What is a Nurdle and Why Should We Care?

 

These are "nurdles"

Nurdles, quite simply, are the building blocks of everything plastic.  Your phone, your printer, your computer, everything plastic around you started as a nurdle.  Unfortunately, the nurdles that never get into production are lost or discarded as waste or dumped overboard from ships delivering them to countries around the world.

These nurdles were spilled in a train accident in Pineville LA

Nurdles are plastic resin pellets classified as the primary source of microplastics.  They range in size from 1 to 5 mm in diameter.  There are more than 60 billion pounds of these plastic pellets manufactured in the U.S. every year (27 million tons).

So here's the problem: these nurdles float on water.  When they get into rivers or the ocean, they're easily swallowed by sea turtles, sea birds, fish, crustaceans, etc.   

So what can we do?  First, be aware.  The plastics all around us came from somewhere and they don't decompose in nature.  Don't discard any plastics.  Figure a way to dispose of your water bottles, phones, computers, batteries, whatever--properly.

Second, spend a few minutes the next time you're on a beach looking for nurdles.  Collect them in a jar and make sure you dispose of them properly.

Third, if you're lucky enough to be near a beach during the first weeks of February 2021, take part in the 

THE GREAT NURDLE HUNT
TACKLING WORLDWIDE NURDLE POLLUTION

Check out www.nurdlepatrol.org

Did you know?

Plastics are a chemical cocktail. They contain contaminants from the fossil fuels or recycled products used to make plastic (non-intentionally added substances like heavy metals) as well as additives which are used to make plastics colorful, flexible and useable (additives such as dyes, phthalates and plastizers).

Studies of packaging alone found there could be thousands of additives used and 4-6 non-intentionally added substances for every additive.

Plastics are everywhere and should be treated very carefully and kept out of our environment

National Drive Electric Week

 

National Drive Electric Week, Sep 26-Oct 4, 2020, is a nationwide celebration to raise awareness of the many benefits of all-electric and plug-in hybrid cars, trucks, motorcycles, and more. They are fun to drive, are less expensive and more convenient to fuel than gasoline vehicles, are better for the environment, promote local jobs, and reduce our dependence on foreign oil.

Each year, National Drive Electric Week includes hundreds of events in communities across the United States and around the world. This year, for the 10th annual National Drive Electric Week, we will be adding online events for the first time, including the NDEW Kick-Off Event event on Sep 24, 2020. Please see the events page for more information about national, state and local events near you.

Check out www.driveelectricweek.org

National Estuaries Week: Restore our Nation's Estuaries

 

An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environments known as ecotone. Wikipedia  Brackish water is water that is slightly saltier than fresh water, but not as salty as sea water.  An "ecotone" is a transition area between two ecological environments--a transition zone, in the case of an estuary, between salt water and fresh water.

Estuaries are known as the "nurseries" of the sea because they provide shelter for many species of fish and a resting place for migratory birds.

Estuaries are the most productive areas on the planet for organic growth and repositories of carbon dioxide--keeping CO2 locked in and restricting global warming.

Without estuaries providing shelter for thousands of fish, mammals and birds, our food production would be greatly reduced.

photo by Nannette O'Hara

 From www.epa.gov: "National Estuaries Week, which first began as National Estuaries Day, was founded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in 1988 as part of Coastweeks. While Coastweeks was a broad celebration of our nation’s coasts, National Estuaries Day was created to specifically focus on estuaries, with a mission to encourage citizens to explore and appreciate their local estuaries. For many years in the 1990s, NOAA and EPA hosted National Estuaries Day events both locally and nationally. But when federal support declined, the event disappeared for some time with no national effort to hold it together.

Around 2007, Restore America’s Estuaries (RAE) saw the opportunity to revive National Estuaries Day. RAE partnered with organizations like the Association of National Estuary Programs (ANEP), the National Estuarine Research Reserve Association (NERRA), and NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management (NOAA OCM), to grow National Estuaries Day, soon overtaking its original reach. It became clear that one day was not enough time to host celebratory events, and many organizations expressed disappointment over not be able to participate. National Estuaries Day became National Estuaries Week in 2013 to provide more opportunities for activities and celebration. Celebrated every third week in September, National Estuaries Week continues to be a unique opportunity to come together and raise awareness for our estuaries and coasts."

Estuaries are an absolutely essential part of our ecosystem and saving them should be important to everyone on this planet, Earth.

Plastic Recycling: Chapter II

 

Many people ask me what possible good will it do to recycle.  What exactly happens to recycled bottles, and plastic wraps, etc.?  Well, unfortunately, the news is not good.

In a recent post, I discussed the numbers inside the recycle arrows and what they mean.  Numbers 3 through 7 are collected in recycle bins, but are actually useless for recycling.

According to YaleEnvironment360: "The new research (by Greenpeace) found that none of the United States’ 367 facilities are capable of processing coffee pods. Just 14 percent of them can process what are known as plastic clamshells, containers commonly used for takeout food, fruit, and baked goods. Just 11 percent of facilities can recycle plastic cups; 4 percent plastic bags; and just 1 percent can process plastic plates, cutlery, straws, and stirrers."

“This survey confirms what many news reports have indicated since China restricted plastic waste imports two years ago — that recycling facilities across the country are not able to sort, sell, and reprocess much of the plastic that companies produce,” Jan Dell, founder of The Last Beach Cleanup and leader of the new survey.

