An unflinching examination of the big business of bottled water.
Addicted to Plastic
- Description
- Reviews
- Citation
- Cataloging
- Transcript
From styrofoam cups to artificial organs, plastics are perhaps the most ubiquitous and versatile material ever invented. No invention in the past 100 years has had more influence and presence than synthetics. But such progress has had a cost.
For better and for worse, no ecosystem or segment of human activity has escaped the shrink-wrapped grasp of plastic. Addicted To Plastic is a global journey to investigate what we really know about the material of a thousand uses and why there's so darn much of it. On the way we discover a toxic legacy, and the men and women dedicated to cleaning it up.
Addicted To Plastic is a point-of-view style documentary that encompasses three years of filming in 12 countries on 5 continents, including two trips to the middle of the Pacific Ocean where plastic debris accumulates. The film details plastic's path over the last 100 years and provides a wealth of expert interviews on practical and cutting edge solutions to recycling, toxicity and biodegradability. These solutions - which include plastic made from plants - will provide viewers with a new perspective about our future with plastic.
'For anyone who's wondered what eventually happens to all the plastic in water bottles, packaging, and hundreds of other everyday uses, the feature-length documentary Addicted to Plastic offers a visually compelling, entertaining, ultimately frightening explanation...Candid interviews, especially a particularly revealing one with a representative of the industry's American Plastics Council, permit viewers to form their own opinions. Connacher's on-screen presence as a curious, energized hipster on a plastic road trip lends immediacy to his narrative and enables him to filter complex information and hypotheses into a manageable form that will provoke viewers without confusing them. All in all, Addicted to Plastic is an absorbing, shocking, only partially reassuring odyssey.' Jeffrey L. Meikle, Professor, American Studies, University of Texas at Austin, Author, American Plastic: A Cultural History
'Addicted to Plastic was a wake-up call for me as a marine scientist. This film presents the viewers with a grim, realistic look at how the food chain is being affected due to plastic confetti invading nearly every square centimeter on earth. This documentary is a sort of eco-horror movie, detailing how persistent plastics sprinkled throughout the ocean and land carry chemical compounds up the food chain and onto our dinner plates. The word 'bioaccumulation' truly strikes home in a frightening and understandable way after viewing this film. Addicted to Plastic is a sobering must-see and needs to be shown at every educational level globally!' Dr. James M. Cervino, Assistant Professor, Biology and Health Sciences, Pace University, Visiting Scientist, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, Department of Marine Chemistry
'Addicted to Plastic is a journey of discovery of what happens to the various plastics we use and what we can do about them. The documentary is riveting, disturbing, and even sometimes comforting. Everyone should see this important film.' Reah Janise Kauffman, Vice President, Earth Policy Institute
'Thought provoking and eye opening...Each segment is more revealing and provocative than the one before it.' This Magazine
'This film really made me aware of the plastic that is all around me. That awareness is a good thing for a film to convey, and a difficult thing as well. I would recommend this film for general college courses in biology, chemistry and ecology. For anthropology courses it is best applied to global issues with some framing of the petrochemical and plastics explosions that have been part of globalization. The health ramifications of the plastics would also be of note to audience interested in environmental issues affecting urban populations. The film is really a remarkable piece of work. The issue is of importance and is undeniable in its ubiquity. The parts of the world that are not already addicted to plastic are bound to be in our lifetimes. The ecological issues with plastic will remain long past our lifetimes.' Troy Belford, Wichita State University, Anthropology Review Database
'Not merely a diatribe against overconsumption and littering, the program surveys how plastic is used, disposed of, and recycled into usable materials. A company in Texas makes railroad ties from melted plastic, and a Georgia carpet manufacturer creates new flooring from waste materials. In India and Africa, plastic bags are turned into handcrafted treasures. Plant-based renewable bioplastics are also discussed. Interviews with scientists, environmentalists, and developers on new ways to recycle and use plastics accent the accessible coverage...[Addicted to Plastic] offers much to ponder.' Booklist
'Science, social science, and journalism classes can utilize this program for study and for debate. An essential addition for environmental collections.' School Library Journal
'A great, well-made film for all ages, that should help people think twice about their plastic habit.' Greenmuze.com
'Vividly describes the dangers of plastics pollution without promoting bitterness and resentment. All viewers, whether plastics producers or plastic consumers, can feel hope for the future by the time the credit rolls...Highly recommended for middle-school through adult viewers.' Carrie M. Macfarlane, Middlebury College, Educational Media Reviews Online
'The thing that sets Addicted to Plastic apart from many other scary documentaries is that Connacher goes looking for workable solutions. Even before remarking, 'So, what's the answer?' his film has highlighted numerous individuals and companies that have developed creative remedies to the problem of plastic.' National Post
'Militant without being moralist, teaching without being tedious, this documentary suggests possible answers.' The New Observer
Citation
Main credits
Connacher, Ian (host)
Connacher, Ian (film director)
Connacher, Ian (film producer)
Other credits
Photographed by Ian Connacher, Gad Reichman; edited by Martyn Iannece, Gad Reichman, Kevin Rollins.
Distributor subjects
Activism; African Studies; American Studies; Animal Rights; Anthropology; Birds; Chemistry; Consumerism; Environment; Environmental Ethics; Film Studies; Fisheries; Genetics; Geography; Globalization; Health; Human Rights; Humanities; India; Law; Life Science; Marine Biology; Oceans and Coasts; Pacific Studies; Pollution; Recycling; Science, Technology, Society; Social Justice; Sociology; Sustainability; Sustainable Development; Technology; Toxic ChemicalsKeywords
00:00:01.100 --> 00:00:03.700
[insects chirping]
00:00:03.733 --> 00:00:07.267
(Connacher) That's the world's largest
PLA manufacturing plant
00:00:07.300 --> 00:00:13.300
making pellets to go
and make bags and water bottles,
00:00:13.333 --> 00:00:14.833
food packaging.
00:00:14.867 --> 00:00:16.867
I've tried for six months
to get an interview,
00:00:16.900 --> 00:00:22.333
and ending up in Nebraska,
they finally said no.
00:00:22.367 --> 00:00:24.367
Well, we had to see it.
00:00:24.400 --> 00:00:28.433
I was addicted to plastic.
00:00:28.467 --> 00:00:30.800
Everything in my life
had become disposable,
00:00:30.833 --> 00:00:32.633
my food, my furniture,
00:00:32.667 --> 00:00:36.600
and as it turned out,
my girlfriend and job.
00:00:36.633 --> 00:00:39.833
I followed a trail of plastic
out to the deep ocean,
00:00:39.867 --> 00:00:43.067
and it led me on a two-year odyssey
around the world.
00:00:45.267 --> 00:00:48.167
I risked my life
on a Delhi dump.
