The Plastic Problem The causes and limitation of environmental impact.
Environmentally, plastic is a disaster as most plastics are currently made from petroleum or non-renewable resources, extracted and processed using intensive techniques that negatively impact ecosystems. The manufacturing of plastic, aswell as its destructive means to produce pollution to air, land, water aswell as increasing exposure to toxic chemicals.
Plastic packaging is a major source of waste and is regularly ingested by various marine and land animals with fatal consequences aswell as in comparison to biodegradable materials, synthetic plastic will sit and rot in landfills and oceans where it will continue to pollute the environment.
Eco-Friendly Packaging
Makes
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AMAM - Agar Plasticity
A material that's an alternative to plastic and finding the usefulness of agar.
Traditionally consumed as food in Japan, which is often used for making sweets. It is also used in scientific and medical fields worldwide. It's sold in a dried state in forms of blocks, flakes, and powders. Block agar shows porous, feathery structures and is incredible light despite quantity, these features allows AMAM, a design collective, to explore the possibility as a packaging material. When shipping products, they are wrapped in cushioning materials that are more often than not made from plastic which is most likely to become waste or recycle and when considering the materials and energy for processing, this process is
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Depending on the kind of algae used and the dehydrating process, it's suitable for freezing into a soft structure or compressing into a film but as agar is mouldable, it's possible to create packaging that require no cushioning.
Unlike plastic when it goes to waste, agar products can be disposed of in an environmentally-friendly way and because of the properties retained from the algae, it can improve the water-retention properties of soil or if thrown into water, wouldn't harm marine life aswell has the ability to decompose naturally.
AMAM is a design collective based in Tokyo, Japan, co-formed in 2015 by Kosuke Araki, Noriaki Maetani and Akira Muraoka. Their first collaborative project was agar plasticity which later won the Grand Prix of Lexus Design Award in 2016 and won Energy Globe National Award the following year with AMAM proposing the concept for gelatinous agar material to create environmentally-friendly
This alga has no predators that we know of for sure right now, but most likely this alga is a part of herbivorous marine animals', like sea urchins, sea turtles, and small fish, diets. Extracts of this alga, and relatives, are used in certain medicines, shampoos, and skin lotions, and is claimed to aid in skin health and support bones and cartilage. However the FDA has not reputed these claims. A 2009 study also shows that extracts from this alga are very effective as fertilizers and may also work as an antifungal. The antifungal side of these algae is part of what makes this an effective fertilizer: because the extracts also work as antifungals, they are able to slow down the growth of fungi that may harm the plants.
Most of the necessities humans need are provided in supermarkets, in fact supermarkets have become a necessity for our everyday life. They are now the main source of water, food, clothes and everyday tools. Therefore, the plastic bags demanded and supplied in this industry increase every day. In the past decade, we produced as much plastic as we did in the whole twentieth century (Freinkel, 2011). This exponential increase of a non-biodegradable material has negatively impacted our environment immensely. Plastic production requires our dwindling fossil fuel resources, robs away animal lives, litters our beautiful landscapes and even affects our very own well-being. Hence, if plastic production doesn’t diminish immediately, we will suffer great
According to the McHugh…., Gracilaria seaweed produces the most amount of agar in the world which is 53% compared to Gelidium seaweed.
As shipping manager at Calgary Glassworks we appreciate you reaching out and informing us of your concerns. We take all matters that we receive seriously and hope to retain your loyalty as our long-term customer by addressing any immediate concerns. With regards to the packing material used in all of our shipments, the immediate health and low-cost shipping we aim to provide is of utmost importance. At Calgary Glassworks we aim to achieve safe and efficient shipping methods that retain the quality of our products. While previous suggestions such as popcorn, starch and paper have been considered for application, it ultimately does not achieve the high standard of efficiency we work towards. Furthermore, our present application enables us to
There is also debate on how much better biodegradable plastics are in the first place. This is because as biodegradable plastics break down, they break up into smaller and smaller pieces, but never quite disappear. This leaves the potential that the plastic would continue entering the food chain. But although biodegradable plastics aren’t perfect, they are still much safer than standard plastic and present a much lower risk. In addition, by making the shift to ban single use plastics, research towards better plastic alternatives will speed up and better solutions will become available. Over time, these new alternatives to plastics may spread to other items that aren’t single use, making an even greater impact on the health of humans and the
Ironically, plastic, which is a material designed to last forever, is generally used for things we tend to throw away. Every year, about one hundred to two hundred billion pounds of plastic are manufactured. Only 31% of that plastic is actually recycled. Biomass packaging estimates 10% of that plastic ends up in the ocean annually. About 20% of it coming from ships and other platforms, and the other 80% coming from land derived sources, such as international garbage dumping, winds or tides, either way it finds its way to the ocean.
