National Geographic - The world's plastic pollution crisis explained
Click here to learn more about the plastic crisis
Plastics by the numbers
Some key facts:
How plastics move around the world
Most of the plastic trash in the oceans, Earth’s last sink, flows from land. Trash is also carried to sea by major rivers, which act as conveyor belts, picking up more and more trash as they move downstream. Once at sea, much of the plastic trash remains in coastal waters. But once caught up in ocean currents, it can be transported around the world.
On Henderson Island, an uninhabited atoll in the Pitcairn Group isolated halfway between Chile and New Zealand, scientists found plastic items from Russia, the United States, Europe, South America, Japan, and China. They were carried to the South Pacific by the South Pacific gyre, a circular ocean current.
Microplastics
Once at sea, sunlight, wind, and wave action break down plastic waste into small particles, often less than one-fifth of an inch across. These so-called microplastics are spread throughout the water column and have been found in every corner of the globe, from Mount Everest, the highest peak, to the Mariana Trench, the deepest trough.
Microplastics are breaking down further into smaller and smaller pieces. Plastic microfibers, meanwhile, have been found in municipal drinking water systems and drifting through the air.
Harm to wildlife
Millions of animals are killed by plastics every year, from birds to fish to other marine organisms. Nearly 700 species, including endangered ones, are known to have been affected by plastics. Nearly every species of seabird eats plastics.
Most of the deaths to animals are caused by entanglement or starvation. Seals, whales, turtles, and other animals are strangled by abandoned fishing gear or discarded six-pack rings. Microplastics have been found in more than 100 aquatic species, including fish, shrimp, and mussels destined for our dinner plates. In many cases, these tiny bits pass through the digestive system and are expelled without consequence. But plastics have also been found to have blocked digestive tracts or pierced organs, causing death. Stomachs so packed with plastics reduce the urge to eat, causing starvation.
Plastics have been consumed by land-based animals, including elephants, hyenas, zebras, tigers, camels, cattle, and other large mammals, in some cases causing death.
Tests have also confirmed liver and cell damage and disruptions to reproductive systems, prompting some species, such as oysters, to produce fewer eggs. New research shows that larval fish are eating nanofibers in the first days of life, raising new questions about the effects of plastics on fish populations.
Stemming the plastic tide
Once in the ocean, it is difficult—if not impossible—to retrieve plastic waste. Mechanical systems, such as Mr. Trash Wheel, a litter interceptor in Maryland’s Baltimore Harbor, can be effective at picking up large pieces of plastic, such as foam cups and food containers, from inland waters. But once plastics break down into microplastics and drift throughout the water column in the open ocean, they are virtually impossible to recover.
The solution is to prevent plastic waste from entering rivers and seas in the first place, many scientists and conservationists—including the National Geographic Society—say. This could be accomplished with improved waste management systems and recycling, better product design that takes into account the short life of disposable packaging, and reduction in manufacturing of unnecessary single-use plastics.
Click here to learn more about the plastic crisis
Plastics by the numbers
Some key facts:
- Half of all plastics ever manufactured have been made in the last 15 years.
- Production increased exponentially, from 2.3 million tons in 1950 to 448 million tons by 2015. Production is expected to double by 2050.
- Every year, about 8 million tons of plastic waste escapes into the oceans from coastal nations. That’s the equivalent of setting five garbage bags full of trash on every foot of coastline around the world.
- Plastics often contain additives making them stronger, more flexible, and durable. But many of these additives can extend the life of products if they become litter, with some estimates ranging to at least 400 years to break down.
How plastics move around the world
Most of the plastic trash in the oceans, Earth’s last sink, flows from land. Trash is also carried to sea by major rivers, which act as conveyor belts, picking up more and more trash as they move downstream. Once at sea, much of the plastic trash remains in coastal waters. But once caught up in ocean currents, it can be transported around the world.
On Henderson Island, an uninhabited atoll in the Pitcairn Group isolated halfway between Chile and New Zealand, scientists found plastic items from Russia, the United States, Europe, South America, Japan, and China. They were carried to the South Pacific by the South Pacific gyre, a circular ocean current.
Microplastics
Once at sea, sunlight, wind, and wave action break down plastic waste into small particles, often less than one-fifth of an inch across. These so-called microplastics are spread throughout the water column and have been found in every corner of the globe, from Mount Everest, the highest peak, to the Mariana Trench, the deepest trough.
