I Thought Plastic Pollution Wasn't My Problem ... | Archie Wallyn | TEDxYouth@DPL

Summary

The script highlights the detrimental impact of seemingly insignificant plastic items, like stickers on apples, on the environment. It illustrates how these items can end up in the ocean, harming marine life and entering the food chain. The narrator emphasizes the scale of the issue, with millions of tons of plastic waste, including the infamous Great Pacific Garbage Patch. The script concludes with practical steps for individuals to help mitigate the problem: recycling, avoiding microplastics, refusing plastic bags and straws, and reusing containers.

Takeaways

• 🚯 Plastic waste, even seemingly insignificant items like stickers, can cause significant environmental harm.
• 🌊 Once discarded, small plastics like stickers can end up in oceans, affecting marine life and ecosystems.
• 🐢 Sea creatures often mistake plastic for food, which can lead to their death due to ingestion.
• 🔄 The presence of plastic in the ocean affects the food chain, as humans consume seafood that has ingested plastic.
• 🏖️ Plastic waste contributes to the formation of 'plastic beaches' and massive garbage patches in the oceans.
• 📏 The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is enormous, covering an area twice the size of Texas and containing millions of tons of plastic.
• ♻️ Recycling is a crucial step in reducing the amount of plastic waste that ends up in oceans.
• 🚫 Banning microplastics, which are found in products like toothpaste and body scrubs, can help decrease plastic pollution.
• 🛍️ Avoiding single-use plastic items like plastic bags can have a significant impact on reducing plastic waste.
• 🥤 Refusing plastic straws is a simple personal choice that contributes to the reduction of plastic pollution.
• ♾️ Reusing cups, containers, and plastic bottles can help cut down on the demand for new plastic products.
• 🌍 Collective small steps by individuals can lead to a significant positive change in addressing plastic pollution and creating a better world.

Q & A

What is the main environmental impact discussed in the script?

The script discusses the environmental impact of plastic waste, particularly how small items like stickers on apples can contribute to ocean pollution and harm marine life.

How does the script describe the journey of a plastic sticker from a street to the ocean?

The script describes the journey of a plastic sticker, named Jerry, from being thrown on the street, blown by the wind into a drain, carried by the river to the sea, and eventually joining the mass of plastic waste in the ocean.

What is the problem with sea creatures mistaking plastic for food?

Sea creatures often mistake plastic for food, such as jellyfish, and consume it, which can lead to their deaths. This also affects the food chain as humans consume seafood that has ingested plastic.

What is the significance of the statistic 'every eight out of ten seabirds have plastic in their stomachs'?

This statistic highlights the widespread presence of plastic in the ocean and the severe impact it has on seabirds, indicating that plastic pollution is a significant and pervasive environmental issue.

What are 'plastic beaches' and how are they formed?

Plastic beaches are areas where plastic waste has accumulated due to human activities, such as dumping plastic into the ocean. They are formed as a result of the eight million tons of plastic waste that enter the oceans annually.

What is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and how big is it?

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a massive collection of plastic waste in the Pacific Ocean. It consists of around 2.4 million tons of plastic and covers about 1.6 million square kilometers, making it approximately twice the size of Texas.

What steps does the script suggest to help mitigate the plastic pollution problem?

The script suggests several steps: recycling to reduce the amount of plastic waste, banning microplastics found in products like toothpaste and body scrubs, refusing plastic bags, avoiding plastic straws, and reusing cups, containers, and plastic bottles.

Why is recycling important in the context of the script's discussion on plastic pollution?

Recycling is important because it helps to reduce the millions of tons of plastic that end up in oceans, thereby decreasing the environmental impact and protecting marine life.

What are microplastics and why should they be avoided according to the script?

Microplastics are tiny plastic particles found in products like toothpaste, body scrubs, and face wash. They should be avoided because they contribute to plastic pollution and can be harmful to marine life and the environment.

How does the script use the example of an apple sticker to illustrate the potential harm of seemingly insignificant plastic items?

The script uses the example of an apple sticker to show that even small pieces of plastic can end up in the ocean, where they can be mistaken for food by marine animals, contributing to a larger problem of plastic pollution.

What is the script's perspective on the future of plastic in the ocean compared to fish by 2050?

The script warns that if current trends continue, by 2050 there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish, indicating a dire future for marine ecosystems if action is not taken to reduce plastic pollution.

Outlines

00:00

🌏 Environmental Impact of Small Plastics

This paragraph discusses the surprising environmental harm caused by seemingly insignificant items like plastic stickers on apples. It explains how these stickers, often discarded carelessly, can end up in the ocean, where they are mistaken for food by marine life, leading to ingestion and death. The paragraph highlights the broader issue of plastic pollution, noting the millions of tons of plastic waste in the oceans, the impact on the food chain, and the presence of plastic in seabirds and fish. It also mentions the existence of 'plastic beaches' and the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, emphasizing the scale of the problem.

🚯 Solutions to Plastic Pollution

The speaker acknowledges the severity of plastic pollution but does not present a revolutionary solution. Instead, they offer practical steps individuals can take to mitigate the issue. The paragraph emphasizes the importance of recycling to reduce the amount of plastic waste, suggests banning microplastics found in common products, advocates for the refusal of plastic bags, and discourages the use of single-use plastic straws. The speaker also encourages the reuse of cups and containers to decrease reliance on disposable plastic items. The paragraph concludes with a call to action for collective effort in making small changes to create a better future.

Keywords

💡Plastic Pollution

Plastic pollution refers to the accumulation of plastic products in the environment, causing harm to ecosystems and wildlife. In the video, it is the central theme, illustrating how even small items like stickers can contribute to this issue, ultimately harming sea creatures and entering the food chain.