00:00:48.200 --> 00:00:50.400
I lugged 200 pounds
of camera equipment
00:00:50.433 --> 00:00:53.000
through the Tokyo subway.
00:00:53.033 --> 00:00:57.467
I dodged exploding aerosol cans
in the Australian outback.
00:00:57.500 --> 00:01:00.967
In Holland,
I witnessed an avian autopsy.
00:01:01.000 --> 00:01:03.167
I toured the dirtiest places
on the planet
00:01:03.200 --> 00:01:05.833
and the cleanest labs
in the world.
00:01:05.867 --> 00:01:07.733
A professor of toxicology told me
00:01:07.767 --> 00:01:11.200
he and his family
have sworn off plastic bottles.
00:01:15.267 --> 00:01:18.867
The guy from a plastics PR firm
showed me a magic trick.
00:01:18.900 --> 00:01:21.400
I met a guy that lives
in a foam castle
00:01:21.433 --> 00:01:25.067
and a CEO who eats
his own plastic product.
00:01:25.100 --> 00:01:26.867
It doesn't taste
particularly attractive,
00:01:26.900 --> 00:01:27.900
but it's high-fiber.
00:01:27.933 --> 00:01:29.567
It's good for you.
00:01:29.600 --> 00:01:31.733
(Connacher) The Roman empire
may have been defeated
00:01:31.767 --> 00:01:33.633
by lead in their water pipes.
00:01:33.667 --> 00:01:34.800
And I learned that we, too,
00:01:34.833 --> 00:01:37.867
might be risking future
generations with the cheapest,
00:01:37.900 --> 00:01:41.700
strongest, most ubiquitous
material ever invented.
00:01:41.733 --> 00:01:45.233
Plastic might be
quietly poisoning us.
00:01:45.267 --> 00:01:49.000
This is my wake-up call.
00:01:56.700 --> 00:01:58.433
[laughing]
00:02:53.767 --> 00:02:56.033
I never used to think
about plastic,
00:02:56.067 --> 00:02:58.467
how much it surrounded me.
00:02:58.500 --> 00:03:02.033
But it is in everything,
00:03:02.067 --> 00:03:05.567
from my polyester sheets
to my foam flip-flops
00:03:05.600 --> 00:03:08.233
to all my toiletries.
00:03:08.267 --> 00:03:09.467
When I woke up
00:03:09.500 --> 00:03:13.767
and realized just how much
plastic I touched in a day,
00:03:13.800 --> 00:03:15.733
I knew I had to do something.
00:03:19.567 --> 00:03:22.367
Sure it's convenient,
keeps my food fresh,
00:03:22.400 --> 00:03:25.633
but what happens
beyond the recycle box?
00:03:27.800 --> 00:03:28.800
The closer I looked,
00:03:28.833 --> 00:03:32.600
the more I saw plastic
being used once and flushed
00:03:32.633 --> 00:03:36.100
like these exfoliating beads
in my soap.
00:03:40.700 --> 00:03:42.967
We absolutely need
this material.
00:03:43.000 --> 00:03:44.867
I couldn't make a film
without it.
00:03:44.900 --> 00:03:49.633
But I began to worry about
the cost of my disposable lifestyle,
00:03:49.667 --> 00:03:54.367
and I discovered virtually
no organism can degrade plastic.
00:03:54.400 --> 00:03:57.767
That means every piece that's
ever been made,
00:03:57.800 --> 00:04:00.533
except for a small amount
that's been incinerated,
00:04:00.567 --> 00:04:02.667
still exists.
00:04:04.167 --> 00:04:06.000
First stop on my journey,
00:04:06.033 --> 00:04:08.900
the place that is downhill
from everything:
00:04:08.933 --> 00:04:11.133
the deep ocean.
00:04:11.167 --> 00:04:14.100
(Moore) Plastics have become a plague
for our oceans.
00:04:14.133 --> 00:04:17.700
Our oceans are now
a plastic soup.
00:04:17.733 --> 00:04:20.433
(Connacher) For the past seven years,
Captain Charles Moore
00:04:20.467 --> 00:04:23.167
at the Algalita Marine Research Foundation
00:04:23.200 --> 00:04:26.867
has been sampling large
concentration zones of plastic
00:04:26.900 --> 00:04:29.267
in the middle
of the Pacific ocean.
00:04:29.300 --> 00:04:34.233
I was invited aboard to see this
so-called garbage patch for myself.
00:04:34.267 --> 00:04:38.433
(Moore) We're headed out to
the North Pacific Central Gyre,
00:04:38.467 --> 00:04:43.033
the Eastern Garbage Patch
as it's called.
00:04:43.067 --> 00:04:44.907
(Connacher) It took us a week
to get out there,
00:04:44.933 --> 00:04:47.567
and it's really way outside
the shipping lanes.
00:04:47.600 --> 00:04:48.600
If something happened,
00:04:48.633 --> 00:04:51.367
be it a fire
or someone went overboard,
00:04:51.400 --> 00:04:53.700
no one would help.
00:05:00.733 --> 00:05:05.100
I felt really insignificant
and very much alone.
00:05:05.133 --> 00:05:08.033
We were 1,000 miles
from the U.S. mainland
00:05:08.067 --> 00:05:13.867
in the center of something about the size
of Western Europe called a gyre.
00:05:16.033 --> 00:05:17.400
There are five gyres
in the world:
00:05:17.433 --> 00:05:19.567
North and South Atlantic,
North and South Pacific,
00:05:19.600 --> 00:05:20.800
and the Indian Ocean.
00:05:20.833 --> 00:05:25.200
These high-pressure gyres
are created by weather systems
00:05:25.233 --> 00:05:28.567
where atmosphere actually
builds up in, like, a mountain
00:05:28.600 --> 00:05:32.167
and that heavier weight of atmosphere
pushes down on the ocean's surface
00:05:32.200 --> 00:05:34.433
and actually creates
a depression near the center
00:05:34.467 --> 00:05:36.333
so that you have
a kind of a toilet bowl effect
00:05:36.367 --> 00:05:40.567
where you have swirling water
bringing debris into this central area
00:05:40.600 --> 00:05:44.567
which has a bit of downwelling -
causes an accumulation zone.
00:05:46.933 --> 00:05:50.800
(Connacher) Our destination was
the North Pacific Central Gyre
00:05:50.833 --> 00:05:53.267
or Eastern Garbage Patch,
as it's called.
00:05:57.300 --> 00:06:01.433
It didn't take long to start
to spot large plastic pieces.
00:06:13.367 --> 00:06:16.467
[laughs]
00:06:16.500 --> 00:06:18.733
(Moore)
Bucket lid.
00:06:26.867 --> 00:06:28.100
We don't shop anymore, you know.
00:06:28.133 --> 00:06:32.200
All we do is wait for things to float by.
00:06:44.667 --> 00:06:46.300
What you see
is a plastic bottle.
