Billions of plastic bottles are tossed each year into the garbage and in general it’s estimated that Americans throw away over 100 lb of plastic waste each year.
There is a great deal of plastic waste that needs to be dealt with and increasingly we are seeing innovative solutions conjured up that are designed to address this problem. It is a problem that many people around the world have a passion and interest for addressing, that much is clear with the number of ocean-cleaning efforts that go on worldwide today.
A number of those ocean cleaning efforts are also engaged in by volunteers who are giving their time to the cause because of their intrinsic interest in trying to address what they see as a big problem facing the world today.
What to do about plastic waste in the ocean
One company from Steveston, British Columbia is helping on that front. A plastics processing plant located in the region is aiming to turn plastic ocean waste into useful products? But how? By using a special recycling facility and turning the ocean plastic waste into useful pellets that can then go on to be repurposed into clothing or furniture.
The plastics processing plant in BC just recently opened and is going to be operated by the Ocean Legacy Foundation. This new plastic recycling facility is reportedly the first of its kind in Canada and is going to play a critical role in getting started on addressing that ocean plastic waste problem.
The facility will enable more recycling of that ocean plastic waste and provide opportunity to addressing this problem.
It’s estimated that there are some 200+ million tons of plastic every year that get produced and millions of tons of that plastic that we use ends up in the ocean. It isn’t uncommon to go to the beach today and to see one piece of plastic or another littering the area.
Cleaning up oceans and recycling plastic waste
Around the world today we can find one project or another that is designed toward helping to clean up the ocean and to repurpose and recycle that plastic waste that has ended up on our beaches and throughout our beautiful oceans.
The pellets that are going to be made at this Canadian plant alone in BC now are going to help to repurpose some of that plastic ocean waste into new items that have new value, such as clothing or new furniture goods.
This is a plant that is going to help to create a cleaner environment and address a problem that is a serious issue facing the world today which is what we can do about the plastics that are littering out oceans and environments.
Aside from companies doing their part there are many individuals who also are looking at how they might be able to help in their own small way from where they might be in the world.
Personal steps to decreasing that plastic waste can have profound ripple effects when millions of people decide to slowly start getting rid of the plastic waste in their life. Opting for reusable water bottles, bags, straws, and other goods, can be a great first place to get started. And the best part about it is that you can get started at any time, you don’t need permission from anyone to start making those choices or adapting a more minimalist and mindful lifestyle.
This new plastic processing plant could help to go on to repurpose and recycle thousands of tonnes of ocean plastic waste.
Already they have been able to collect thousands of kilograms of waste from the shoreline around the province. There is certainly more to come from this endeavor and this is great news for the province and brings one more opportunity to the market in the way of creating useful products today from what would be just ocean plastic garbage.
Now we will see those plastic ocean waste items being turned into things like baskets, clothing, rope, floats, and much more.