Microplastics are breaking down further into smaller and smaller pieces. Plastic microfibers, meanwhile, have been found in municipal drinking water systems and drifting through the air.
Harm to wildlife
Millions of animals are killed by plastics every year, from birds to fish to other marine organisms. Nearly 700 species, including endangered ones, are known to have been affected by plastics. Nearly every species of seabird eats plastics.
Most of the deaths to animals are caused by entanglement or starvation. Seals, whales, turtles, and other animals are strangled by abandoned fishing gear or discarded six-pack rings. Microplastics have been found in more than 100 aquatic species, including fish, shrimp, and mussels destined for our dinner plates. In many cases, these tiny bits pass through the digestive system and are expelled without consequence. But plastics have also been found to have blocked digestive tracts or pierced organs, causing death. Stomachs so packed with plastics reduce the urge to eat, causing starvation.
Plastics have been consumed by land-based animals, including elephants, hyenas, zebras, tigers, camels, cattle, and other large mammals, in some cases causing death.
Tests have also confirmed liver and cell damage and disruptions to reproductive systems, prompting some species, such as oysters, to produce fewer eggs. New research shows that larval fish are eating nanofibers in the first days of life, raising new questions about the effects of plastics on fish populations.
Stemming the plastic tide
Once in the ocean, it is difficult—if not impossible—to retrieve plastic waste. Mechanical systems, such as Mr. Trash Wheel, a litter interceptor in Maryland’s Baltimore Harbor, can be effective at picking up large pieces of plastic, such as foam cups and food containers, from inland waters. But once plastics break down into microplastics and drift throughout the water column in the open ocean, they are virtually impossible to recover.
The solution is to prevent plastic waste from entering rivers and seas in the first place, many scientists and conservationists—including the National Geographic Society—say. This could be accomplished with improved waste management systems and recycling, better product design that takes into account the short life of disposable packaging, and reduction in manufacturing of unnecessary single-use plastics.
The Dangers of Plastic Pollution to Marine Life
Article By : Jonathan @ BottleStore
The garbage that humans leave behind as a by-product of civilization and consumption is becoming an environmental hazard not only to the land, but also to the world's oceans, seas, and waterways. One of the most egregious examples is the millions of tons of disposable plastic that has found its way into our waters. The sheer amount of bottles and caps, jugs, beads, packaging, and other assorted plastic waste, accounts for up to 80% of litter in the ocean. These items are a result of everyday plastic use in homes, schools, and businesses, and they work their way to the world's oceans by many different routes, including illegal dumped by water-going vessels. It may also flow down rivers or be washed to sea after being dumped on the beaches and coastlines. Heavy rainstorms can also carry plastic garbage into the oceans via sewer lines and storm drains. Ocean plastic pollution spreads thousands of miles away beyond land and is extremely dangerous to sea life people alike.
Every year, between 8 and 12 million tons of plastic trash finds its way into the world's water. The sheer amount of ocean-borne plastic waste has accumulated into large, concentrated spots in the world's oceans. These masses are known as garbage patches, and they are herded into large concentrations by ocean currents or gyres. Some of these patches are twice the area covered by the state of Texas. The first garbage patch was found in1997 by Captain Charles Moore, who was in the midst of a sailing race in the Pacific. Since then, scientists have found a total of five major plastic pollution patches. They exist in the Indian Ocean, as well as the north and south Pacific, and the north and south Atlantic oceans. When it comes to dumping plastic into the oceans, the worst offender is China, while thanks to new regulations; the United States is a distant 20th place.
The threat that plastic waste represents to animal life is manifold. For one, animals can mistake plastic debris for food and consume it. The material can physically clog and overcrowd their stomachs, as it is almost impossible to digest, and can result in the animal's death by starvation. Larger pieces can also entangle and immobilize wildlife, resulting in starvation or drowning. Plastic can also cause death by strangulation, while creatures who encounter floating plastic bags may die from asphyxiation. Invasive species of animals may also ride on pieces of plastic to new areas where they may then threaten the native wildlife.
Plastic debris brings with it a host of toxic hazards as well. For instance, some types of plastic release toxic chemicals, such as vinyl chloride, styrene and bisphenol-A. In addition, plastic waste attracts other toxins, such as the insecticide DDT and polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs. Fish and other marine life that consumes plastic may, in turn, be killed by these toxins, or pass them onto humans and other creatures who consume them.