00:06:46.333 --> 00:06:51.233
This is easily 4,000 miles
from the Asian coast.
00:06:51.267 --> 00:06:55.767
This is the new designer
light switch cover from the gyre,
00:06:55.800 --> 00:06:59.867
gyre-style light switch cover.
00:06:59.900 --> 00:07:03.700
(man) It's quite amazing,
a fluorescent tube intact.
00:07:03.733 --> 00:07:05.767
All the barnacles
hang on that sucker.
00:07:08.367 --> 00:07:09.767
(Connacher)
We didn't sleep much.
00:07:09.800 --> 00:07:11.800
We were out here to hunt for plastic,
00:07:11.833 --> 00:07:14.267
and I immediately became hooked.
00:07:14.300 --> 00:07:16.900
It felt as if
I was cleaning the ocean.
00:07:16.933 --> 00:07:18.067
When I wasn't filming,
00:07:18.100 --> 00:07:20.600
I was on the bow
with a net in my hand
00:07:20.633 --> 00:07:26.033
and eyes scanning the horizon.
00:07:26.067 --> 00:07:30.033
I was pulling out nets, bottles,
buckets, fishing floats,
00:07:30.067 --> 00:07:34.167
a fluorescent light tube,
paint roller, plastic wrapping,
00:07:34.200 --> 00:07:35.700
all kinds of crap.
00:07:35.733 --> 00:07:39.400
In my mind, I had an image
of a floating landfill out here.
00:07:39.433 --> 00:07:40.433
But it's not that.
00:07:40.467 --> 00:07:43.267
It's a chunk here,
a piece there.
00:07:43.300 --> 00:07:45.067
When you do it for an hour
00:07:45.100 --> 00:07:48.900
and realize just now small the
section is you're able to search
00:07:48.933 --> 00:07:52.233
and the fact that only half
of all plastics float,
00:07:52.267 --> 00:07:53.667
you begin to get a sense
00:07:53.700 --> 00:07:57.167
of just how much plastic
must be out here.
00:08:01.733 --> 00:08:03.533
(Moore) The amounts
that we find of debris
00:08:03.567 --> 00:08:06.700
have to be multiplied
by the millions
00:08:06.733 --> 00:08:10.400
to get any kind of an idea
of what's actually out there.
00:08:17.067 --> 00:08:20.800
Bet this is brittle.
00:08:20.833 --> 00:08:26.300
Oh, yeah, very brittle,
just very, very brittle.
00:08:27.500 --> 00:08:29.067
(Connacher)
According to Charlie,
00:08:29.100 --> 00:08:31.633
larger pieces
like this styrofoam
00:08:31.667 --> 00:08:33.633
are able to stay afloat
for decades
00:08:33.667 --> 00:08:37.100
and accumulate barnacles, crabs,
and other marine life.
00:08:41.367 --> 00:08:44.100
How serious does
the plastic industry
00:08:44.133 --> 00:08:47.833
take this problem
of ocean debris?
00:08:47.867 --> 00:08:49.333
Well, it's a huge problem,
00:08:49.367 --> 00:08:51.633
and we take it
very, very seriously.
00:08:51.667 --> 00:08:54.567
I firmly believe that
it has to do with education.
00:08:54.600 --> 00:08:57.433
It has to do
with getting them to see
00:08:57.467 --> 00:09:04.300
that their behavior is resulting
in these dead albatrosses.
00:09:04.333 --> 00:09:07.233
Their behavior is resulting
in this ugly beach
00:09:07.267 --> 00:09:08.767
that I don't want to go to.
00:09:08.800 --> 00:09:13.300
Their behavior is - I mean, it -
and that comes in our -
00:09:13.333 --> 00:09:14.867
you know,
it comes from our families,
00:09:14.900 --> 00:09:16.933
it comes from our schools,
comes from our churches,
00:09:16.967 --> 00:09:20.933
comes from everywhere where we can be
exposed to the idea that we can't be a pig.
00:09:23.067 --> 00:09:26.600
(Connacher) While a lot of the debris does
come from the fishing industry,
00:09:26.633 --> 00:09:29.833
80% actually originates
from land,
00:09:29.867 --> 00:09:32.300
gets in our gutters,
blows in our rivers,
00:09:32.333 --> 00:09:34.133
and eventually reaches the ocean.
00:09:38.167 --> 00:09:41.300
But not everything
could be scooped up in my net.
00:09:41.333 --> 00:09:42.333
When I went swimming
00:09:42.367 --> 00:09:44.833
or every time
I looked over the side,
00:09:44.867 --> 00:09:48.800
I saw small plastic bits
like confetti in the water.
00:09:48.833 --> 00:09:51.067
Sunlight and waves
break up plastic
00:09:51.100 --> 00:09:53.267
but only into smaller bits,
00:09:53.300 --> 00:09:56.433
bits that remain plastic.
00:10:00.867 --> 00:10:03.367
Captain Moore had a device
called a Manta Trawl,
00:10:03.400 --> 00:10:06.500
which could collect
these smaller pieces.
00:10:09.967 --> 00:10:12.733
And when he emptied
the trawls into jars,
00:10:12.767 --> 00:10:16.667
I could see why Charlie called
the ocean a plastic soup.
00:10:22.533 --> 00:10:25.733
Some plastic can resemble food
for marine life
00:10:25.767 --> 00:10:29.000
like these small red chunks
that resemble shrimp
00:10:29.033 --> 00:10:31.967
or little pellets
that look like fish eggs.
00:10:32.000 --> 00:10:33.400
(Moore)
These are the things that -
00:10:33.433 --> 00:10:35.233
all plastic objects
starts their life
00:10:35.267 --> 00:10:39.500
as one of these nurdles
or pellets or plastic resin beads.
00:10:51.633 --> 00:10:54.033
(Connacher)
This is Nelly the nurdle.
00:10:54.067 --> 00:10:58.067
She, like the rest of her family,
are resin beads.
00:10:58.100 --> 00:10:59.867
They're the building blocks for plastic,
00:10:59.900 --> 00:11:02.833
the DNA of bottles,
bags, and bumpers.
00:11:02.867 --> 00:11:03.867
(all)
Whee!
00:11:03.900 --> 00:11:04.900
Woo-hoo!
00:11:04.933 --> 00:11:08.333
(Connacher) The nurdles are vacuum hosed
into railcars
00:11:08.367 --> 00:11:10.700
and shipped
to plastic factories.
00:11:10.733 --> 00:11:12.300
At this point
in their life cycle,
00:11:12.333 --> 00:11:15.433
nurdles have the potential
to become anything.
00:11:17.667 --> 00:11:19.233
What are you gonna be?
00:11:19.267 --> 00:11:20.733
I'm gonna be part of a computer.
00:11:20.767 --> 00:11:22.133
I'm gonna be a lunch box.
