5 page research essay

Tackling ocean plastic in the laundry room Author(s): Jen Fela Source: Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, Vol. 13, No. 5 (June 2015), p. 238 Published by: Wiley on behalf of the Ecological Society of America Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/24891178 Accessed: 04-12-2019 04:53 UTC

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Tackling ocean plastic in the laundry room Jen Fela

DISPATCHES DISPATCHES

Tackling ocean plastic in the laundry room Jen Fela

In late April, athletic company Adidas (Herzogenaurach, Germany) announced that it is partnering with the group Parley for the Oceans (New York, NY) to begin incorporating plas tic refuse retrieved from oceans and

coastal areas into its clothing and shoes, as well as phasing out the use of plastic bags in its retail stores world wide. This long-term initiative will focus on communication and educa

tion, research and innovation, and direct actions to reduce ocean plastic, according to the Adidas press release.

Cyrill Gutsch, Founder of Parley for the Oceans, says, "An important part of the partnership is to look at the virgin plastic that is being used right now and to cut down what is possible. That makes a big difference right away. Then - together - we're creating innovative production methods, materials, and new product design concepts, which will hopefully inspire other industries to follow and establish a new way of col

The laundry room - a little-known source

of plastic waste in the oceans.

laborative thinking between creators, environmentalists, and major brands".

Maria Westerbos, Founder and Direc tor of the Plastic Soup Foundation (Amsterdam, Netherlands), applauds the fact that companies like Adidas want to help solve the ocean plastic problem but says that "making clothes and shoes from 'plastic soup' [sea-based plastic waste] is not a solution". She emphasized that synthetic clothing, such as artificial fleece, is one of the biggest sources of plastic microfibers making their way to the world's oceans. Westerbos points to a new effort by a European research consortium to tackle the issue. Launched in late January, the

EU Life+ Mermaids project is a cooper ative effort between Italian, Spanish, and Dutch researchers to reduce the

amount of microscopic synthetic fibers released through the process of washing clothes. The group says that up to 200000 fibers can be released in one

load of washing, a number that it aims to reduce by at least 70% in Europe, possibly through the treatment of clothes or fibers with protective sub stances. "It would be a lot more mean

ingful if clothing companies were to support the development of washing machine filters that can stop the plastic fibers from entering the environment",

continues Westerbos. "That way they would actually contribute to the reduc tion of plastic soup. It would give a new meaning to the term 'greenwashing'."

Gutsch hopes to keep addressing the problem from as many angles as possible, including raising consumer awareness through the production of materials made from ocean plastic. "We can only fix this through collab oration", he insists. "If people know and are given alternatives, they do the right thing." ■

Delhi to phase out old cars to cut pollution Dinesh C Sharma

India's National Green Tribunal

has directed the government to phase out diesel-run automobiles older than 10 years in a bid to decrease air pollution in the National Capital Region (NCR) of Delhi. This is the first time such

a step has been proposed to address air pollution in India. The nation's capital, along with adjoining towns that make up the NCR, contains 8 million vehicles. The

ban will not affect taxis and public transport buses, which already use compressed natural gas.

The proposal has evoked mixed reactions from experts. "Aging vehicles are known to be more pol luting. Phasing them out, therefore, will improve air quality. Whether the impact is substantial or not, it

does not diminish the importance of such measures", asserts Ashish Verma, Assistant Professor at the Indian Institute of Science

(Bangalore, India). However, the New Delhi-based independent re search group UrbanEmissions.info has presented data showing that the ban will only marginally affect air quality, bringing average ambient PM2.5 concentrations — particles less than 2.5 micrometers in size -

down from 150 micrograms per cubic meter (jig m~3) to 143 pg rrT3. "This is because the percentage of older automobiles is relatively small, and 10-year-old vehicles are driven 40% less than newer vehi cles", explains Geetam Tiwari, Professor of Transport Policy at the Indian Institute of Technology (New Delhi, India).

Experts also fear unintended envi ronmental impacts from the ban. "The local government lacks infra

structure and technology to deal with the scrapping of older vehicles in huge numbers in an environmen tally friendly manner. Discarded automobiles may end up being sold in neighboring states", defeating the purpose of the ban, cautions Nalin Sinha, Director of the Initiative for Transportation and Development Programmes (New Delhi, India). Verma suggests that a longer-term solution would be to implement measures like higher taxes on per sonal cars and charges for driving in congested areas - both of which could discourage ownership and usage of private vehicles - along with developing public transport and infrastructure for non-motor

ized transport. Tiwari agrees: "Nearly 45% of trips in Delhi are shorter than five kilometers. Even if

30% of these trips shift to bicycles, there can be a substantial reduction

in pollution level." ■

www.frontiersinecoIogy.org © The Ecological Society of America

The laundry room - a little-known source

of plastic waste in the oceans.

© R Smart/www.iStockphoto.com

Delhi to phase out old cars to cut pollution Dinesh C Sharma

India's National Green Tribunal

has directed the government to phase out diesel-run automobiles older than 10 years in a bid to decrease air pollution in the National Capital Region (NCR) of Delhi. This is the first time such

a step has been proposed to address air pollution in India. The nation's capital, along with adjoining towns that make up the NCR, contains 8 million vehicles. The

ban will not affect taxis and public transport buses, which already use compressed natural gas.

The proposal has evoked mixed reactions from experts. "Aging vehicles are known to be more pol luting. Phasing them out, therefore, will improve air quality. Whether the impact is substantial or not, it

does not diminish the importance of such measures", asserts Ashish Verma, Assistant Professor at the Indian Institute of Science

(Bangalore, India). However, the New Delhi-based independent re search group UrbanEmissions.info has presented data showing that the ban will only marginally affect air quality, bringing average ambient PM2.5 concentrations — particles less than 2.5 micrometers in size -

down from 150 micrograms per cubic meter (jig m~3) to 143 pg nT3. "This is because the percentage of older automobiles is relatively small, and 10-year-old vehicles are driven 40% less than newer vehi cles", explains Geetam Tiwari, Professor of Transport Policy at the Indian Institute of Technology (New Delhi, India).

Experts also fear unintended envi ronmental impacts from the ban. "The local government lacks infra

structure and technology to deal with the scrapping of older vehicles in huge numbers in an environmen tally friendly manner. Discarded automobiles may end up being sold in neighboring states", defeating the purpose of the ban, cautions Nalin Sinha, Director of the Initiative for Transportation and Development Programmes (New Delhi, India). Verma suggests that a longer-term solution would be to implement measures like higher taxes on per sonal cars and charges for driving in congested areas - both of which could discourage ownership and usage of private vehicles - along with developing public transport and infrastructure for non-motor

ized transport. Tiwari agrees: "Nearly 45% of trips in Delhi are shorter than five kilometers. Even if

30% of these trips shift to bicycles, there can be a substantial reduction

in pollution level." ■

This content downloaded from 144.96.52.186 on Wed, 04 Dec 2019 04:53:41 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms