MAR 30

I agree that plastic dumping is a problem and I see how this might present a better solution. . . . but I do have a question. If the plastic does degrade into "natural and nontoxic" bi-products how can we be certian that those bi-products would not detrimentally alter the chemical make-up of the ocean waters they become a part of?

Maybe we need to be better enforcers of the laws we already hae to protect that environment.

There is a €36 million, four-year European initiative in place at the moment aimed at encouraging the use of traditional natural based packaging products. Hopefully this will reduce this problem of 'plastic dumping'. http://www.knowledgerich.com/N...temid=1178

I agree with [ dy, April 10, 2007 ], in terms of being cautious how we might alter that which we would protect. This suggestion is a bit of a leap, I'm sure, but one that seems realistic: Since our bodies are being altered by every chemical produced by the garbage being processed by tuna and other once-edible fish ingesting more of the plastic, believing it to be plankton-food they are meant to survive on, and we then in our turn eat the tuna and other fish. Even their waste is no longer biodegradable and is thus mixed with all the whale waste which is now also laden with plastic in varying degrees of digestion, and the cycle continues, making what is being eaten by humans little better than the material found in the base of a pigsty -- albeit saltier. Small wonder that diabetes (and many other diseases yet to be discovered) is/are on the rapid rise.

Our bodies, whether created by 'intelligent design' or evolution, are certainly no match for these petrol-based pollutants, and our immune systems MUST FAIL eventually, so long as we simply wait and "let George do it" with technology, rather than insisting right now that retailers provide biodegradable containers (yes, it will raise prices, but so will your doctors/hospitals bills increase).

We also must begin bringing our own non-disposable bags to carry home our produce from the stores, saying NO! to "Paper or Plastic? queries." The forests are disappearing too rapidly also, so we shouldn't just trade problems by using more paper.

We all know that is a major problem we're dealing with at this moment. Although I have faith that this project and all the rest that are being developed will do something about it, I don't think that it will manage to solve it in a way or other. Yes, there will be some results, but in time we'll come across other serious problems. I think that the main problem is the education of people and this could be solved by some other types of project for students and not only. ;) Anyway, good luck with your project :)

The plastics are not quite ready for commercialization. More studies are needed to optimize the plastics for various environmental conditions they might encounter, including changes in temperature, humidity and seawater composition, Storey says. There also are legal hurdles to overcome, since international maritime law currently forbids disposal of plastics at sea.

;) :D >:( :o :o :o :o ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D :P :P :- :-* :-* :-*

Dumping of this waste plastic is because they can not be reused any more.So we have to move on to biodegradable plastic materials which can be reused.

what will be the effect if these biodegradable plastics release new chemicals in place of old plastics...it could create a worse effect and obviously I know you will test it but, like the biospheres, you cant have the same realistic environment if you create a fake one for tests, and very likely it will create new problems that may be harder to deal with then the original problem.