00:11:22.167 --> 00:11:23.400
I'm gonna be a fire engine.
00:11:23.433 --> 00:11:25.633
I'm gonna be part of a guitar.
00:11:25.667 --> 00:11:26.667
I'm gonna be a race car.
00:11:26.700 --> 00:11:28.400
I'm gonna be a cell phone.
00:11:28.433 --> 00:11:29.433
(all)
Woo-hoo!
00:11:29.467 --> 00:11:30.467
Whee!
00:11:30.500 --> 00:11:33.633
(Connacher) Sadly, Ned won't have
the chance.
00:11:33.667 --> 00:11:35.933
Oh, no, Ned!
00:11:35.967 --> 00:11:37.800
Nelly, Nelly!
00:11:37.833 --> 00:11:38.933
Nelly.
00:11:44.933 --> 00:11:48.000
[shouting]
00:12:03.700 --> 00:12:06.300
(Moore) We're gonna use this to
calculate the ratio
00:12:06.333 --> 00:12:08.867
of plastic to plankton
by weight,
00:12:08.900 --> 00:12:12.267
which is the way that we compare
the available food
00:12:12.300 --> 00:12:14.900
to the amount of plastic
that's in the sample.
00:12:14.933 --> 00:12:16.373
In this one,
I think we're gonna find
00:12:16.400 --> 00:12:21.167
that the ratio is greater
than 10 to 1 of plastic to plankton.
00:12:22.933 --> 00:12:27.767
(Connacher) Ten times more plastic
than naturally occurring food.
00:12:27.800 --> 00:12:29.133
Disgusting.
00:12:29.167 --> 00:12:30.433
How could we come here,
00:12:30.467 --> 00:12:32.600
to one of the most
remote places on Earth,
00:12:32.633 --> 00:12:35.267
and find more plastic
than organisms?
00:12:35.300 --> 00:12:37.800
How did all this plastic
get out here?
00:12:37.833 --> 00:12:41.600
Well, turns out
it was 100 years in the making.
00:12:46.667 --> 00:12:50.333
In the late 1800s
and early 20th century,
00:12:50.367 --> 00:12:52.100
a variety of plastics,
00:12:52.133 --> 00:12:54.267
many of which
we still use today,
00:12:54.300 --> 00:12:55.400
were developed to address
00:12:55.433 --> 00:12:58.333
the depletion
of natural resource stocks.
00:12:58.367 --> 00:13:02.400
Chemists were looking
for alternatives to ivory, horn,
00:13:02.433 --> 00:13:04.933
shellac, rubber, cork, silk,
00:13:04.967 --> 00:13:08.767
and many other natural materials
that were becoming scarce.
00:13:08.800 --> 00:13:12.433
They discovered how to transform
the by-products of oil refining
00:13:12.467 --> 00:13:15.633
and coal distillation
into a synthetic material
00:13:15.667 --> 00:13:19.267
that could be shaped
into objects, films, coatings,
00:13:19.300 --> 00:13:21.067
textiles, adhesives,
00:13:21.100 --> 00:13:24.467
and that malleability
is what makes plastic...
00:13:24.500 --> 00:13:25.767
[together]
Plastic!
00:13:25.800 --> 00:13:26.800
Plastic.
00:13:26.933 --> 00:13:28.800
- Plastic.
- Plastic.
00:13:28.833 --> 00:13:30.067
Plastic, man, come on.
00:13:30.100 --> 00:13:31.667
[together]
Plastic.
00:13:31.700 --> 00:13:34.000
Plastic, plastic,
plastic, plastic.
00:13:34.033 --> 00:13:35.467
So what's it known for?
00:13:35.500 --> 00:13:39.400
It's known for its durability.
00:13:39.433 --> 00:13:40.633
It's acid resistant.
00:13:40.667 --> 00:13:43.767
You know, as I say, it's made
from the molecular level up.
00:13:43.800 --> 00:13:48.133
So every particular application
is made -
00:13:48.167 --> 00:13:51.233
tailor-made for that
particular application.
00:13:51.267 --> 00:13:53.900
(Sullivan) I think plastic
is a fabulous material
00:13:53.933 --> 00:13:56.800
that can do all kinds of things
from heart valves
00:13:56.833 --> 00:14:00.767
to plastic bags to bottles.
00:14:00.800 --> 00:14:04.233
(man) You can design plastics
to be adhesive, to be degradable,
00:14:04.267 --> 00:14:07.200
to release drugs,
to grow cells on.
00:14:12.267 --> 00:14:15.667
(Krebs) The plastics of today
are not the plastics of your grandfather.
00:14:21.500 --> 00:14:23.033
(woman)
It's beautiful.
00:14:23.067 --> 00:14:25.567
You know, you can buy everything
you can find
00:14:25.600 --> 00:14:28.300
for almost everything in plastic,
00:14:28.333 --> 00:14:30.900
and you say, "Oh, this is nice."
00:14:30.933 --> 00:14:35.733
(Walters) I feel it's probably been
very important for humanity
00:14:35.767 --> 00:14:37.033
over the last 50 years
in terms -
00:14:37.067 --> 00:14:40.967
it's allowed us to achieve
incredible things.
00:14:41.000 --> 00:14:45.133
(Krebs) It can change with our styles
and with our civilization.
00:14:45.167 --> 00:14:46.533
It can change with tastes.
00:14:46.567 --> 00:14:47.967
It can change its color.
00:14:48.000 --> 00:14:52.033
It's the modern clay.
00:14:52.067 --> 00:14:56.033
(Connacher) World War II increased the
demand for plastics around the world,
00:14:56.067 --> 00:15:00.767
bringing these early materials
into mainstream production.
00:15:00.800 --> 00:15:02.900
(Moore)
That productivity,
00:15:02.933 --> 00:15:06.767
which had to be high
to supply all the war needs,
00:15:06.800 --> 00:15:09.967
then when the war ended,
needed to have a civilian outlet
00:15:10.000 --> 00:15:11.700
to keep those factories in business.
00:15:15.067 --> 00:15:19.033
(Connacher) Postwar, Buicks replaced tanks
on assembly lines,
00:15:19.067 --> 00:15:23.267
and plastic output was aimed
at the optimistic postwar consumer,
00:15:23.300 --> 00:15:25.767
who didn't want
to conserve and ration anymore
00:15:25.800 --> 00:15:29.233
and was happy to buy into
a lifestyle being sold to them:
00:15:29.267 --> 00:15:33.033
variety, leisure time,
freedom from drudgery,
00:15:33.067 --> 00:15:36.667
consumption, disposability.
00:15:36.700 --> 00:15:39.967
A stream of colorful
and inexpensive plastic items
00:15:40.000 --> 00:15:43.967
were pouring
into the new suburban home.
00:15:44.000 --> 00:15:45.000
(woman)
Hear that?