💡Environmental Damage

Environmental damage encompasses the negative impacts human activities have on the natural world. The video script discusses how seemingly insignificant plastic items can cause extensive damage, like the example of stickers ending up in the ocean and being mistaken for food by sea turtles.

💡Microplastics

Microplastics are tiny plastic particles, less than 5mm in size, often found in products like toothpaste and body scrubs. The script highlights the need to ban microplastics due to their contribution to ocean pollution and their impact on marine life.

💡Recycling

Recycling is the process of converting waste materials into reusable materials and objects. The script emphasizes recycling as a crucial step in reducing the millions of tons of plastic waste, suggesting it as one of the ways to mitigate plastic pollution.

💡Plastic Bags

Plastic bags are a common form of single-use plastic that contributes to pollution. The video mentions France banning them and Rwanda's complete ban as examples of steps that can be taken to reduce plastic waste.

💡Food Chain

The food chain represents the sequence of organisms through which nutrients and energy pass as one organism eats another. The script explains how plastic pollution affects the food chain, as animals that consume plastic are later eaten by humans.

💡Great Pacific Garbage Patch

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a massive area in the Pacific Ocean where plastic waste accumulates due to ocean currents. The video uses it as an example of the scale of plastic pollution, stating it contains around 2.4 million tons of plastic and is twice the size of Texas.

💡Single-Use Plastics

Single-use plastics are items designed to be used once before they are thrown away, such as straws and cups. The script encourages viewers to avoid these to reduce plastic waste, highlighting the environmental impact of such items.

💡Sustainability

Sustainability refers to the ability to maintain processes or conditions so that they can continue over the long term without depleting resources or causing environmental harm. The video's message promotes sustainable practices like reusing cups and containers to combat plastic pollution.

💡Plastic Beaches

Plastic beaches are shorelines where plastic waste has accumulated, creating an unnatural and harmful environment. The script mentions plastic beaches as a consequence of dumping eight million tons of plastic into the oceans annually.

💡Sea Creatures

Sea creatures are organisms that live in the ocean. The video script uses the example of a sea turtle mistaking a plastic sticker for food, illustrating the direct harm plastic pollution can cause to marine life.

Highlights

Plastic, even in small quantities, can cause significant environmental damage.

Small items like stickers on apples can become harmful when discarded improperly.

Stickers, once discarded, can end up in the ocean, contributing to marine pollution.

Sea creatures often mistake plastic for food, leading to their deaths.

Millions of pieces of plastic are present in the ocean, affecting seabirds and fish.

Plastic ingestion by marine life affects the human food chain.

Plastic waste leads to the formation of 'plastic beaches' due to improper disposal.

By 2050, it is projected that there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean.

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a massive area of plastic accumulation in the ocean.

The size of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is twice as large as Texas.

The journey of a discarded sticker, named Jerry, illustrates the path of plastic pollution.

Recycle to reduce the amount of plastic waste in the oceans.

Ban microplastics found in everyday products to prevent environmental harm.

Avoid single-use plastic bags, as seen in the bans in France and Rwanda.

Refuse plastic straws to reduce unnecessary plastic consumption.

Reuse cups, containers, and plastic bottles to minimize waste.

Individual actions, such as recycling and refusing single-use plastics, can help save the environment.

The collective effort of everyone is necessary to create a better, sustainable world.

Transcripts

I thought that when I threw a plastic

muscle way it was fine and that

something so small can cause so much

damage and harm to the environment

however plastic turns out to be

incredibly bad for the environment even

things that seem so small and

insignificant like stickers on apples

you know the ones after fair trade logo

on that show us that farms got a better

deal or more money

well this sticker attempting to do good

often gets ripped off as they're not

particularly tasty it gets rolled up

into a neat ball and flicked on the

street then this stick on the street

gets blown by the wind into the drain

and the drain leads to the river and the

river leaves of the sea this journey now

becomes terrifyingly interesting as this

sticker joins all of the other washed

out to sea plastics now this sticker

let's call him Jerry he has a number of

places he can now go first is in the

stomach of sea creatures like let's say

a cute sea turtle sea creatures often

mistake plastic as food such as a yummy

jellyfish and eat them which never speak

kills them there are so many bits of

pieces of plastic in the ocean millions

in fact now every eight out of ten

seabirds have plastic in their stomachs

fish as well this affects our food chain

because we eat the plastic and that way

that they ate from earlier YUM

next a little sticker can go to the ever

so famous plastic beaches this is a

result of us dumping the eight million

tons of plastic every year and by 2050

there will be more plastic in the ocean

than fish Oh

Jerry can float past these plastic

beaches to one of the five massive

jurors sadly Jerry gets pulled along to

the Great Pacific Garbage Patch the

biggest of them all

now the Great Pacific Garbage Patch

consists of around 2.4 million tons and

covers about 1.6 million square

kilometers which is 2 times bigger than

Texas so this Apple sticker Jerry if I

threw him away

it would be if I threw him on the street

it'll be like this

now if the

is a front-row view so your stickers

away it will be like this and if all of

you so your stick is on the ground it

will be like this so sadly I am NOT here

to present a revolutionary item that can

help save this massive problem that

keeps on getting worse but I am here to

tell you a few small steps that can help

save our future firstly recycle this

will avoid us adding to the millions of

tons of plastic that's floating around

on our oceans

now there's equivalent to 700 pieces of

plastic per person so recycle secondly

we can ban micro plastics the micro

plastics are normally found in products

such as toothpaste body scrubs and face

wash you can personally avoid buying

these items thirdly you don't buy

plastic bags France is banning them and

Rwanda has completely banned them why

can't we full say no straw do you really

have to sip your drink through a plastic

straw and finally reuse cups containers

and plastic bottles it takes all of us

to do these small steps to help save our

future to create a better world a world

thank you

[Applause]