website says 22 million bottles have been re-used, which is good. The shoes are $125 and up, which is hilarious to me on many levels.
__________________
“Would you like an adventure now, or would you like to have your tea first?” J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan
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01-06-2019, 03:15 PM
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#25
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: Hog Mountian
Posts: 2,077
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Walt34
Dang, that sure busted my bubble.
I had visions of walking up to the edge of the lake and filling a few carafes of wine. Sigh.
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I was checking Google Flights to get there.
__________________
Never let yesterday use up too much of today.
W. Rogers
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01-06-2019, 03:17 PM
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#26
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Jun 2016
Posts: 1,961
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I used to work with a guy that refused to recycle aluminum.
His take was he was ensuring it would be profitable to eventually go back and mine landfills...
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01-06-2019, 03:26 PM
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#27
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Jun 2016
Posts: 1,961
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ERD50
Not to trivialize this issue, but the perception that the media presents doesn't match reality (surprise!). emph mine
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_..._garbage_patch
So let's apply some good old fashion 'rithmetic.
a Metric ton is ~ 2200 pounds, trillion is 10^12, so....
176,000,000 pounds of plastic in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
1,800,000,000,000 pieces of plastic in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
Divide, very small number... multiply by 16 to get ounces, and...
The average weight of each plastic piece is 0.001564 ounces. Maybe easier to visualize, it would take 639 of them to make up an ounce.
Again, this is not to trivialize the issue, those small particles can cause problems. It is just to put some this media stuff into perspective.
-ERD50
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How many particles would accumulate in a persons kidneys over a modern lifetime.
They used to whine about inhaling carbon nano-particles from soot and tires along the highways. Then we start getting metabolites of anti-depressants and birth control hormones in the water supply.
All populations are self-regulating... eventually.
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01-06-2019, 03:27 PM
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#28
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Beaverton
Posts: 1,382
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So as a non viewer of CNN I thought I would look up the Great Garbage Patch. Third link down was an article from NOAA (I take them as reliable) that debunks the notion of this completely. Just sayin'.
Our current subject of the day (focusing on straws currently for some reason on the U.S.) is a good one to discuss. A huge number of companies have gone to plastic packaging I think for some noble and space saving reasons. However as we know, one mans solution is another mans problem.
Straws aside (I like using them on occasion) I am hoping the current focus on plastics will spur some new technology that can help us get a handle on the problem.
__________________
Jump in, the water's warm.
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01-06-2019, 05:44 PM
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#29
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Lawn chair in Texas
Posts: 14,183
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bir48die
So as a non viewer of CNN I thought I would look up the Great Garbage Patch. Third link down was an article from NOAA (I take them as reliable) that debunks the notion of this completely. Just sayin'.
Our current subject of the day (focusing on straws currently for some reason on the U.S.) is a good one to discuss. A huge number of companies have gone to plastic packaging I think for some noble and space saving reasons. However as we know, one mans solution is another mans problem.
Straws aside (I like using them on occasion) I am hoping the current focus on plastics will spur some new technology that can help us get a handle on the problem.
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The article does say that we have no good size estimates, and that much of it is particulate-sized, but it doesn’t argue that garbage patches don’t exist...
__________________
Have Funds, Will Retire
...not doing anything of true substance...
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