UNA - the official magazine of Worldwide Friends Iceland - June 2018

PLAStic

who Miles ARMSTRONG from UK

am

“The Final Fight” About plastic

Laura Lindegaard from France

Plastic in our daily life

I Marta Gil prieto from Spain

?

Kaelyn Racine

Interview: Gummi the ex-fisherman

08

18

from Canada

Modern technology and water concern

22

Noemi Keresztes from Hungary

04

“Organisations against plastic”

26

4

About plastic History of plastics Interest in plastic production began in the 1800’s. It was a cheap and convenient way to replace more expensive materials such as ivory and shellac. At first, plastics were made with cellulose from plant cell walls. Shortly after, scientists discovered that there was a way for humans to create plastic without using any natural materials, meaning production wouldn't rely on the availability of those materials. After a major oil spill off the Californian Coast in 1969, awareness of environmental pollution began to rise, leading to the topic of plastic pollution. Scientists and the plastic industry then began to introduce plastic waste reduction methods, including recycling measures (which are still far from perfect) and the introduction of bioplastics.

Different Types of Plastic Thermoplastics and thermosetting plastics are two separate classes of polymers, which are differentiated based on their behavior in the presence of heat. The material difference between the two is that thermoplastics can be remelted, while thermoset plastics remain in a permanent solid state once hardened. As a result of these physical qualities, thermoplastic materials have low melting points while thermoset plastic products can withstand high temperatures without losing austerity.

Thermosetting: Usually hard, durable, rigid, and immalleable after it is hardened. ex. tires, plane parts.

Thermoplastics: Hard and durable, but can be remolded with heat. RECYCLABLE! ex. lego, zipties.

Chemistry All synthetic plastics start with the same basic composition; carbon-based chains. Hydrocarbons (atoms consisting of hydrogen and carbon molecules) can most commonly be found in natural gases, or crude oils such as petroleum. What makes hydrocarbons so useful in the plasticproducing process is their ability to hold large amounts of energy in their covalent bonds. If enough heat is placed into the hydrocarbon, the energy can be released from the bonds.This energy will be useful when the terminal bonds are broken, allowing each atom to bond to another hydrocarbon and so on, forming a polymer (poly meaning many).

The plastic polymers are usually longer than polymers that occur naturally (cellulose in plants, starch) that make them strong, light and durable. A polymer is simply a chain of different subunits called monomers (mono meaning one). The monomers will all have the same basic hydrocarbon structure, however they can have different molecules attached. Oxygen, Sulphur, Chlorine, Fluorine, Nitrogen, Silicon, and Phosphorus are all common additions to the hydrocarbon chains. Each atom will have a different effect on the function of the molecule, the shape of the molecule, and the integrity of the molecule.

Once these individuals monomers are placed into a polymer chain, the order of the monomers will also have an effect on all the same properties. As you may have guessed, there are thousands of different combinations (some more stable and common than others) that can be used to make different types of plastics. Plastics are generally inert, or non-reactive. This allows them to store virtually anything including liquids, however their inertness is also what makes them very difficult to decay. When in the ocean, large chunks of plastic can be broken down by waves, light, and small crustaceans to produce microplastic.

4

Thermoplastic Advantages:

Thermosetting Plastic Advantages:

Highly recyclable High-Impact resistance Reshaping capabilities Chemical resistant Aesthetically superior finishesHard crystalline or rubbery surface options.

Hard crystalline or rubbery surface options

More resistant to high temperatures Highly flexible design Thick to thin wall capabilities High levels of dimensional stability Cost-effective Thermosetting Plastics Disadvantages: Can’t be recycled More difficult to surface finish Can’t be remolded or reshaped

Thermoplastic Disadvantages: Expensive Can melt if heated

5

Microplastic We have produced more plastic in 10 years than in the entirety of the last century.

What is microplastic ?

