Raw Recording of Podcast- Ocean Plastic Pollution

The podcast discusses the serious issue of plastic pollution in the ocean. It explains how plastic waste harms marine life and infiltrates the food chain. The transcript also mentions solutions, such as preventing plastic waste from entering rivers and the ocean, and using nets to clean up the ocean. However, there are concerns about the effectiveness and potential harm of these solutions. The transcript emphasizes the importance of individual actions in reducing plastic waste, such as avoiding single-use plastics and using reusable alternatives. It encourages listeners to share the information and participate in solving the problem. Hi, my name is Bridget Lowe and welcome back to the Let's Solve Plastic Pollution Together podcast. Growing up in Southern California, a lot of my time has been spent at the beach. Only a 40-minute drive away meant my summers consisted of building sandcastles, swimming in the ocean, and looking for shells. My goal for today's podcast is that you understand the role the ocean plays in your life and hopefully appreciate it as much as I do so you can help spread awareness about the plastic pollution crisis. When the weather is nice, many flock to coastal cities on vacation for one thing, the beach. Clear blue skies, warm sand, and relaxing waves to swim in. Vacations are often centered around the beach. From all around the world, people love the ocean, but the problem is that most don't understand the seriousness of what is happening beyond the shorelines of their favorite beaches. Every day plastic ends up in the ocean, adding to the billions of pounds that pollute coastlines, cause harm to marine life, and infiltrate our food chain. It's happening globally and the amount of plastic in the ocean is adding up fast. The danger behind plastic in the ocean is often first thought of for harming marine life. Small pieces of plastic end up in the stomachs of birds, sea turtles inhale plastic straws, and seals get tangled in six-pack beverage rings. Plastic can also be disguised as prey or plants, and because marine animals don't know the difference, they end up getting hurt. A study done over 12 years ago in the North Sea of the British coastlines found that 95% of the seabirds had plastic in their stomachs, with an average of 44 pieces per bird. A proportional amount in a human being would weigh nearly 5 pounds. It's like we're feeding animals in the ocean a plastic diet. These consequences not only affect marine life, but also our health. The food we receive from the ocean are laced with microplastics. So small we cannot see them, these minuscule plastics are found in the muscle and flesh of fish, which coincidentally are the parts of the fish that we most commonly eat. And the scariest thing about all of this is that the effects of plastic aren't reversible. Because of the increasing dangers that plastic brings, several solutions have been thought of, but the most effective solutions include stopping plastic waste from entering the ocean in the first place. In an article published by Columbia Climate School, they explain that scientists have found over 1,000 rivers around the world that are responsible for 80% of the plastic in rivers that end up in the ocean. Considering how much waste comes from rivers, new technology has been engineered to prevent trash from flowing in rivers and leading out to the ocean. In Baltimore, Maryland, a device called Mr. Trash Wheel has been installed in the Jones Hall River that opens up to the Baltimore Harbor. At the mouth of the river, Mr. Trash Wheel takes debris, plastic waste onto its conveyor belt and slowly moves the trash up the conveyor belt into a dumpster, where it's later properly disposed of. The wheel on the side of the machine is powered by the flow of the river, as well as sunlight when the current isn't strong enough. This wheel, as well as three others in Baltimore, are currently working, and have picked up 2,000 tons of trash, which is including 1.5 million plastic bottles, 1.4 million foam containers, and 12.6 million cigarette butts. Water wheels like these in Baltimore are planned to also be built in California, Texas, and Panama. As far as cleaning up the ocean goes, several companies around the world are working to remove plastic from the ocean. Although their efforts are helping, the amount of plastic in the ocean is still so overwhelming. A solution that has been discussed and followed through with is using a net pulled from two boats to drag through parts of the ocean to collect the plastic. In order to avoid catching sea animals in the net, safety precautions like a camera to watch the net and escape holes are available. However, other difficulties come with this cleanup solution, and marine biologists even think that this would do more harm than good. For example, the ships towing the net are fossil-fueled, and they emit 660 tons of carbon dioxide per month as a cleanup. Another concern is that it could harm an ecosystem called Newston, comprising insects, worms, snails, crabs, and sea anemones, and more that float on the ocean's surface and look a lot like small plastic pieces. Scientists don't know much about this ecosystem, and following through with these cleanups before having enough of sufficient time to study it could be dangerous. These creatures are so small that we wouldn't be able to see any physical changes or destruction if this cleanup was affecting their lives. Because no single solution to cleaning up the ocean can solve plastic pollution, we must look within ourselves and see how much plastic we are dumping into the ocean. America is the top polluter of plastic waste that ends up in the ocean, and in the U.S., we only recycle about 5% of the plastic we use. Since recycling isn't always reliable, if we reduce our plastic waste, we can limit the amount of plastic polluting our cities and our oceans. It's important to know that the top plastic products found in the ocean are often single-use plastics that are most commonly used by people every day. Commonly found plastics include cigarette butts, food wrappers, beverage bottles, straws, cups and plates, bottle caps, and single-use bags. I don't know about you, but the restaurants I go to in most of my life have been spent using these plastic products because it's easier to use them than avoid them. However, if we want to make a change, each of us individually needs to reduce our plastic waste. Some ways I contribute to solving this crisis is avoiding single-use plastic water bottles. I carry around my metal thermo flask with me everywhere I go. Even at restaurants, I avoid getting a water cup and I just fill up my own reusable water bottle. Another way we can reduce plastic use is with reusable straws. A lot of companies provide plastic straws for their customers that get used once and then they get thrown away. And I'll admit, I'm not the best at carrying a reusable straw with me when I go out to eat, but there are a lot of options online for go-to metal straws that can be beneficial in reducing your plastic waste. Other ideas like reusable grocery bags and Tupperware containers are helping to reduce plastic waste. My hope is that what you learned today gets shared with your family and friends. The only way we can solve plastic pollution is if enough people participate in reducing plastic waste. Thanks for listening and stay tuned for my next podcast covering the fishing industry's role in ocean pollution.