Plastic is cheap to produce and extremely durable, as anyone who has tried to cut plastic packaging has discovered. In fact, it is so strong that it takes up to a thousand years to break down and there is doubt among scientists as to whether certain types of common plastics will ever completely disintegrate or biodegrade. This means that it can remain a threat to ocean life in perpetuity. While sunlight and other factors can help break plastic down to a certain extent, it only succeeds in reducing it to smaller pieces and doesn't destroy it completely. This makes plastic waste even harder to detect and remove, because even the smallest pieces are deadly to smaller forms of life. Furthermore, it is difficult to remove the smallest fragments of plastic because it is hard to do so without also accidentally removing things like plankton, which is an essential part of the ocean food chain. Plastic waste is thought by scientists to outweigh zooplankton in the ocean by a ratio of over 35 to one.
At least 700 known species of marine animals are known to be harmed by plastic debris. Birds accidentally feed plastic bits to their chicks, putting them at danger of starvation. In addition, birds, fish and members of other animal species have been found dead as a result of being drowned or entangled by plastic. Sea turtles have been found with their bodies cinched by strands of plastic, and even elephant seals and whales have been caught in discarded fishing lines. Plastic can also cut into the flesh of animals, leaving them at risk for death by bleeding out, or by infection.
Fortunately, solutions are being found to slow down and ultimately prevent the flow of plastic into the ocean. National laws taxing or barring the use of plastic bags in grocery stores, as well as laws against dumping plastic into storm drains are examples of effective government action. The expansion of recycling programs to include more types of plastic has also been helpful, while consumer reuse of plastic items and buying in bulk to reduce plastic packaging, has also helped to reduce the creation of plastic waste.
Consumers can also help to further cut down on plastic waste at its source by means of environmentally conscious purchase decisions. For example, this includes not buying beauty or hygiene products that use plastic microbeads, like toothpastes, body washes, and other items. Buying fewer plastic water bottles, or reusing them and recycling them, will also reduce the amount of plastic that can find its way into the water. Encouraging the systemic recycling of additional types of plastic, such as milk containers and plastic packaging, will also help to protect the world's oceans.
Click HERE for more information
The garbage that humans leave behind as a by-product of civilization and consumption is becoming an environmental hazard not only to the land, but also to the world's oceans, seas, and waterways. One of the most egregious examples is the millions of tons of disposable plastic that has found its way into our waters. The sheer amount of bottles and caps, jugs, beads, packaging, and other assorted plastic waste, accounts for up to 80% of litter in the ocean. These items are a result of everyday plastic use in homes, schools, and businesses, and they work their way to the world's oceans by many different routes, including illegal dumped by water-going vessels. It may also flow down rivers or be washed to sea after being dumped on the beaches and coastlines. Heavy rainstorms can also carry plastic garbage into the oceans via sewer lines and storm drains. Ocean plastic pollution spreads thousands of miles away beyond land and is extremely dangerous to sea life people alike.
Every year, between 8 and 12 million tons of plastic trash finds its way into the world's water. The sheer amount of ocean-borne plastic waste has accumulated into large, concentrated spots in the world's oceans. These masses are known as garbage patches, and they are herded into large concentrations by ocean currents or gyres. Some of these patches are twice the area covered by the state of Texas. The first garbage patch was found in1997 by Captain Charles Moore, who was in the midst of a sailing race in the Pacific. Since then, scientists have found a total of five major plastic pollution patches. They exist in the Indian Ocean, as well as the north and south Pacific, and the north and south Atlantic oceans. When it comes to dumping plastic into the oceans, the worst offender is China, while thanks to new regulations; the United States is a distant 20th place.
The threat that plastic waste represents to animal life is manifold. For one, animals can mistake plastic debris for food and consume it. The material can physically clog and overcrowd their stomachs, as it is almost impossible to digest, and can result in the animal's death by starvation. Larger pieces can also entangle and immobilize wildlife, resulting in starvation or drowning. Plastic can also cause death by strangulation, while creatures who encounter floating plastic bags may die from asphyxiation. Invasive species of animals may also ride on pieces of plastic to new areas where they may then threaten the native wildlife.