Microplastic is a particle of plastic no bigger than 5mm. It can be found in oceans, lakes and rivers and is often swallowed by fish and sea animals.

Where does it comes from?

Microplastic pollution is caused by human activity and consumption; both industrial and domestic.

One of the biggest polluters is tire dust: for every 100 kilometers driven, cars and trucks emit 20 grams of microplastic. Due to the ocean currents 8 million tons of plastic trash (forks, bags, straws etc.) turn into microplastic after their size continuously shrinks.

Furthermore, 10% of microplastic in oceans are polluted by road markings, ship paints and house paints that release microparticles of plastic when it rains. Then the rain goes either in oceans, injuring sea life, or in water treatment plants. This spoils the water we drink and use in our everyday life.

U.S.A, Canada, U K + 4 other countriesare banning p lastic microbeads incosmetic this year.

On some beaches o n the Big Islandof H awaii, a s much a s 15 percent of t he sand i s grains o f microplastic.

There are more microplastic in the ocean t han t here a re s tars i n the Milky Way.

On a domestic point of view, each time synthetic fiber clothes are washed, thousands of microscopic fibers are discharged in the water. Among microplastic are microbeads; these are very small particles that can be found in exfoliants, beauty products and in toothpastes.

Last but not least, plastic buried in landfills emit chemicals that spread into groundwater.

In a nutshell, plastic is being released into the oceans due to human activity. This has incomprehensible negative effects as it is swallowed by the fish we eat and contaminates the water we drink.

Why you should be concerned?

It has only been a few years since we know of the existence of microplastic. Water treatment plants are not built to clear the water from it and scientists are still working to find a solution for it.

Although no scientific studies can confirm it, microplastic appears to be harmful for our bodies as it can alter hormone production.The effect of the plastic depends on their type. Here is a list of different kind of plastic we use:

PET

HDPE

When their presence is our body exceed limits fixes by OMS, you can feel nausea, diarrhea and vomiting feelings. It gets worse when PET products are heated in the microwave.

Fibrous thermoplastics.

Ex. films, ziploc bags.

It releases chemicals very similar to our human oestrogen hormonal when heated. According the the US Environmental Agency, it is linked to breast and testicular cancer, poor semen quality or early puberty.

Harder to melt than LDPE -ex. Hula hoops, plastic containers.

Food storage and polyester fiber clothes.

Milk, juices and shampoos packaging.

PVC

LDPE

Package magazines and bread.

Wraps sandwiches

Emits toxic chemicals when touches water. They are endocrine disruptors and are part of the european list of substances of high concern.

Naturally a brittle thermoplastic, so chemicals are added to make it malleable Ex. pipes plumbing

Soft and flexible Ex. garbage bags, disposable gloves.

6

PP

PS

Containers for yogurts

Used to take out food

Varying melting points, and can be soft or hard at any level.

Ex. car trim, battery cases, tubes.

Safe plastic except when used for tea and hot coffee (and is often is).

Soft, impact resistant, light insulator (styrofoam) Fibrous thermoplastics.

Ex. films, ziploc bags.

7

Plastic in our daily life Paper vs Plastic Bags; Which is Better?

How Good is Recycling, Really?

• What makes plastics so appealing to us as humans is the cheap production cost and convenience.

• We tend to ignore the multitude of problems excess plastic production is causing.

• Less than 1/5th of all plastic gets recycled globally (less than 10% in the U.S.A!).

• It takes 15% more energy to break bonds (recycle) than to create new plastic bonds.

• The world produces too much plastic waste for recycling efforts to keep up.

• In addition, recycling requires the introduction of virgin (never-before-used) plastics to fix broken bonds and keep the plastic strong. So really, recycling is always introducing new plastic.

• Recycling is a long and expensive process, so although it’s useful for reusing the plastic we already have... the best option is to limit the amount of plastic we use!

Recyclability and Decomposition Time is Not the Same for All Plastics...

• Recycling levels and rates will generally be determined by the length and cost of the process needed, which varies for each plastic.