Plastic has an extreme impact on the environment. Trash, consisting of paper or organic waste, decomposes after a while, unlike plastic in which one plastic bottle takes from 450 up to 1000 years to decompose. Considering that the United States produces over 300 million tons of plastic a year, most of which is only used once and then thrown away, it is clear that pollution will become worse each year. It becomes even more shocking when this number is put in other terms; 300 million tons of plastic is comparable to the weight of all the adults living on the planet. By not
The world population is living, working, and vacationing along the coasts. They are contributing to an unprecedented tide of plastic waste. Pollution is defined as the process that alters a substance or molecule on planet earth, the pollution is caused by the physical contact of an organic decaying particle with a clean particle in the same spot, at the time the two particles join together is when occurs pollution in which the environment is greatly altered. Too many, plastic is a modern day miracle, versatile, inexpensive and durable (Rochman 2014). To others, it is a scourge, a non-degradable pollutant that threatens to choke the global environment. Plastic pollution has led to the deaths of many animals, natural resources, and people (Rochman 2014). It is time to change America’s thinking and to learn from past mistakes.
Plastic makes our lives easier, but they will make more difficult through the damage, they cause to our air quality, soil, and water. We need to change our habit of using the plastic and be part of the solution to make this world better place.
The packaging should not support mould growth. The risk is greatest with cellulosic substance and if the use of such materials is unavoidable, the attack may be minimized by
How often also does a human use or eat algae in his daily life? When most people think of algae, they probably think of something that is slimy, gross, and dirty. Algae may irritate people because it grows in unwanted places like swimming pools and boats. Algae can be toxic and it is slimy, but algae benefits people in all aspects of life. Humans obtain algin from algae to help make ice cream, pudding, face cream, and shoe polish. Algae is present in hamburgers, yoghurt, and cakes. Algae also helps make explosives, insulation, and paint. Algae produces most of the oxygen that animals breathe and without it the world would suffocate. Also, according to Helen Challand, "It is now believed that the oil and gas formed millions of years ago in the ground were created by algae" (20).
Although plastic bags appear to be fragile and light, their negative environmental effect is devastating. Plastic bags may cause large amounts of pollution in every step of their limited life cycle, from the extraction of raw materials, production, transportation, and recycling or disposal. Plastic bags can be defined as the most damaging form of environmental pollution. They can have a damaging effect on marine animals and wildlife in addition to the aesthetic effects on beaches, parks, and trees. Plastic bags are potentially one of the main causes of death to marine animals (Harbor keepers,2008). Up to one hundred thousand marine animals or more die each year from eating plastic bags which are mistaken for food. This can result in blocking the animal’s intestines and possibly lead to the animal’s death. Another possible situation is that wildlife, such as birds, can get tangled in plastic bags causing choking and immobility, which may eventually lead to death. (Senior, 2008) and (Citizen Campaign, 2010). In other situations, after plastic bags photo degrade they remain toxic and could be eaten by fish, shellfish or any other marine life and survive this allows the toxins to enter our food chain through bioaccumulation (Puget Soundkeeper Alliance, 2011).
Green Packaging: Nano fibres can be constructed from organic corn or lobster shells and are both antimicrobial and biodegradable.
It is sad to say but humans have played their part in deteriorating the earth. We have polluted and killed the very thing that takes care of us. If you ride by any lake or river you find trash and debris around it. In the “The Call of the Wild” the author says that we have committed war against the earth by the dumping of poisons and explosives upon it (337). Unfortunately, plastics are the things that are doing the most harm to our environment. Plastics are convenient and we use them everyday and these are the things that we find in the oceans, rivers and lakes. They are harmful to the earth as well as human health by directly intoxicating us with lead, cadmium and mercury. Plastic debris laced with harmful chemicals are often found inside of our marine life and can poison them. Plastic can survive for thousands of years and many invasive species are found in them which can disrupt our habitats. We need to limit our consumption of plastics and make sure that they are disposed of in their proper places.
Plastics have revolutionized the way we do business, the way we move from place to place, and the way we imagine our world. Devices like cellular phones, laptops, syringes, cars and credit cards all use plastic in their manufacture and were not uneconomical or in some cases physically impossible to make without this malleable substance. Plastic manufacturing varies by product.