Plastic debris brings with it a host of toxic hazards as well. For instance, some types of plastic release toxic chemicals, such as vinyl chloride, styrene and bisphenol-A. In addition, plastic waste attracts other toxins, such as the insecticide DDT and polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs. Fish and other marine life that consumes plastic may, in turn, be killed by these toxins, or pass them onto humans and other creatures who consume them.
Plastic is cheap to produce and extremely durable, as anyone who has tried to cut plastic packaging has discovered. In fact, it is so strong that it takes up to a thousand years to break down and there is doubt among scientists as to whether certain types of common plastics will ever completely disintegrate or biodegrade. This means that it can remain a threat to ocean life in perpetuity. While sunlight and other factors can help break plastic down to a certain extent, it only succeeds in reducing it to smaller pieces and doesn't destroy it completely. This makes plastic waste even harder to detect and remove, because even the smallest pieces are deadly to smaller forms of life. Furthermore, it is difficult to remove the smallest fragments of plastic because it is hard to do so without also accidentally removing things like plankton, which is an essential part of the ocean food chain. Plastic waste is thought by scientists to outweigh zooplankton in the ocean by a ratio of over 35 to one.
At least 700 known species of marine animals are known to be harmed by plastic debris. Birds accidentally feed plastic bits to their chicks, putting them at danger of starvation. In addition, birds, fish and members of other animal species have been found dead as a result of being drowned or entangled by plastic. Sea turtles have been found with their bodies cinched by strands of plastic, and even elephant seals and whales have been caught in discarded fishing lines. Plastic can also cut into the flesh of animals, leaving them at risk for death by bleeding out, or by infection.
Fortunately, solutions are being found to slow down and ultimately prevent the flow of plastic into the ocean. National laws taxing or barring the use of plastic bags in grocery stores, as well as laws against dumping plastic into storm drains are examples of effective government action. The expansion of recycling programs to include more types of plastic has also been helpful, while consumer reuse of plastic items and buying in bulk to reduce plastic packaging, has also helped to reduce the creation of plastic waste.
Consumers can also help to further cut down on plastic waste at its source by means of environmentally conscious purchase decisions. For example, this includes not buying beauty or hygiene products that use plastic microbeads, like toothpastes, body washes, and other items. Buying fewer plastic water bottles, or reusing them and recycling them, will also reduce the amount of plastic that can find its way into the water. Encouraging the systemic recycling of additional types of plastic, such as milk containers and plastic packaging, will also help to protect the world's oceans.
Click HERE for more information
Plastic Free July.jpg | |
File Size: | 2278 kb |
File Type: | jpg |
Celebrate and protect our one shared ocean
on 8 June and throughout the year!
One Ocean,
One Climate,
One Future - Together
On World Ocean Day, people everywhere can unite to celebrate and take action for our shared blue planet, with one ocean and one climate, which connect us all. Get together with your family, community, and /or your company, and join with millions of others around our blue planet to create a better future.
By working together, we can -- and will -- protect and restore our shared ocean and climate. Join this growing global celebration in June and continue to grow the engagement year-round!
on 8 June and throughout the year!
One Ocean,
One Climate,
One Future - Together
On World Ocean Day, people everywhere can unite to celebrate and take action for our shared blue planet, with one ocean and one climate, which connect us all. Get together with your family, community, and /or your company, and join with millions of others around our blue planet to create a better future.
By working together, we can -- and will -- protect and restore our shared ocean and climate. Join this growing global celebration in June and continue to grow the engagement year-round!
Click here to learn more about World Ocean Day and its resources.