So, when you look at a plastic package and it says "Recyclable", it probably isn't unless it's has a number 1 (PET, polyethylene teraphthalate) or a number 2 (HDPE, high density polyethylene).  Recyclers collect the other plastics, but they end up in landfills and take 500 years to decompose.

Every little bit of trash not disposed of properly creates a problem:

According to the website science.howstuffworks.com: "The trash production in the United States has almost tripled since 1960. This trash is handled in various ways. About 32.5 percent of the trash is recycled or composted, 12.5 percent is burned and 55 percent is buried in landfills [source: EPA]. The amount of trash buried in landfills has doubled since 1960."

My next post will discuss how trash is handled in the U.S.

Trees are the Lungs of the Earth: "Archangel Ancient Tree Archive"

 

The Archangel Ancient Tree Archive is a most amazing organization with an essential mission.  Their mission, in three words, is to "Propagate, Reforest, Archive".  They want to propagate the world's oldest trees before they're gone by cloning them (more later); they want to reforest the earth with the offspring of these ancient trees; and finally, to archive the genetics (the DNA) of these great and ancient trees before they disappear from the earth.  From their website (www.ancienttreearchive.org):  "Trees are excellent at sequestering carbon dioxide, releasing oxygen, and providing beneficial aerosols and medicines. They are essentially a global warming solution." 

The organization is creating a "living library of old-growth tree genetics by cloning these old growth trees through traditional and advanced horticultural propagation for the purpose of future research and functional reforestation".

Their Michigan warehouse houses thousands of trees that have been cloned from the biggest and best trees in the forest.  This is truly selective breeding.  

Trees have DNA.  In fact they have more DNA than humans, which has made cloning trees very difficult.  The Ancient Tree Archive organization has figured out how to clone trees, like Redwoods, and by so doing, will allow these cloned trees to grow just like the originals--tall and strong.  100% of the DNA from the original tree goes into the cloned tree.  Propagating trees from clones is better than propagating from seeds because seeds only capture 50% of the DNA.  And further, the purity of the breed is guaranteed with cloning.  The success rate of propagating using the cloning method is only 3%, but at the scale that AATA organization is using, that becomes many successes.

So they go after the oldest trees they can find.  Cloning young trees is easier, but cloning old trees captures more of the DNA that they want.  They cloned a John Muir giant Sequoia and a 2000 year old bald cypress tree from Florida.

AATA is a non profit organization funded by private donations.  I think what they're doing is critical for the survival of our planet.  Give someone a birthday or Christmas present by donating to AATA.  www.ancienttreearchive.org.

Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act of 2020

On February 11, 2020, U.S. Representative Alan Lowenthal from California's 47th district, introduced HR 5845.  On February 12, 2020 it was referred to the subcommittee on water resources and environment.

"This bill sets forth requirements related to waste and recycling collection systems for a variety of products and materials, including plastics.

The bill makes certain producers of products (e.g., packaging, paper, single-use products, beverage containers, or food service products) fiscally responsible for collecting, managing, and recycling or composting the products after consumer use. In addition, the bill establishes (1) minimum percentages of products that must be reused, recycled, or composted; and (2) an increasing percentage of recycled content that must be contained in beverage containers.
Beginning on January 1, 2022, the bill phases out a variety of single-use products, such as plastic utensils. The bill also sets forth provisions to encourage the reduction of single-use products, including by establishing programs to refund consumers for returning beverage containers and by establishing a tax on carryout bags.
The bill creates a temporary moratorium on new or expanded permits for facilities that manufacture plastics until regulations are updated to address pollution from the facilities.
The Environmental Protection Agency must publish guidelines for a national standardized labeling system for recycling and composting receptacles. Producers must include labels on their products that are easy to read and indicate whether the products are recyclable, compostable, or reusable.
Finally, the bill establishes limitations on the export of plastic waste to other countries."
The best thing we all can do at this point is to contact our congressional representative and let them know that this bill need to be passed.  In order to find out who your congressman is, click here.
Right now there are 79 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives.  Make sure your representative stands behind this bill.

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a mass of trash spread across 620,000 square miles of the Pacific Ocean with more than one trillion pieces of microplastics.  And, of course, fish are consuming the microplastics and the microplastics just travel right on up the food chain.  A June 5, 2019 article in Environmental Science and Technology by Kieran Cox, et al. "evaluated the number of microplastic particles in commonly consumed foods in relation to their recommended daily intake."  They "estimate that annual microplastics consumption by humans ranges from 39000 to 52000 particles a year."  Drinking water from single use plastic bottles would add another 90,000 particles per year, versus 4000 if you use glass or stainless containers.

In a CNET article, "Can we kill plastic?", August 3, 2020, Alison DeNisco Rayome, states, that, "even if discarded, plastic ends up in a landfill and can last there for up to 600 years."

Just look around you; look in your refrigerator, everything is plastic.  We can never get rid of plastic.

But we can, in our own way, reduce our use of single use plastic items.

And what about recycling?  Rayome states "In 2017, only about 8% of plastic produced in the U.S. was recycled.  Global recycling averages closer to 15% to 20% today."

And "virgin" plastic bottles are less expensive to produce than plastic bottles made from recycled plastic.  So what to do?

Start by using water bottles made of non-single use plastic or stainless steel.

Buy stuff that isn't wrapped in plastic.

Buy stuff made with recycled plastic.  Buy stuff that can be disposed of safely.

Be Aware!  Think about that Great Pacific Garbage Patch as you decide what to buy.  And be careful how you dispose of the plastics that you end up with.  That item is going to last 600 years, somewhere.

Just Be Aware!