• PET, HDPE, and PS are most often always recycled.

• When shopping, there are many different bag options to choose from (plastic, paper, nonwoven, woven, cloth, shopping tote, etc.)

• There is a common misconception that paper bags are better for the environment than plastic… this is FALSE. • Although paper bags are a renewable resource and biodegradable (unlike plastic bags), professionals worldwide agree that plastic is better than paper in the long term when RECYCLED PROPERLY! • Producing paper bags takes 4x more water and 2x more energy, and produces 3x more greenhouse gases than plastic!

• PP, LDPE, PVC sometimes recycled.

• Polycarbonate and Polyactide (plastics used in electronics) are rarely recycled.

Average decomposition time of most plastics: 200-400 years PET: 10 years PS: 50 years

• Plastic bags also have more reusability potential, as they tear less often and are waterproof!

HDPE: 100 years

• A standard paper bag actually weighs 8x more than a standard plastic bag! this increases the amount of material needing to be recycled.

LDPE: 500 years

• Finally, although plastic bags may be better than paper bags, it will be more environmentally friendly to invest in reusable cloth bags, which can be washed!

PP: 1000 years • Once we devour all the available oil to use in plastic production, we will be out for a LONG TIME. • It will take millions of years for the Earth to restore the huge amounts of oils we’ve already consumed.

8

9

Since 1950 we have 9.2 billion tons of plastic to deal with, 6.3 billion tons has not been recycled.

All the plastic produced every year on earth weighs as much as all the people on earth.

Every single piece of plastic that has ever been made still exists today.

In Iceland there are 40 pounds of plastic packaging waste per person.

World production has increased exponentially-from 2.3 million tons in 1950, it grew to 162 million in 1993 and to 448 million by 2015.

Coca Cola makes 128 billion bottles in one year.

5 trillion plastic bags are produced yearly – side by side they can encircle the world 7 times.

160,000 plastic bags are used globally every second.

Plastic production, recycling and consumption

Plastic bags remain toxic even after they break down - they don’t biodegrade, they photo-degrade which means they break into smaller and smaller toxic bits

An average family will use 60 plastic bags on 4 visits to the supermarket.

10

Over the last 10 years we have produced more plastic than during the whole of the last century.

Only 1-3% of plastic bags are recycled worldwide.

Plastic chemicals can be absorbed by the body. This can alter hormones and cause other health problems.

Paper bags generate 70% more air pollution and 50 times more water pollutants than plastic bags.

The average US citizen consumes 167 plastic water bottles each year (recycled 25% of them).

Plastic will only start degrading after 700 years and will only fully degrade in 1000 years.

11

Ways Iceland supermarkets can improve?

While some plastic and packaging may be necessary, Icelandic supermarkets could take steps to reduce the amount of plastic waste produced by shoppers.

With the world’s first plastic-free supermarket aisle opened in February, Amsterdam is leading the way in sustainable shopping. Offering over 700 products, all entirely free of plastic packaging, the dutch supermarket chain Ekoplaza hopes to expand concept across all 74 branches by the end of the year. This is evidence that plastic free packaging is possible, and something Icelandic supermarkets could explore.

As well as plastic packaging, single use plastic bags are a major source of pollution. While many other European countries have taken steps to reduce the amount of bags in circulation, this is not yet the case in Iceland. Each year the Icelandic population use around 70 million plastic bags. In April this year, the Social Democrats submitted a parliamentary proposal to discuss a potential ban of plastic bags. This followed an online petition that had more than 7,000 signituares: a clear demonstration of public support for a plastic bag ban.

12

13

14

15

16

17

Is there anyway that you prevent plastic pollution when you’re working?