Global Stewards:
Pollution from Plastics - Videos
Click here for more information
Plastic Wars (YouTube - Frontline PBS (full film))
Have efforts to solve the plastic pollution problem made it worse? Go inside the battle over plastics, recycling and what’s at stake. (53 minutes)
The Plastic Problem (YouTube - PBS NewsHour (full film))
By 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in the oceans. It’s an environmental crisis that’s been in the making for nearly 70 years. Plastic pollution is now considered one of the largest environmental threats facing humans and animals globally. (54 minutes)
Plastics 101 (YouTube - National Geographic)
Once a completely natural product, much of today's plastic is man-made and largely dependent upon fossil fuels. From polymers to nurdles, learn how plastic is created and what we can do to slow the lasting repercussions this material will have on both our planet and our lives. (6 minutes)
A Plastic Wave (YouTube )
A surf photographer, business owner and father of two is seeing more and more plastic wash ashore his beloved home beach. In a bid to discover the route of this problem he embarks on a journey of discovery to educate himself and understand more about the problem. Along the way, he discovers some alarming issues. Plastic pollution is a very real threat to the future of our planet, the animals that inhabit our oceans and ultimately the human race. The problem is far worse than it seems on the surface and we need to act now to ensure we protect the future for ourselves and our planet. (24 minutes)
Plastics Industry Insiders Reveal the Truth About Recycling (YouTube - Frontline PBS))
Three top executives who represented the plastics industry at a pivotal moment shed new light on the industry’s efforts to overcome growing concern about plastic waste by pushing recycling -- despite the fact that "there was never an enthusiastic belief that recycling was ultimately going to work in a significant way." (3 minutes)
Great Pacific Garbage Patch (YouTube Ted Talk)
Beth Terry, the founder of My Plastic Free Life, shares her story of plastic free living. (12 minutes)
Great Pacific Garbage Patch Explained (YouTube Ted Talk)
In depth analysis from 2018. (2 minutes)
Bag It Movie (New Day Films)
Investigation into plastics and their effect on our waterways, oceans, and even our bodies. About the full movie. (3 minute intro or 78 minute documentary)
The Bay vs. The Bag (YouTube)
On the Golden Gate Headlands, a bike-rider sits down to enjoy a sandwich. Her plastic wrapper blows away, only to come back to her in force with millions of other bags in a great wave that overwhelms her. (3 minutes)
The Majestic Plastic Bag (YouTube)
This "nature documentary" from Heal the Bay tracks the tenacious migration of "the majestic plastic bag" from a grocery store parking lot to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. (4 minutes)
Midway Journey - Plastic Beach (YouTube)
Beach cleaned by humans, then plastic particles wash ashore with each wave. Crabs walking and eating plastic on the strand. (2 minutes)
Plastic Challenge 2009 (YouTube)
Beth Terry's classic video on the total plastic she had to throw away in 2009 (3.6 pounds) See also earlier challenge. (5 minutes)
Midway Journey (YouTube)
Impact of plastics on Albatross on the Midway Atoll. (4 minutes)
Plastic Paradise (Vimeo Trailer)
This is a trailer, but long enough to be full of a lot of information. (6 minutes)
Saving Inky (Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3) (YouTube)
The story of a beached whale that is nursed back to life in an aquarium when researchers finally discover (and remove) plastic in its belly. (18 minutes)
Story of Bottled Water (Animated Video at Story of Stuff)
Annie Leonard’s quick, comprehensive look at the wasteful and expensive bottled water craze. (8 minutes)
Plastic State of Mind (YouTube)
Fun song about bringing your own shopping bags. (2 minutes)
Bring Your Canvas Bag (YouTube)
This is a hoot, a real mood-lifting song after all the depressing news. (3 minutes)
Intolerable Beauty (Photographs)
Photos of the wastefulness of consumer culture, expressed in the vast numbers of electronics and other items discarded daily. Hear Photographer Chris Jordan’s story (Culture Unplugged TED Lecture Video). (11 minutes)
From Green Sangha's successful Rethinking Plastics Campaign.
