Why the Plastic Pollution Problem Is So Much Worse Than You Think

Can we really clean our way out of this problem?
↓↓↓ More info and sources below ↓↓↓

There’s been a lot of talk on YouTube lately about ocean plastic pollution and #TeamSeas. But there hasn’t been enough talk about the **ridiculously unthinkable scale of the ocean plastic pollution problem** or how it intersects with other environmental issues like climate change. And here’s a big spoiler alert: Nearly all environmental scientists agree that ocean plastic pollution isn’t a problem we can clean our way out of. So what CAN we do? That’s what this video is about.

We’d like to thank the following researchers for helpful interviews and background materials for this episode:

Winnie Lau - Pew Charitable Trusts
Dr. Max Liboiron - Civic Laboratory for Environmental Action Research (CLEAR)
Dr. Miriam Goldstein

0:00 Intro
1:21 History of plastic
2:59 How much plastic are we making?
4:28 Plastic is petroleum
5:29 How much plastic is in the ocean?
7:38 How plastic gets to the ocean
9:09 Can we clean our way out of this?
10:30 The ACTUAL solutions
13:09 Final thoughts

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[besmart]

There's been a lot of talk about cleaning up plastic pollution on YouTube lately. But there was a lot that wasn't talked about too. The problem is much, MUCH bigger than you realize, and it's worth asking: Can we actually clean our way out of this problem? Or do we need other solutions? That's why I made this video. And if you want more, there's oodles of references in the description! *PS: I changed the channel name 🤓!*

[thartwig]

Dont forget businesses have a huge role in this as well. Amazon packaging can be incredibly wasteful, not to mention all the businesses that produce the plastics without investing in ways to reuse or recycle it.

[BlakeLeasure]

Midwest grandmas have done their best. You wouldn’t believe the amount of plastic bags inside of plastic bags there are in their kitchens 😂

[drbahb]

Back in the 1950s when I was growing up, things such as milk and soft drinks came in glass bottles. When the bottles were empty they were returned to the store where purchased which returned them to the bottler to be sterilized and refilled. There was no waste. Why can't we return to a system like this?

[lordofthefries]

I toured a Waste Management facility when I was a kid and I was shocked by how much "recycling" they threw away. Basically if it wasn't aluminum cans, or clean and intact paper, or clean glass, or clean and uncontaminated plastic water bottles, then it was simply dumped and became the city's problem. It just wasn't economical to recycle stuff like plastic bags, shredded paper, dirty bottles, etc.

[MinuteEarth]

I am not okay with this name change (YET!)

[LISTEDGames]

I really really like that you point out that the governments and companies have to change the system, not just individuals, getting a plastic free alternatives can be harder to find and more expensive at the same time, and not everyone has those resources. Obviously you cannot get rid of the plastic permanently, but some like single use plastic is just not thought out well for the long run, I always wonder in supermarkets why these vegetables are wrapped up in plastic, like bananas or oranges, they already have their own packaging...

[Canal]

I am so proud of my country for really trying to remove the need for plastic use. We in Sweden already recycle a lot of waste and this year we forbid the selling of plastic cutlery and plates, and many more one-time-use plastics. We even have a verb for recycling bottles ("panta") because it is so unheard of to not do it. It is a shame that we are such a small country and I really hope the US and other "rich" countries will take their responsibility. How can the poor countries do something about it if the rich ones refuse? I remember when I traveled to Spain and noticed how I did not have to sort my waste at their Mc Donalds. That was so heartbreaking

[tylachad]

Every time I go into Walmart, Target, or any store, I’m extremely overwhelmed by all of the plastic on the shelves that will eventually end up in the ocean 😔

[ArrowNought]

The channel's name was changed from "It's Okay to Be Smart" to "Be Smart" some time in the past 2 weeks

[awesomedata]

A good acronym for the waste solutions (to make them easier to remember):

My attempt:
"NICE PADS" -- Necessity, Substitution, Designs, Ease, Profitability, Conversion, Indisposables, Awareness:

1) NECESSITY -- Make/use only _necessary_ plastics,
2) SUBSTITUTION -- Substitute for compost-ready materials,
3) DESIGN -- Design "waste" to be recyclable (This is possible! -- We just need plenty of creativity and problem _awareness_ for solutions to scale),
4) EASE -- Ease waste collection in general -- (especially for poorer countries),
5) PROFITABILITY -- Expand profitability of making/using recycled options (than those that fill landfills),
6) CONVERSION -- Convert between plastic types or into other useful hydrocarbons,
7) INDISPOSABLES -- Indisposable plastics require special storage (to keep from leaking into our oceans)
8) AWARENESS -- Awareness of any solutions must increase exponentially faster than the solutions themselves

[YoYoYoYoYoYoPeace]

This video genuinely needs way more views. It's great that lot's of people are talking about the problem of plastic pollution, but I haven't seen a video with this much insight and insane statistics that made me realize just how screwed we actually are. The analogy of us trying to mop the water off a sinking ship without trying to plug the hole first was perfect.

[Theolife]

I watch this video on double speed so only half the amount of plastic was released while I was watching it. We all need to do our part.

[eyshal.]

It's just weird to think that a material that lasts for years is used for something short term.

[KernsJW]

All great points. Unfortunately, collection has dwindled since recycled plastics became no longer "profitable" or other countries refused to take it. Many cities even pay fees to collect it these days (at a state level, it can be many millions), but most of it either sits some place or gets mixed back into trash later. Others can't afford the climbing costs to collect and have it shipped to a collection site many cities away as well. Paying for multiple plants to stay open proves to be more costly on the towns while state governments are not in a position to interject. Thus, those not close to the collection site or plant, or simply those without the money, do not collect or recycle. Those who do and are, very little is actually recycled in the end. People are not even well informed with what can be recycled and do not clean what they do recycle. The process needs to change with the companies, but also the people and cities/towns/states they live in.

[qactustick]

Nice to see a video like this one that reminds people just how quickly garbage piles up, and that simply trying to clean it up accomplishes next to nothing.

[Jackal_Blitz]

Call me cynical, but I honestly don't think we'll ever truly address the plastic problem unless there's a fortune to be made doing it. Some people are willing to overpay for cleaner solutions, but most aren't.

[karm]

I am barely old enough to recall when most bottles were glass and most containers were waxed paper or cardboard.
Plastic was used as a way to say something was cheap poorly made and or fake.

[kgowins]

Last year I started recycling and reusing as much plastic as I could from Amazon parcel to water bottles etc. I even thought I had only a few pounds of HDPE 2 I’ve been able melt it down at home into blocks. Hopefully turning them into new longer use items when I get enough blocks and tools

[bracket]

Thank you for letting me now what is in every hacky sack that I used to (and still kinda do) mess with all the time! Nurdles...what a word. Also, why can't we just, 1) stop being so needy for EVERYTHING, 2) use actual recyclable things for other things, like glass, cardstock, and metal. Those things are very reusable.