The shocking scale of our waste - and the myth of recycling | Irene Rompa | TEDxMidAtlantic

This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. It's hard to comprehend the amount of plastic waste humans produce every single day. But the impact is impossible to ignore. However, the answer is not recycling -- it's reuse.

Irene Rompa studied organizational psychology at VU University Amsterdam, but soon realized that while she loved her studies, what really makes her happy is improving the world. Over the last few years, Irene has initiated and worked on different projects that create awareness around the issue of sustainability.

About TEDx, x = independently organized event In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)

[kirbychan]

My family and I decided just to stop buying bottled water, as we used to buy in bulk every week. We use reusable water bottles now. It wasn't hard, so I encourage everyone who is reading this to do the same. There are other ways to reuse plastic, or just avoid using it. Reusable bags are a great example. We need to start this before it's too late.

[packsonjollock]

i really appriciate the calm speaking voice. it seems to be a rare thing these days

[gregstarr]

Love how she brings up the person sailing. Any proof the lack of fish is because they all died from eating plastic? Any photos showing all the plastic preventing you from starting your engines? I know I would have photographed that.

[CarbonGlassMan]

Lets start a massive government program where we educate fish on what is food and what isn't.

[Ben-frgi]

Recycling doesn't inevitably mean less rubbish escaping in to the environment. I think the important thing for keeping rubbish in the right place is to properly bag it before putting it in the bin. That way it doesn't easily fall out or blow away, and should arrive at the landfill or incinerator. I don't like our local recycling collection, it requires us to not bag the rubbish, and then it blows out of people's bins or falls on the ground when they're tipped in to the rubbish trucks. I find things like toilet cleaner bottles and newspapers on the road on recycling collection day. That's why I don't recycle now, too much litter from it.

[charlottemekenkamp]

Lets refuse all packaging, just leave it in the store

[bhushanu]

If you won't create do or die situation people don't bother

[dougiequick]

I can NOT understand WHY plastic is not shredded and used directly as a fuel for electric generators ....I saw before how as long as it is super hot combustion there is no pollution... If this is true? EVEN if it was not the most efficient fuel? Considering if there could be a subsidy for using it as a fuel? Sure seems like it would be worth it to me! What if it were all shredded into long fibers and mixed with cement in construction? Come ON! This is PLASTIC! From OIL! It HAS to be worth USING somehow!

[yvespoulin]

The solution ... use 1 kind of Water bottle that  it can be re-use over and over. Stop throwing them away, like Wise for detergent plastic contener. Only 1 kind of contener and re-use it again.

[charliehutch]

when federal and state governments stopped subsidizing recycling it became unprofitable and very big recyclers went bankrupt or change their business's.
metal, some papers, and 2 plastics are the only profitable recyclables..
what do you think happens to all that extremely toxic ink on all that paper and cardboard when it is recycled keeping in mind, of course, that matter cannot be created nor distroyed?

[robjworkshop]

Living in a Western country with clean water literally on-tap, why do we need to buy 'bottled' water, that also most likely came out of a tap?

[SOLDIERF]

Yes, in our western society we have clean potable water from the tap, but in many second and third world countries they do not. Bottled water, in single use plastic bottle/containers is the only way many people can access drinkable, clean water, (if they can afford it) this equates to maybe 2 billion people!

[charliehutch]

HOW RECYCLING DOES DEFINITELY NOT HELP OUR PLANET:
1. Contamination If there are impurities or toxins on the original
material, like lead, they’ll usually make it through the recycling
process and end up buried in the new product, like say, a soda can.
Have a nice day
2.hundreds of buildings in Taiwan made from recycled steel have been
giving people gamma radiation poisoning.
'' be sure to recycle"
3.The recycling process produces pollutants In 2009 there were about
179, 000 waste collection vehicles on the road. The exhaust fromf those
vehicles contains over three dozen airborne toxins.
'' good ole curb collection''
4.One recycling plant in Washington state produces more toxic emissions
than any other
factory the next three biggest polluters in the area ae also recycling
plants.
''saving the planet"
5. When paper is recycled, it’s all mixed together into a pulp. That
pulp
is washed, cleaned, and then pressed into new paper sheets. During that
process, , inks, cleaning chemicals, and dyes are filtered out into
sludge. The sludge is then sent to a landfill, where it leaches dozens
of toxic chemicals and heavy metals into groundwater. 'nice right?'
'' matter cannot be created nor destroyed''
6. There are about seven types of plastic that you’ll find in day to day
life, and only two of them are recyclable.
"' W T F " " O M G "
7. Plastic is a pretty tricky animal overall, but in all honesty, we
just have no idea what to do with it.
" It costs $4, 000 US to recycle one ton of
plastic "
8. oil is a pretty major pollutant. So it makes sense to try to recycle
used oil right? Wrong.recycling oil creates even more toxic chemicals
in the process.
" really? " " yes really"
9. Aluminum ? Disappointingly recycled soda cans can’t give you the
quality you need to build an airplane, or even to use in electronic
circuits. Its just shit aluminum..
"" they never told us THAT "
10. More aluminum; The average American drinks 2.5 cans of soda per
day.That’s about 778 million cans. If 100, 000 cans are recycled every
minute (they are), we’re still about 600 million cans short. And that’s
just in one day So in only one years time, doing the math for you,
2, 100, 000, 000 cans unrecycled...

[vidhyamaya]

Why can't the authority just ban on making it.. People will definitely start to think for the alternatives..

[andrewcooper]

Such a simple statement. "Let's just not buy bottled water." Say that to an American. It's like asking them to never eat again. It's such a pretentious culture, it's impossible to work with.

[shodanxx]

First fact, 2 million plastic bottles disposed of in the US every 5 minutes.
Ok, that's 576 million bottle a day, that's about 1.75 bottle per day per person.
I just don't think that is true.

[duggydugg]

your landsman, boyan slat is struggling with the plastic problem... He has caused several plastic collection systems to be built... So far probably negligible plastic has been captured... Hopefully he'll get more efficient and more quantitatively productive...

But once he collects a significant amount of plastic the problem exists that there's no real market for it... There are some companies that successfully process bottles and some other products... But China and the Pacific Rim have closed the door to America and Europe and other areas... They won't accept our plastic anymore

this is the second biggest problem there is

first place is occupied by the Rothschild owned CBD... Central Bank Dynasty .... counterfeiting the world's currencies and lending same to the government's thereof as debt on its citizens... This debt will destroy Society if not stopped

[shodanxx]

A sailor from Australia to Japan that "often could not start his engine because plastic caught in it ?" And "it was silent at sea because there were no birds because all the fish died from eating plastic"

Ok, enough of your propaganda lady....

[boostjz]

For "common good" & "common sense" fell off the wagon long ago..

[cameIs]

Eat the fish before they eat the plastic.