00:15:45.033 --> 00:15:47.067
That's Tupperware's
airtight promise
00:15:47.100 --> 00:15:49.367
to lock in flavor
and lock out air.
00:15:52.767 --> 00:15:54.700
(Krebs)
They rushed to market with it.
00:15:54.733 --> 00:15:57.000
So, you know, there would be
somebody who rushed to market
00:15:57.033 --> 00:15:59.200
with pink flamingos
or with a hula hoop.
00:15:59.233 --> 00:16:01.333
Animal, vegetable, or mineral?
00:16:01.367 --> 00:16:03.333
I hadn't thought of that before.
00:16:03.367 --> 00:16:08.033
Maybe this little thimble
belongs to a kingdom all of its own,
00:16:08.067 --> 00:16:11.633
the fourth kingdom,
the kingdom of plastics.
00:16:11.667 --> 00:16:15.067
In 1955, Life magazine
published an article
00:16:15.100 --> 00:16:16.400
called Throwaway Living,
00:16:16.433 --> 00:16:19.500
and it had a picture
of a nuclear family,
00:16:19.533 --> 00:16:21.367
the mother, the father,
and the child.
00:16:21.400 --> 00:16:24.333
The thesis of the article was,
if we just use once and toss,
00:16:24.367 --> 00:16:25.933
Mom won't have to
clean up the dishes.
00:16:25.967 --> 00:16:28.567
She can be liberated to have
a more fulfilling life,
00:16:28.600 --> 00:16:31.167
to work with the kids,
to be with Dad.
00:16:34.300 --> 00:16:37.467
(Connacher) With connotations
of the fake and the inauthentic,
00:16:37.500 --> 00:16:40.300
plastic became a rallying cry
for a generation
00:16:40.333 --> 00:16:43.467
fed up with what they saw
as a culture of artifice.
00:16:43.500 --> 00:16:46.767
But it didn't stop people
from buying it up in droves.
00:16:46.800 --> 00:16:50.000
From PVC-coated diapers
to polyester clothing,
00:16:50.033 --> 00:16:52.233
styrofoam burger containers,
00:16:52.267 --> 00:16:54.933
plastic was known
as cheap and disposable,
00:16:54.967 --> 00:16:57.733
and so quickly,
it became invisible.
00:16:57.767 --> 00:17:00.067
By 1979 in the U.S.,
00:17:00.100 --> 00:17:03.600
they were making more plastic than steel.
00:17:08.200 --> 00:17:11.100
At night,
the gyre comes to life.
00:17:11.133 --> 00:17:12.267
Every evening,
00:17:12.300 --> 00:17:15.433
one of the largest migrations
of life on Earth occurs
00:17:15.467 --> 00:17:20.300
as jellyfish and planktonic
organisms rise from the depths to feed,
00:17:20.333 --> 00:17:23.000
and because they filter about
half of the water column
00:17:23.033 --> 00:17:25.867
through their bodies
every single day,
00:17:25.900 --> 00:17:29.167
they are excellent indicators
of plastic ingestion.
00:17:46.433 --> 00:17:50.167
So plastic gets into the ocean
and it's mistaken for food.
00:17:50.200 --> 00:17:52.433
It's tough and hard to digest.
00:17:52.467 --> 00:17:54.367
But it gets worse.
00:17:54.400 --> 00:17:58.033
By its nature,
plastic accumulates oily pollutants
00:17:58.067 --> 00:18:00.300
such as pesticides
and herbicides
00:18:00.333 --> 00:18:02.700
that flow downstream from farms,
00:18:02.733 --> 00:18:05.767
and that can't be good news for Ned.
00:18:08.433 --> 00:18:09.767
Oh, man.
00:18:09.800 --> 00:18:13.233
(Connacher) Nurdles tend to attract
pollutants in the water.
00:18:13.267 --> 00:18:16.800
Hey, you don't look so good, Ned.
00:18:16.833 --> 00:18:20.867
(Connacher) 10% of ocean plastic
is made up of nurdles,
00:18:20.900 --> 00:18:24.333
and nurdles can resemble fish
eggs that are eaten by animals
00:18:24.367 --> 00:18:26.400
which mistake them for food.
00:18:26.433 --> 00:18:27.967
Hey, buddy?
00:18:28.000 --> 00:18:29.000
Buddy?
00:18:29.033 --> 00:18:30.567
[shouts]
00:18:30.600 --> 00:18:33.967
(Connacher) And when a larger animal eats
lots of smaller creatures
00:18:34.000 --> 00:18:36.200
that have all eaten infected nurdles,
00:18:36.233 --> 00:18:38.867
we get something called
bioaccumulation,
00:18:38.900 --> 00:18:42.300
which moves all the way up
the food chain to us.
00:18:42.333 --> 00:18:43.667
Everyone stay together.
00:18:43.700 --> 00:18:45.900
Stay together
and we'll be all right.
00:18:45.933 --> 00:18:48.333
Oh, no.
00:18:48.367 --> 00:18:50.133
He's got me.
00:18:50.167 --> 00:18:51.700
Fight, Ned, fight!
00:18:51.733 --> 00:18:56.700
(Ned) Whew, man, that was close.
00:18:56.733 --> 00:19:00.067
Uh, guys?
00:19:07.867 --> 00:19:12.200
(Connacher) Captain Moore's attempt to quantify
the amount of plastic out here in the gyre
00:19:12.233 --> 00:19:16.600
has since got the attention
of environmental juggernaut Greenpeace.
00:19:16.633 --> 00:19:19.800
Their Zodiacs,
famous for dodging whaling harpoons,
00:19:19.833 --> 00:19:23.200
are now being used for plastic retrieval.
00:19:26.733 --> 00:19:29.367
(man)
Looks like it's been used as a bailer.
00:19:41.833 --> 00:19:43.233
If you look at this,
00:19:43.267 --> 00:19:45.500
you can see the water's now coming out of,
00:19:45.533 --> 00:19:49.700
I'd say,
bite marks from something.
00:19:49.733 --> 00:19:51.633
I'd say it was a little shark.
00:20:32.633 --> 00:20:36.467
Like Captain Moore's Manta Trawl
but on a larger scale,
00:20:36.500 --> 00:20:40.000
the aptly named Yellow Thing
is Greenpeace's solution
00:20:40.033 --> 00:20:42.333
for collecting
the tiny fragments of debris
00:20:42.367 --> 00:20:46.367
that are churned up by waves.
00:20:46.400 --> 00:20:48.100
(Walters)
I guess I've always been aware
00:20:48.133 --> 00:20:51.767
of plastic floating on the ocean
from, well, ever.
00:20:51.800 --> 00:20:53.733
I remember as a small kid
going to the beach
00:20:53.767 --> 00:20:55.600
and finding all sorts
of interesting things
00:20:55.633 --> 00:20:57.267
to look at and play with.
