Blue Planet Two

[emmie]

Remarkable programmes, shame we are killing our oceans with so much waste

[emmie]

has anyone been following this wonderful programme.

[Mamyalynne]

Fabulous series, yes.

[Tilly2]

It was a wonderful series, Emmie. Some disconcerting scenes at times but there does seem to be a little ray of hope.

[mikey4444]

Emmie...yes, I have ....the Beeb at its very best !

Its all this ruddy plastic it would seem.....it will still be around in a millions years time, even if the human race isn't.

[Tilly2]

Plastic wasn't invented until after I was born and now we have so much it's slowly destroying the oceans. :-(

[emmie]

so we must do something, there is hope, whales are not hunted in such numbers as before, so they have a resurgence.
apparently coral reefs could be gone by the end of the century, which is startling news, they say that can be halted, reversed but we must change our ways.. how hard we shall have to work to undo the damage.

[emmie]

according to the programme plastic has been around for a hundred years?

[Mamyalynne]

You'd be surprised how far back plastics go.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_plastic_development


It's a huge issue and I hope we haven't left it too late in many areas to stop the rot.

[emmie]

The first plastic based on a synthetic polymer was made from phenol and formaldehyde, with the first viable and cheap synthesis methods invented in 1907, by Leo Hendrik Baekeland, a Belgian-born American living in New York state.

[emmie]

thank you mamy

[Tilly2]

Oh, got it wrong. Plastic was invented in 1907...bakelite

[Tilly2]

I should have searched before I posted.

Anyway, when I was a child there wasn't that much plastic around, I'm sure of that.

[tiggerblue10]

Yes, we must do something about it but it has to be a global effort. That's the problem.

We have 2 bins in each office where I work, recyclable and non-recyclable. You'd be amazed at the amount of plastic bottles, paper and other things that can be recycled that ends up in the non-recyc bin. Really angers me and I often find myself picking them out and putting into the right bin.

[emmie]

but plastic isn't recyclable is it??

[mikey4444]

Emmie....yes, I think some of it is anyway. I have a Patagonia fleece, which cost a fortune and that is made for recycled plastic bottles.

[tiggerblue10]

I place all plastics in my blue recycling bin at home which is what its for so I would think most plastic is recyclable.

[emmie]

where does it end up though, if 100 million tons end up in the oceans going as far as the Arctic, killing millions of creatures, then how do we stop it.

[mikey4444]

Found that Patagonia link !

http://eu.patagonia.com/eu/recycled-polyester.html

( other makes may be available ! )

[Tilly2]

How does it end up in the ocean?

[mikey4444]

Emmie...perhaps we could start demanding that our stuff comes in no-plastic form ?

it wasn't so long ago that milk came in waxed cardboard containers. Orange juice still does. so why not milk ?

Look at the huge amounts of plastic packing material hat there is in all those Xmas gifts that people will be getting in a few days time.