All the plastic we catch we take it back to land and throw it in special cans (recycling). We are pretty good at it I think, and the fisherman always take back all the plastic, but I can tell you we throw paper in the sea. I don’t do it, but the other guys do it. Why should paper be better than plastic is what I’m asking. Of course, it’s a little bit better, but its still trash. Most boats in Iceland have bait, and the bait is in a plastic bag in a paper box. We bring the plastic bag back to land, but the paper box is thrown out to sea and its coloured paper so…

Have there been any restrictions made by the Icelandic government on fishing in Iceland because of pollution?

Gummi the ex-fisherman

Interviewers: Noemi, Kaelyn, Marta, Miles and Laura.

What does a typical day at work look like?

We just go out to the sea, sail for one hour, put down the line, we rest one hour and then we pull up the line and catch the fish! And then we sail home for one hour.

What are your views on plastic pollution in general?

I think its really bad of course. There are a lot of things we could do to stop it. I would like if, in the future, there would be special boats (like fishing boats) but they will fish plastic. Catch plastic from the ocean. That’s my view of that.

Do you think that the plastic pollution affects your work? And how?

Yeah I mean, the fish eat the plastic so when you eat the fish, you must get plastic in your body and that’s not good.

Have you noticed anything when you were out fishing? Well, we get a lot of trash out of the ocean, both plastic and just trash basically. And do you think its coming from the land, the people?

No, its coming from the boats.

Ok, so the boats themselves carry the pollution?

If you lose a line, sometimes you can’t get it up, so you just leave it there.

And there’s nothing you can do about it? Nothing. We try to get it up but if you can’t, you know, you’re not gonna spend a week trying to pull it up. So yeah, you just leave it.

And do you think that’s a specific problem for you or for fisherman around the world?

Not really. I think that the security in Iceland, not only in the pollution system but in the fishing system, basically nobody knows how much fish we fish in the sea. Its very corrupt. I don’t know if I wanna go there, but its illegal what most of the big fishing companies are doing. When we go to land, we have to weigh our fish at the harbour, however 36 companies in Iceland can weigh the fish again in their factories. It weighs lighter there, but they have more fish. So, let’s say they weigh 10 kilos but they have 15 kilos. They say the fish is 10 but they have 15. Because of this, we don’t know how much fish we catch in Iceland… it’s really corrupt. So that’s the biggest problem. But for plastic pollution, nothing has been done for that. No. we are just trying to now get electric cars and all that, but nothing for the sea. Not even as fishermen? No.

Is there anything you wish you could do or change but you don’t have the governments support to do it (about fishing and plastic pollution)?

Yeah, that thing I was telling you about with the weighing. Why should people be able to weight their own fish at their own factories? It should just be at the harbour, and I think that’s the biggest problem we got. And, maybe cameras in the boat so we can’t throw any trash in the ocean. That’s what we should do. And its no problem to take the trash back home, there is a lot of room.

Have you noticed anything different this year, compared to last year, in terms of how much plastic has been in the ocean, or trash has been in the ocean, or in the previous years?

Yeah there is a lot more trash in the ocean. I can’t say its more trash this year than last year but over a long period of time, it’s definitely noticeable. How long have you been a fisherman? 6 years. So, you’ve seen a progression. Yeah, and we could do better about that.

Fishing is one of the most powerful sectors in Iceland in terms of jobs, do you think that the fishing industry receives enough aid from the government to carry out daily tasks without damaging the environment?

No, there’s no security in the fishing industry. The government should have a security system that watches the fishermen, prevents them from throwing trash but they don’t. There’s nothing. I think the only focus of the government is cars. They don’t focus on the ocean at all? No. and all our sewage goes in the sea, it must be like that in every country, but I think that’s the weak spot of Iceland because we have clean nature and everything like that, but this is not thought through. So, we haven’t found systems that clean up pollution.

When you bring the fish back to land, are you able to transport the fish in a sustainable way, or is it just put-it-in-a-truck-and-go? Yeah, it goes in a truck and then it goes away. Trucks, run by diesel, all in trucks.

Should be for around the world.