00:20:57.300 --> 00:21:01.667
However, once I got out here
and started sampling,
00:21:01.700 --> 00:21:03.767
it was incredible
what we were finding.
00:21:03.800 --> 00:21:06.000
I mean - and it was the same for the crew.
00:21:06.033 --> 00:21:07.600
I mean, this water looks pristine.
00:21:07.633 --> 00:21:10.033
This is just -
just as good as it gets.
00:21:10.067 --> 00:21:12.333
We don't see how -
we hardly see anything out here.
00:21:12.367 --> 00:21:15.000
But once you get down there
and once you have a look,
00:21:15.033 --> 00:21:20.467
and you find that the entire
surface is covered with plastic.
00:21:20.500 --> 00:21:22.033
(Connacher)
It seemed like my food
00:21:22.067 --> 00:21:23.900
was looking more and more like plastic
00:21:23.933 --> 00:21:27.967
and the plastic out in the ocean
was looking more and more like food.
00:21:28.000 --> 00:21:33.067
But how widespread is this
problem of animal ingestion?
00:21:43.733 --> 00:21:48.000
Google told me about a biologist
named Dr. Jan van Franeker,
00:21:48.033 --> 00:21:50.600
who had voluntarily been
dissecting the stomachs
00:21:50.633 --> 00:21:53.233
of seabirds
from around the world.
00:21:53.267 --> 00:21:57.133
I was offered a front-row seat
at the autopsy of a fulmar,
00:21:57.167 --> 00:22:00.667
a bird that spends
most of its life at sea.
00:22:02.567 --> 00:22:05.933
I asked Jan to show me around
his home island of Texel.
00:22:05.967 --> 00:22:10.333
I was expecting to see plastic -
by now I knew there'd be plastic -
00:22:10.367 --> 00:22:11.533
but I wasn't prepared
00:22:11.567 --> 00:22:14.433
for how much there was
on the local beaches.
00:22:14.467 --> 00:22:16.800
Much as I wanted to stay
and clean it up,
00:22:16.833 --> 00:22:20.600
Dr. Franeker explained
how much washed up every day
00:22:20.633 --> 00:22:22.367
and that it was a losing battle.
00:22:22.400 --> 00:22:26.533
(Franker)
"Whiskas Cat Milk."
00:22:26.567 --> 00:22:29.100
A special type of waste bag.
00:22:29.133 --> 00:22:31.933
You can calculate it
on the beaches here,
00:22:31.967 --> 00:22:35.600
about 7 to 8 kilograms
of litter washes ashore
00:22:35.633 --> 00:22:38.967
on every kilometer of beach every day.
00:22:41.600 --> 00:22:45.900
(Connacher) 90% of the birds
that Jan dissects reveal plastic.
00:22:45.933 --> 00:22:49.633
The average amount found
is 0.6 grams, which for a human,
00:22:49.667 --> 00:22:51.833
is about the size of a lunch box.
00:22:51.867 --> 00:22:54.867
The most extreme example
is 20 grams.
00:22:54.900 --> 00:22:59.400
That would be about 2 kilograms
of plastic, which is...
00:22:59.433 --> 00:23:00.800
really a lot.
00:23:00.833 --> 00:23:05.133
(Connacher) Until Jan opened up the bird
and pulled out a piece of hard plastic,
00:23:05.167 --> 00:23:06.500
it didn't really hit me.
00:23:06.533 --> 00:23:09.500
(Franeker) I'll cut it open
and rinse it out.
00:23:09.533 --> 00:23:13.533
Fragments of some
fairly hard plastic item.
00:23:15.767 --> 00:23:18.067
Industrial granule,
00:23:18.100 --> 00:23:22.700
big fragments
of yellowish plastic in there.
00:23:22.733 --> 00:23:24.833
Quite a lot, this one.
00:23:24.867 --> 00:23:26.700
This is a lot of plastic.
00:23:26.733 --> 00:23:31.133
This is above average,
just over a gram I suppose,
00:23:31.167 --> 00:23:33.400
and different types
of use of plastics,
00:23:33.433 --> 00:23:38.733
so foam,
very small pieces of plastic bags.
00:23:38.767 --> 00:23:42.067
(Connacher) Jan told me that having
all that plastic in the gut
00:23:42.100 --> 00:23:45.333
can affect body condition
and breeding success.
00:23:45.367 --> 00:23:46.467
Like Captain Moore,
00:23:46.500 --> 00:23:49.267
Jan feared the chemicals
that plastic absorbed
00:23:49.300 --> 00:23:51.700
could be harming the birds
more severely
00:23:51.733 --> 00:23:54.633
than a chunk
lodged in their stomach.
00:23:54.667 --> 00:23:58.800
(Franeker) These fulmars, indeed,
ingest all that sort of stuff
00:23:58.833 --> 00:24:04.667
and undoubtedly extract part
of it into their blood system,
00:24:04.700 --> 00:24:09.367
and there's definitely
harmful chemicals among that.
00:24:16.467 --> 00:24:19.467
[rousing rock music]
00:24:19.500 --> 00:24:27.500
♪ ♪
00:24:32.567 --> 00:24:37.733
(man)
♪ There's nothing new under the sun now ♪
00:24:37.767 --> 00:24:42.000
♪ But not to worry
'cause we'll make it somehow ♪
00:24:42.033 --> 00:24:45.233
♪ 'cause it's never enough ♪
00:24:45.267 --> 00:24:48.000
♪ It's never enough ♪
00:24:48.033 --> 00:24:49.367
♪ Rushing in ♪
00:24:49.400 --> 00:24:50.733
♪ Running out ♪
00:24:50.767 --> 00:24:53.900
(Connacher) Dr. Hideshige Takada
took me to a local beach
00:24:53.933 --> 00:24:55.900
where in only half an hour
00:24:55.933 --> 00:24:59.133
we were able to collect
over 400 nurdles.
00:24:59.167 --> 00:25:01.033
Local volunteers
who were already here
00:25:01.067 --> 00:25:03.100
and busy performing
a beach cleanup
00:25:03.133 --> 00:25:06.500
were more than happy
to pitch in and help.
00:25:06.533 --> 00:25:07.533
Back at his lab,
00:25:07.567 --> 00:25:10.100
Hideshige showed us the long
and complicated process
00:25:10.133 --> 00:25:13.700
for how he analyzes
the chemicals absorbed by plastic.
00:25:13.733 --> 00:25:16.367
It was mostly
beyond my comprehension,
00:25:16.400 --> 00:25:18.900
but I understood
one important detail.
00:25:35.033 --> 00:25:36.033
In other words,
00:25:36.067 --> 00:25:38.667
all those chemicals in the ocean
remain diluted
00:25:38.700 --> 00:25:41.367
until they come into contact
with plastic.