Pollution from Plastics - Videos
Click here for more information
Plastic Wars (YouTube - Frontline PBS (full film))
Have efforts to solve the plastic pollution problem made it worse? Go inside the battle over plastics, recycling and what’s at stake. (53 minutes)
The Plastic Problem (YouTube - PBS NewsHour (full film))
By 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in the oceans. It’s an environmental crisis that’s been in the making for nearly 70 years. Plastic pollution is now considered one of the largest environmental threats facing humans and animals globally. (54 minutes)
Plastics 101 (YouTube - National Geographic)
Once a completely natural product, much of today's plastic is man-made and largely dependent upon fossil fuels. From polymers to nurdles, learn how plastic is created and what we can do to slow the lasting repercussions this material will have on both our planet and our lives. (6 minutes)
A Plastic Wave (YouTube )
A surf photographer, business owner and father of two is seeing more and more plastic wash ashore his beloved home beach. In a bid to discover the route of this problem he embarks on a journey of discovery to educate himself and understand more about the problem. Along the way, he discovers some alarming issues. Plastic pollution is a very real threat to the future of our planet, the animals that inhabit our oceans and ultimately the human race. The problem is far worse than it seems on the surface and we need to act now to ensure we protect the future for ourselves and our planet. (24 minutes)
Plastics Industry Insiders Reveal the Truth About Recycling (YouTube - Frontline PBS))
Three top executives who represented the plastics industry at a pivotal moment shed new light on the industry’s efforts to overcome growing concern about plastic waste by pushing recycling -- despite the fact that "there was never an enthusiastic belief that recycling was ultimately going to work in a significant way." (3 minutes)
Great Pacific Garbage Patch (YouTube Ted Talk)
Beth Terry, the founder of My Plastic Free Life, shares her story of plastic free living. (12 minutes)
Great Pacific Garbage Patch Explained (YouTube Ted Talk)
In depth analysis from 2018. (2 minutes)
Bag It Movie (New Day Films)
Investigation into plastics and their effect on our waterways, oceans, and even our bodies. About the full movie. (3 minute intro or 78 minute documentary)
The Bay vs. The Bag (YouTube)
On the Golden Gate Headlands, a bike-rider sits down to enjoy a sandwich. Her plastic wrapper blows away, only to come back to her in force with millions of other bags in a great wave that overwhelms her. (3 minutes)
The Majestic Plastic Bag (YouTube)
This "nature documentary" from Heal the Bay tracks the tenacious migration of "the majestic plastic bag" from a grocery store parking lot to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. (4 minutes)
Midway Journey - Plastic Beach (YouTube)
Beach cleaned by humans, then plastic particles wash ashore with each wave. Crabs walking and eating plastic on the strand. (2 minutes)
Plastic Challenge 2009 (YouTube)
Beth Terry's classic video on the total plastic she had to throw away in 2009 (3.6 pounds) See also earlier challenge. (5 minutes)
Midway Journey (YouTube)
Impact of plastics on Albatross on the Midway Atoll. (4 minutes)
Plastic Paradise (Vimeo Trailer)
This is a trailer, but long enough to be full of a lot of information. (6 minutes)
Saving Inky (Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3) (YouTube)
The story of a beached whale that is nursed back to life in an aquarium when researchers finally discover (and remove) plastic in its belly. (18 minutes)
Story of Bottled Water (Animated Video at Story of Stuff)
Annie Leonard’s quick, comprehensive look at the wasteful and expensive bottled water craze. (8 minutes)
Plastic State of Mind (YouTube)
Fun song about bringing your own shopping bags. (2 minutes)
Bring Your Canvas Bag (YouTube)
This is a hoot, a real mood-lifting song after all the depressing news. (3 minutes)
Intolerable Beauty (Photographs)
Photos of the wastefulness of consumer culture, expressed in the vast numbers of electronics and other items discarded daily. Hear Photographer Chris Jordan’s story (Culture Unplugged TED Lecture Video). (11 minutes)
From Green Sangha's successful Rethinking Plastics Campaign.
Creative Ways to Reuse Plastic, Rubber, and Other Recyclables
Written by Michele Wheat
1) MAKE A DIY PLASTIC BOTTLE PLANTER
You don't need to go out and purchase fancy planters for your home. Instead, you can use 2-liter bottles to create appealing recycled plastic planters that can be painted to match your home décor and your own personal interests. This means you could make something designed uniquely for you that you'd never be able to find in any store and it doesn't even take long to do!
2) UPCYCLE A BOTTLE INTO A CHARGING DOCK
Charging your phone is an unfortunate frustration of everyday life, if only battery life lasted longer than just a few hours! Luckily, you can make it easy for yourself and others by creating a cell phone holder/charging dock so your phone never has to be far away!
3) TURN PLASTIC BOTTLES INTO A TRASH CAN
There's no better way to go green than to create a trash can out of recycled plastic bottles where you can throw out all your other trash-but, not plastic, of course!
4) PLASTIC BOTTLE CAP LAMP
The bottle portion isn't the only part of the plastic bottle that can be useful after your drink is done. You can use the cap to create a bottle cap lamp. It's a time-consuming project, but it's a creative and pretty way to use recycled materials.
5) CREATE A VERTICAL GARDEN WITH SODA BOTTLES
Save up your 2-liter bottles and reuse them to create a vertical garden as a low-budget way to make an urban garden even if you don't normally have the space for one! All you'll need is a bunch of plastic bottles, scissors, a clothesline, washers, and the plants of your choice!