18

19

Do you have any specific cleaning methods to remove the remains of the nets and other fishing materials? What we do when we get trash from the ocean is take it to port and throw it in trash cans. We try to take all the trash we get, it doesn’t make sense to throw it back.

Do you think the quality of the fish has changed in the recent years because of pollution?

No not really because of the plastic, not in Iceland but It will happen. We might have some of the best fish in the world. Do you think maybe in 10, 15 years it will? Oh yeah, definitely. Because we have so much trash in the ocean.

Do you have anymore information that you would like to tell us about fishing and pollution?

Maybe like I told you, I would like to see a business that has boats fishing trash. That’s my view of the future. When I go out I think ‘why aren’t there boats fishing trash?’, and I think the government should pay the ships to do that.

Effects of plastic on marine life The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is twice the size of Texas At least 8 million tons of plastic enter the oceans each year.

At least 5.25 trillion plastic particles weighing 268,940 tons are currently floating at sea

700 marine species have been affected by plastic.

In 50 years there will be more plastic in the sea than fish.

60-90% of marine litter is plastic-based.

More than 50% of sea turtles have consumed plastic.

The amount of plastic accumulating in the ocean is expected to triple between 2015-2025

Marine litter costs a minimum of $8billion annually in damage to marine ecosystems.

10-12% of the global population relies on fisheries and aquaculture for their livelihood

People who eat shellfish eat up to 11,000 plastic fragments in their seafood each year.

5-13m tons of plastic enter our oceans each year from land-based sources.

50-80% of dead sea turtles have ingested plastic

Plastic found in 1/3 of UK-caught fish.

20

21

Modern technology and water concern It is not a secret for anybody that our oceans are invaded by 20 million tons of trash annually. 8 million of them get discharged in oceans. When the pieces of plastic deteriorate they break up into smaller and smaller pieces turning into what scientists call microplastic. They enter our food chain. These particles of plastic can take up to 1000 years to decompose from the environment. A study find out that by 2050, there may be more plastic materials than fish in oceans.

A gyre is binded to a system of winds and marine currents that snared trashes with its circular movements (like a vortex). Nowadays, every ocean has its own gyre: the most famous is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch or the seventh continent. It was discovered in 1997 by Charles Moore.

However, that continent is not visible: it is more a diffuse soup of plastic floating in oceans.

Today, a British organisation LADbible wants it to be recognized as a country in order to raise everyone’s awareness. You may have a look at their website if you want to support their project and become a future citizen of that new country.

Engineers and scientists are trying to find solutions for this problem. But professionals are not the only ones who are able to make a change: everybody can.

The Seabin Project was created by two australian surfers. The automated bin collects floating trash in harbours. The bin is immersed and binded to an electronic pump that creates currents, pulling floating trash at the top of the water towards the bin and pumping the water back out.

It can filter approximately 1.5 kilograms of trash per day. Per year, a half ton can potentially be collected! Since late 2017, it has gained popularity and is continuously being implemented in harbours across the world.

Currently, two french sailors are preparing to take a round trip around the world by in 2019. Their project is called Plastic Odyssey. They will complete a 3 year expedition during which they will stop multiple times to teach sustainable solutions for plastic recycling in the harbours of emerging countries.

Their boat was made to propel using non recycled trash; 60 kilos of transformed plastic becomes 60 kilos of fuel.

Last but not least, to show that making a change in the world doesn’t require a minimal age: Ocean Cleanup. It is the most famous project and was created by an 18-year-old Dutch student in 2013. Now at 22, he wants to introduce the biggest cleanup of history lasting 5 years, that will start in mid-2018.

The focus of the project is to use ocean currents to collect trash. The device is composed of floaters, screens and anchors that concentrate plastic without being fixed to the sea (it is drifting).

Once it is full, the plastic will be extracted with a ship, which then is recycled, processed and resealed. The goal of this project is to remove at least half of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch within 5 years.