00:25:41.400 --> 00:25:45.033
With a million times more chemicals
than the surrounding seawater,
00:25:45.067 --> 00:25:48.933
these insignificant bits of confetti
become poison pills
00:25:48.967 --> 00:25:51.333
available to the whole food chain.
00:25:51.367 --> 00:25:53.467
It's something
I won't soon forget,
00:25:53.500 --> 00:25:56.433
especially when frying up
my tuna steak.
00:25:59.667 --> 00:26:01.000
But wait a second.
00:26:01.033 --> 00:26:04.067
I fill my recycle box
with plastic every week.
00:26:04.100 --> 00:26:05.800
In fact, I fill three of them.
00:26:05.833 --> 00:26:09.367
Wasn't recycling supposed
to save us from all of this?
00:26:20.467 --> 00:26:24.333
In my hometown of Toronto,
we have a citywide recycling program
00:26:24.367 --> 00:26:27.733
that handles our paper,
glass, metal, plastic,
00:26:27.767 --> 00:26:29.000
and kitchen waste.
00:26:29.033 --> 00:26:31.833
So what exactly
are we throwing away?
00:26:31.867 --> 00:26:35.300
Well, it turns out the majority
of recycling in North America
00:26:35.333 --> 00:26:38.700
only consists of number one
and number two plastics,
00:26:38.733 --> 00:26:42.800
and of those, it's less than 40%
that get recycled.
00:26:42.833 --> 00:26:44.433
The rest go to landfill,
00:26:44.467 --> 00:26:48.933
where it sits with food scraps
and newspapers for centuries.
00:26:48.967 --> 00:26:50.633
Nothing can degrade
in a landfill
00:26:50.667 --> 00:26:52.733
because it's
hermetically sealed.
00:26:52.767 --> 00:26:55.267
Without oxygen
and the right microorganisms,
00:26:55.300 --> 00:26:57.367
nothing will go away.
00:26:58.367 --> 00:26:59.667
The first problem is,
00:26:59.700 --> 00:27:02.767
plastic's lightweight
but doesn't compress.
00:27:02.800 --> 00:27:05.967
So it takes up a lot of space
both in the recycle bin
00:27:06.000 --> 00:27:07.333
and on the trucks.
00:27:07.367 --> 00:27:09.567
Then there's the issue
of mixed plastics.
00:27:09.600 --> 00:27:13.433
Because manufacturers and recyclers
don't go bowling together,
00:27:13.467 --> 00:27:14.900
recyclers can never predict
00:27:14.933 --> 00:27:19.633
the types of products
they're likely to receive.
00:27:19.667 --> 00:27:23.567
(Bartlett) You know, you'll see
a high-density polyethylene container
00:27:23.600 --> 00:27:25.300
with a polypropylene top
00:27:25.333 --> 00:27:28.400
or with an aluminum cap
with a steel ring on it.
00:27:28.433 --> 00:27:30.600
And it - you know,
that really poses a challenge
00:27:30.633 --> 00:27:32.067
from a recycling standpoint.
00:27:32.100 --> 00:27:35.267
You don't - haven't got now
one product that you can send off
00:27:35.300 --> 00:27:36.500
to be turned into a new product.
00:27:36.533 --> 00:27:39.833
It's one product that's
got six different types of plastics
00:27:39.867 --> 00:27:42.300
and a couple different types
of new metals on it,
00:27:42.333 --> 00:27:43.567
throw it on your blue box.
00:27:43.600 --> 00:27:46.700
But we'll see it,
and all of a sudden we get calls from our -
00:27:46.733 --> 00:27:49.500
from our end users of bales
that we sent off, saying,
00:27:49.533 --> 00:27:50.700
"What is this product?"
00:27:50.733 --> 00:27:53.433
And now, you know,
we're forced to go back
00:27:53.467 --> 00:27:55.200
and tell residents
we can't accept it.
00:27:55.233 --> 00:27:58.233
That creates a whole problem
with the manufacturers saying,
00:27:58.267 --> 00:27:59.400
"Hey, you know what?
00:27:59.433 --> 00:28:01.967
"You know, it's got most of this
product that's recyclable.
00:28:02.000 --> 00:28:04.133
You know, it's not 100%,
but you should take it."
00:28:04.167 --> 00:28:07.867
Here's one that's got
a polypropylene washer on it.
00:28:07.900 --> 00:28:12.500
You can see some of these little caps
that are attached to it.
00:28:12.533 --> 00:28:14.433
You know, you see
little containers like this
00:28:14.467 --> 00:28:17.433
that have different
little snouts and caps
00:28:17.467 --> 00:28:19.667
that are a completely
different type of plastic.
00:28:19.700 --> 00:28:21.700
So, you know,
there still is that disconnect,
00:28:21.733 --> 00:28:24.567
and I think, you know,
we need to really address that.
00:28:29.100 --> 00:28:30.967
(Connacher)
So who's doing it right?
00:28:31.000 --> 00:28:34.867
With a plastic bottle
recycling rate of over 90%,
00:28:34.900 --> 00:28:37.800
Denmark seemed like a good place to start.
00:28:39.100 --> 00:28:42.167
Step one, you put the bottle
in the machine.
00:28:49.467 --> 00:28:53.200
(Connacher) The obvious incentive
for the Danes is deposit return.
00:28:53.233 --> 00:28:55.100
By placing a value
on these products,
00:28:55.133 --> 00:29:00.533
they ensure there is very little
visible plastic pollution.
00:29:00.567 --> 00:29:03.600
The bottles end up
in state-run recycling depots
00:29:03.633 --> 00:29:06.400
where they are sorted
and returned to the manufacturer,
00:29:06.433 --> 00:29:08.567
like Carlsberg and Coke.
00:29:11.167 --> 00:29:13.267
Coke even cleans
their plastic bottles
00:29:13.300 --> 00:29:16.800
so they can be reused
up to 20 times.
00:29:24.467 --> 00:29:26.667
And while the system
is efficient,
00:29:26.700 --> 00:29:28.900
it is only certain bottles.
00:29:28.933 --> 00:29:31.967
The remainder of Danish plastic waste
goes to this guy,
00:29:32.000 --> 00:29:33.833
who grinds it up for flower pots
00:29:33.867 --> 00:29:36.567
and other
functional plastic items.
00:29:43.133 --> 00:29:46.533
So far, cities are failing
miserably at recycling.
00:29:46.567 --> 00:29:50.733
Somewhere in the process
of collection, sorting, and reprocessing,
00:29:50.767 --> 00:29:52.533
city recyclers are powerless
00:29:52.567 --> 00:29:55.233
to keep up with the flood
of plastic designs.
00:29:55.267 --> 00:29:58.567
With glass, we only have green,
clear, and brown.
00:29:58.600 --> 00:30:00.700
With plastic, it's limitless.