CRAFTS WITH PLASTIC BOTTLES
SCIENCE PROJECTS W ITH PLASTIC BOTTLES
MISCELLANEOUS RECYCLABLE CRAFTS
For more information: Creative Ways to Reuse Plastic, Rubber and Other Recyclables (wristbandexpress.com)
1) MAKE A DIY PLASTIC BOTTLE PLANTER
You don't need to go out and purchase fancy planters for your home. Instead, you can use 2-liter bottles to create appealing recycled plastic planters that can be painted to match your home décor and your own personal interests. This means you could make something designed uniquely for you that you'd never be able to find in any store and it doesn't even take long to do!
- First, cut the bottom third off a 2-liter bottle.
- Paint the part you've cut off in the color of your choice to match your home.
- Use parts of the rest of the bottle to add extra designs to your planter.
- Fill the bottle with soil.
- Add seeds or a plant of your choice.
2) UPCYCLE A BOTTLE INTO A CHARGING DOCK
Charging your phone is an unfortunate frustration of everyday life, if only battery life lasted longer than just a few hours! Luckily, you can make it easy for yourself and others by creating a cell phone holder/charging dock so your phone never has to be far away!
- Start by finding a bottle large enough to fit your phone. You'll want a lotion bottle, a shampoo bottle, or any other type of bottle that's more flattened rather than circular.
- Remove the labels and thoroughly clean the bottle inside and out.
- Hold your phone against the bottle to mark where you want the opening to start.
- Use a box cutter to cut out the design you've created. You should aim to have the back curved upward so when you plug your phone in, you can keep it connected to the charging dock.
- Design your charging dock by using paint or fabric to create a design you'll love.
3) TURN PLASTIC BOTTLES INTO A TRASH CAN
There's no better way to go green than to create a trash can out of recycled plastic bottles where you can throw out all your other trash-but, not plastic, of course!
- You'll need to start by collecting a bunch of plastic bottles of the same kind.
- Cut the bottom of the bottle to put another bottle in it to create a firm exterior.
- Drill to make a hole in the bottle to thread a wire into the bottles to skewer them.
- Continue this until you've made enough skewers for a whole trash can and then put them into a steel frame using tweezers to tie the bottles.
4) PLASTIC BOTTLE CAP LAMP
The bottle portion isn't the only part of the plastic bottle that can be useful after your drink is done. You can use the cap to create a bottle cap lamp. It's a time-consuming project, but it's a creative and pretty way to use recycled materials.
- Gather together a lot of plastic bottle caps, as many as you think you'll need.
- Hot glue them together into four equal squares to create your lampshade design.
- Hot glue those squares together and stick them to a lamp socket.
- Place a bulb in the socket and turn it on to see your creation in action!
5) CREATE A VERTICAL GARDEN WITH SODA BOTTLES
Save up your 2-liter bottles and reuse them to create a vertical garden as a low-budget way to make an urban garden even if you don't normally have the space for one! All you'll need is a bunch of plastic bottles, scissors, a clothesline, washers, and the plants of your choice!
- Cut out a large hole in the side of the bottle for your plant.
- Make two holes at the bottom of the cylinder and two at the top and put your clothesline through the holes.
- Add washers at the end of the string to keep the bottle level and secure.
- Add smaller holes to irrigate the water.
- Add your favorite plants and be sure to water them!
CRAFTS WITH PLASTIC BOTTLES
- 7 DIY Recycled Bird Feeders: Invite your feathered friends to the garden this spring with seven possible bird feeder ideas made from recycled materials.
- Recycle Bottle Craft: How to Make a Utility Basket From a Plastic Bottle: This craft doesn't require a lot of work, just cut up an old plastic bottle and wrap wool around it the right way.
- How to Make a Plastic Bottle Birdfeeder: Plastic bottles make a great recycled birdfeeder and filling it up with seeds of all sorts will bring birds right to your yard!
- Super Simple Recycled Plastic Planters: You can make cute planters from a few plastic bottles and learn about new ways to make changes in your life to help the earth.
- Oil and Water Discovery Bottles: This fun craft is also a great experiment to make your own lava lamp out of plastic bottles.
- Make a Fish From a Recycled Plastic Bottle: Instead of tossing your plastic bottles out, crush them up and paint them to look like little fish!
- DIY Water Bottle Piggy Banks: Save up all your coins with a cute little piggy bank made out of old water bottles.
