Heavy Rains No Match for Trash Skimmers

In the 1970’s a group of private property owners dammed the Middle Raccoon River to form Lake Panorama.  When the river rises, either due to heavy rain or snow melt not only does the excess water drain into the lake, but so does the debris the rushing waters carry.  The debris mostly consists of organic material such as leaves, logs and branches which can damage boats and piers as well as cause navigational hazards.

In the 1990’s barriers were put in place to stop the debris from entering the lake, but not all debris is captured as openings for boat traffic allow the debris to escape.  In 1999, the lake association purchased an aquatic trash skimmer to collect the debris from the barrier as well as coves around the lake where the escaped debris can settle.

We are happy to say, the lake association celebrated 2020 with a new and improved aquatic trash skimmer.  This new skimmer holds three times the debris and is quite a bit faster.  The additional speed is welcome as boat can be deployed and collect escaped debris before it can scatter all over the lake.

The first machine will be retained to use as a backup.

Drowning in Garbage

The World produces over 3.5 million tons to garbage a day, 10 times the amount from a century ago, but much less than the 11 million tons researchers estimate by the end of this century.  The world also produces over 300 million tons of plastic annually, of which only a small fraction is recycled.  

On average, a person in the United States or Western Europe uses about 220 pounds of plastic per year, according to the Worldwatch Institute, a research organization. The packaging industry, growing thanks to the rise of online stores and other factors, poses a huge challenge.

By 2050, there will be so much plastic floating in the ocean it will outweigh the fish, according to a study issued by the World Economic Forum. Scientists estimate that there are at least 5.25 trillion plastic particles — weighing nearly 270,000 tons — floating in the oceans right now.

Most waste in Africa, the United States and Asia ends up in dumps, many of which are already at capacity. Europe sends less of its waste to dumps or landfills and more to incinerators. While some of them are relatively clean, many are a threat to the environment and public health.

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You are What You Eat

The notion behind the phrase “You are what you eat” is that to be fit and healthy you need to eat good food.  In the 1960’s the phrase became the slogan for healthy eating and even today we associate with good, healthy foods.  Eat junk and feel like junk.

Simply put, cows eat grass, chickens eat grain, fish eat fish and humans eat all of those things; natural, organic, healthy.  Unfortunately that is not the case.  Farm animals are often fed same species meat, manure and other animal waste, drugs and chemicals, and plastics.  Now some plastic is intentionally fed to livestock, but not all of it. 

 

The Panama Rubber Tree is native to the tropical areas of Mexico, Central America and northern South America.  The latex gathered from the trees was converted into usable rubber by the Mesoamerican peoples in Pre-Columbian times.  The fascination with rubber led to experiments and eventually developed into the plastics of today.  And the bulk of rubber is now synthetic, derived from petroleum.

The estimated global plastic production is about 245 million tons, the majority of it: single use items.  Unfortunately this disposable plastic does not just go away.  It breaks down into smaller and smaller and smaller pieces, releasing toxins such as phthalates and bisphenol A.  These toxins have been associated with altered hormone levels, reproductive effects, and increased incidence of chronic diseases, including cancer. 

Not only do they release toxins, but the plastics are eaten by fish.  Fish are not only eaten by people, but fish-meal is a common additive in livestock feed. 

Welcome to the food chain, plastic. 

 

Is Your Facial Cleanser Contributing to Plastic Pollution?

Micro-plastics are often a result of larger pieces of plastic being broken down over time at least that is the case for much of the plastic debris in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.  Due to the larger ratio of shoreline to open water which creates an abrasive action to break down plastics, small particles were expected, but, the micro-plastics found in the Great Lakes are suspiciously perfectly round beads of plastic. 

We have become a throwaway society.  Plastics are designed to last a long time, more than 500 years in some cases, yet many plastic products are often used one time then tossed.  We’re using and throwing away billions of plastic bottles and bags yearly.  However, personal care products may be adding to the plastic pollution.

The cosmetic industry uses plastic micro-beads in soaps, toothpaste and other products.  This is a relatively new source of plastic pollution and many consumers aren’t aware of the potential consequences the daily use of these products have on the environment.   These beads go directly down the drain and since the products aren’t meant to be ingested the use is completely unregulated.

It is unclear whether micro-beads contained in cosmetics can be filtered out by state of the art water purification processes, but many believe that they can escape sewage filtering systems.  Few water treatment plants are well equipped and this is usually the case in emerging countries such as China, Indonesia and Brazil where cosmetics companies are making a growing part of their revenue.

The environmental dangers of this pollution have yet to be realized.  Scientists have pointed out that due to the size of the micro-plastic, assessing their exact impact on the environment is quite difficult.  Fish and birds eat the small particles floating on the surface.  The chemicals leach into the fat of the fish; lining the intestines and interfering with their ability to absorb nutrients from food. This fish may not immediately die, but they move into the food chain by being eaten by other fish, wildlife and humans.  The photo degradation of plastics in the water can lead to chemicals leaching into the water and working its way into the food chain as well.

Plastic pollution is not only a problem in the water, but along beaches and shorelines as well.  Beaches in Hawaii were found to contain 50% sand and micro-plastics.  Plastic pollution is a human created dilemma and simple changes can make a huge difference to decrease the amount of plastic in the oceans, Great Lakes and other lakes, and streams.   

Micro-beads were found in at least 23 Unilever products.  “The issue of plastics particles in the ocean is an important issue and we have reviewed the use of micro beads in our portfolio (both current products and those in the pipeline),” explained Unilever in a statement.  It will eliminate all micro beads in its personal care products sold in the Netherlands by mid 2013 and will do the same for the rest of the world by 2015.  Will the other personal care product giants like Johnson and Johnson and Proctor and Gamble do the same?

Micro-Beads Escape Sewage Treatment

Great Lakes Plastic Pollution

More Great Lakes Plastic Pollution

Unilever Phases out Micro-Beads