22

23

24

25

Organisations against plastic!

There are a number of organisations in Iceland who are making a difference and helping reduce the impact of plastic waste on the environment. By raising awareness of the dangers of plastic pollution, and practical actions, such as physically removing litter, these groups show that by working together we can make a big difference and help preserve the natural beauty of Iceland.

Much of their work relies on volunteers and the support of the public.

Landvernd, the Icelandic Environmental Association, is the largest conservation and environmental NGO in the country. They ensure that ecological concerns are raised in a number of ways, such as political lobbying, reviewing parliamentary laws, educational programmes and large scale public events. Since their formation in 1969 they have grown and developed, and now aim to protect all aspects of Iceland’s nature and environment across land sea and air, as well as raising public awareness and participation in these issues.

Concern about the impact of plastic waste, particularly on coastal ecosystems, led Landvernd to launch the Clean Iceland campaign in April 2017. They worked with local people and school children. As well as organising beach cleanup events, the campaign aimed to draw attention to the dangers of plastic waste, therefore encourage people to use less and recycle more. The project was a big success and was repeated again this year.

In May 2017, The Icelandic Environmental Association also organised events as part of the Nordic beach cleanup. Working with a number of other Icelandic organisations, over 33,000 pieces of marine litter were removed. 87% of this was plastic. Despite a lack of sponsorship and funding, 21 beach cleanup events took place across the country and hundreds of volunteers took part.

The plastic free September campaign was embraced by Landvernd, and they will be running coastal cleanup events again this year. Particularly on international coastal cleanup day which is September 15th. You can organise your own beach cleanup event and register it at with Landvernd by going online at http://landvernd.is/hreinsumisland.

Landvernd's objectives are: • to protect Iceland's nature and environment on land, in the sea and in the air so that it will be as unspoiled as possible, both for today's and future generations.

• to restore degraded environment, land and natural resources in a manner that is most suitable to the country's natural conditions and distribution of residency.

• to promote sustainable conduct by the nation, both at home and on a global level, based on extensive environmental awareness, knowledge and willingness to conserve nature and the environment.

• to promote active participation of Icelanders in international collaboration on environmental issues, where knowledge and experience is shared and sought to make amends.

26

27

Blue Army Blue Army is an organisation that was set up by scuba diver Tómas J. Knútsson over 20 years ago. While diving he noticed the waste pollution around Iceland’s coasts and decided to try and do something about it. Since 1995 he has organised over 130 beach and underwater clean ups, working with over 2,000 volunteers. He estimates Blue Army has collected 1,300 tons of debris over this time, much of it plastic. Blue Army has worked with Landvernd on projects such as Clean Iceland.

As well as collecting waste, Tómas has also visited over 50 schools to talk about sustainability and the importance of caring for the environment. Sponsored by companies such as Toyota, and the Icelandic Government, and even appearing on the front of Time magazine in 2005, it is clear Tómas J. Knútsson and Blue Army are doing very important work.

In recent years Icelandic private businesses have also begun to take action to help reduce the impact of plastic. Last April, three of Reykjavik's most popular bars, Prikið, Húrra and Bravó, announced that they would no longer provide plastic straws to customers. When customers require straws, they now provide paper ones instead. While this may seem like a simple change, it has been estimated that this has stopped 20,000 straws a month being thrown away. This shows that even relatively small and simple actions can help greatly to reduce waste.

facts about Government responsibilities

EU adopted a bloc-wide strategy to tackle plastics in January 2018 – includes reducing plastic bag usage and research into technology and materials.

EU pledged 100 millions euros to encourage development of more recyclable plastic materials and make it more efficient.

Half the world's plastic waste is generated by only 5 countries; China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Sri Lanka.

The British government promised to spend £61 million to tackle ocean plastic pollution with Commonwealth nations.

The first on the right is Tómas J. Knútsson.

28

Indonesia promised up to $1billion/year to target reducing marine litter

29

30