- Recycling Facts, Games, and Crafts (PDF): This booklet is chock full of recycling games and activities as well as cool crafts you can make out of old plastic bottles.
- 5 Easy and Fun Recycled Crafts: Instead of throwing out your old plastic bottles, check out these cute crafts that you can try instead to keep those bottles around for longer!
- Fun Shaker Bottle Craft: Take an old bottle and add colorful items inside to create a colorful bottle that you can shake and watch the colors bounce around.
SCIENCE PROJECTS W ITH PLASTIC BOTTLES
- How to Make a Squeezy Bottle Rocket: Learn more about Newton's Third Law of Motion with this bottle rocket activity.
- Cloud in a Bottle: This super simple weather science experiment creates a cloud in a bottle with a few materials.
- Tornado Bottle: Make your own tornado in a bottle and come back to it again and again!
- Build a Balloon Powered Car: Turn bottles and trash into a toy car and watch it go! Play around with it to see if you can make certain changes that will make the car go further.
- Drip Drop Bottle: This experiment teaches you about the properties of air pressure and how it affects water leaking out of a bottle.
- Make a Model Lung: You breathe more than 23,000 times a day, but how does it work? You can make a model lung out of a plastic bottle, a straw, balloons, and rubber bands to see how it works!
- The Draining of a Jug: Measure the rate at which water drains with different size bottles and holes.
- Pop Bottle: Put a new twist on changes in volume, pressure, and temperature with this experiment.
- Make a Bottle Rocket (PDF): Create your own rocket out of 2-liter plastic bottles and see how small changes can make all the difference in how high and far it can go.
- Bubbles on Bottles: Temperature changes can impact the size of bubbles placed inside of a bottle
MISCELLANEOUS RECYCLABLE CRAFTS
- Recycled Arts and Crafts Guide (PDF): This guide from Planet Ark is to help schools come up with fun crafts made primarily out of recycling materials. It was originally for National Recycling Week, but it's full of great activities to try at any time!
- Paper Mache Pots: Use a plastic container to get you started and then paper mâché tons of colorful paper from old magazines on the outside so when it dries, you'll have a colorful pot from recycled materials!
- Recycled Art Projects for Kids: Use recycled objects and things from nature to create any of the 30 potential crafts listed on this page.
- Bottle Cap Crafts: Most crafts using recycled bottles only make use of the bottle part, but there are plenty of fun crafts you can do with the bottle caps that have been left behind too!
- Easter Recycling Crafts for Kids: Celebrate spring with these fun recycled Easter crafts instead of purchasing all those artificial grass strips and items that will just go to waste.
- Wee Crafts (PDF): This guide has compiled dozens of activities that will make use of all the recyclable objects you use in everyday life by turning them into fun crafts the whole family can do together!
- Toilet Paper Tube Binoculars: Make your own binoculars out of 2 toilet paper rolls and decorate them exactly how you want with paint, markers, crayons, string, ribbon, and yarn!
- Recycled Holiday Crafts (PDF): Make your holidays green with plenty of crafts made from recyclable materials!
- Make an Off-the-Grid Eco Dollhouse: Tired of the usual small recycling crafts? Interested in starting a big project that will make use of plenty of materials and last for years to come? Make your own detailed dollhouse from a variety of recyclable materials!
- 10 Simple Recycling Crafts: Dive into your recycling box to make use of things like shoe boxes, egg cartons, toilet paper rolls, plastic bottles, and more to create your own crafts!
For more information: Creative Ways to Reuse Plastic, Rubber and Other Recyclables (wristbandexpress.com)
Click HERE for other ideas on repurposing plastics.
Learn More About Single-Use Plastics
- 10 Simple Ways to Cut Back on Single-Use Plastic in Your Life
- United Nations - Reducing Single-Use Plastic Pollution: A Unified Approach
- 7 Ways to Reduce Single Use Plastics in the Kitchen
- Single-Use Plastics 101
- Tips For Reducing Single-Use Plastics
- Earth Day 2018 - End Plastic Pollution
- End Plastic Pollution
- Green Cities - Fact Sheet: Single Use Plastics
- How Students Can Help Reduce Single-Use Plastic To Protect The Environment
- EPA: Reducing Waste: What You Can Do
Plastic Pollution Primer and Action Toolkit | |
File Size: | 1685 kb |
File Type: |