00:30:00.733 --> 00:30:04.000
Even the Danes admit
that more and more one-way plastic bottles
00:30:04.033 --> 00:30:05.300
are hitting the market,
00:30:05.333 --> 00:30:08.800
with other used plastics
mainly going to incinerators.
00:30:18.133 --> 00:30:22.000
Of course, I couldn't visit
Denmark on my plastic odyssey
00:30:22.033 --> 00:30:25.200
without visiting
a childhood friend.
00:31:14.667 --> 00:31:16.767
I was hoping
they would let me into the factory
00:31:16.800 --> 00:31:19.400
and leave me there
for a few hours to play with the bricks.
00:31:19.433 --> 00:31:23.800
Instead, they showed me
robotic assembly lines of plastic torsos,
00:31:23.833 --> 00:31:25.967
which was almost as fun.
00:31:26.000 --> 00:31:28.233
I learned they gave up PVC in the '80s,
00:31:28.267 --> 00:31:32.600
and they recycle any Lego pieces
that contain flaws.
00:31:32.633 --> 00:31:35.500
But I still found examples
of plastic pollution
00:31:35.533 --> 00:31:39.033
in the form of nurdles
and ground-up plastic flakes.
00:31:39.067 --> 00:31:42.033
On the other hand,
who throws away Lego?
00:31:42.067 --> 00:31:45.067
I'm after the disposable stuff.
00:31:55.500 --> 00:31:59.100
In Houston, Texas,
I found Henry Sullivan.
00:31:59.133 --> 00:32:02.067
When the city decided
to stop its recycling program,
00:32:02.100 --> 00:32:03.967
Henry picked up the slack.
00:32:04.000 --> 00:32:07.833
His company, TieTek,
takes any and all waste plastic,
00:32:07.867 --> 00:32:11.633
melts it down,
and forms it into one single product:
00:32:11.667 --> 00:32:13.133
railroad ties,
00:32:13.167 --> 00:32:17.267
which he then sells
to railroad companies around the world.
00:32:17.300 --> 00:32:22.733
(Sullivan) There are more than 15 million
railroad ties a year
00:32:22.767 --> 00:32:26.133
installed every single year
in North America.
00:32:26.167 --> 00:32:29.333
(Connacher) In addition to accepting
industrial waste plastic
00:32:29.367 --> 00:32:33.300
like pallets, medicinal bottles,
tires, and police tape,
00:32:33.333 --> 00:32:35.733
his neighbors also came calling.
00:32:35.767 --> 00:32:39.500
(Sullivan) One of my neighbors
read about what we do,
00:32:39.533 --> 00:32:41.067
came to the house, and said,
00:32:41.100 --> 00:32:43.867
"I used to recycle,
and I really believe in it,
00:32:43.900 --> 00:32:46.300
"but I stopped doing it
because no one cared.
00:32:46.333 --> 00:32:48.400
Can you use plastic?"
00:32:48.433 --> 00:32:52.000
And I said, "Yeah."
00:32:52.033 --> 00:32:54.300
(Connacher) They're supposed to last
longer than wood,
00:32:54.333 --> 00:32:56.133
are impervious to termites,
00:32:56.167 --> 00:32:58.533
and can be recycled
again and again.
00:32:58.567 --> 00:33:03.400
Best of all, every railroad tie
in the world is the same size.
00:33:03.433 --> 00:33:07.433
That means just one mold.
00:33:07.467 --> 00:33:11.100
(Sullivan) The true social cost of this
stuff going in the waste site
00:33:11.133 --> 00:33:14.667
is borne by the taxpayers
and the public.
00:33:14.700 --> 00:33:18.467
It's not a neat budget line item
in the federal budget,
00:33:18.500 --> 00:33:21.200
but it's a big social cost.
00:33:21.233 --> 00:33:26.267
If we told people that we were
going to plant 20,000 trees next year
00:33:26.300 --> 00:33:31.167
and take hundreds of millions
of plastic bottles and plastic bags
00:33:31.200 --> 00:33:32.733
out of the environment
00:33:32.767 --> 00:33:36.667
and consume 750,000 tires,
00:33:36.700 --> 00:33:39.233
that would be a very nice
environmental story.
00:33:39.267 --> 00:33:41.633
We're going to do that
00:33:41.667 --> 00:33:44.233
not because we're
environmental good guys.
00:33:44.267 --> 00:33:48.500
That's actually the best source
of raw materials for what we do.
00:33:57.700 --> 00:34:02.400
(Connacher) Another business using
a ton of plastic is agriculture,
00:34:02.433 --> 00:34:04.133
and driving through farm country,
00:34:04.167 --> 00:34:06.133
it wasn't hard to see.
00:34:06.167 --> 00:34:09.967
In Oregon, mountains of twine
from hay bales, flower trays,
00:34:10.000 --> 00:34:11.900
and an assortment
of plastic sheeting
00:34:11.933 --> 00:34:15.833
are all being diverted
to Allen Jongsma of Agri-Plas.
00:34:15.867 --> 00:34:19.567
He processes 18 million tons
of plastic a year,
00:34:19.600 --> 00:34:22.733
about 15% of the state's waste.
00:34:30.400 --> 00:34:32.967
The twine is ground up
and packed into cubes
00:34:33.000 --> 00:34:36.300
that will later be turned into
bumpers and truck liners.
00:34:36.333 --> 00:34:39.767
Flower trays are chewed up into flakes
and shipped to manufacturers
00:34:39.800 --> 00:34:43.233
to be turned into
more flower trays and pots.
00:34:43.267 --> 00:34:45.100
As long as those pots
can be recycled
00:34:45.133 --> 00:34:46.867
or get here to our facility,
00:34:46.900 --> 00:34:50.267
that circle can go around
and around and around for a long time.
00:34:51.633 --> 00:34:53.700
(Connacher)
I always thought that recycling meant
00:34:53.733 --> 00:34:56.400
that an item was supposed to be used
again and again
00:34:56.433 --> 00:34:58.267
without changing form.
00:34:58.300 --> 00:35:00.567
But is using a percentage
of recycled material
00:35:00.600 --> 00:35:03.467
in my flower pot
really recycling,
00:35:03.500 --> 00:35:07.433
or melting down a whole bunch
of plastic into just one product?
00:35:07.467 --> 00:35:11.233
Is turning bottles into plastic sheeting
and packaging really recycling,
00:35:11.267 --> 00:35:12.900
or is it downcycling,
00:35:12.933 --> 00:35:16.233
turning one product
into an inferior product?
00:35:16.267 --> 00:35:20.733
Downcycling doesn't stop
new plastic items from being made.
00:35:21.733 --> 00:35:23.667
My head was starting to hurt.
00:35:23.700 --> 00:35:25.600
I felt like I'd hit a wall.
00:35:25.633 --> 00:35:28.433
I needed to recycle some beer.
00:35:38.800 --> 00:35:42.633
There was one company I knew for sure
was taking recycling seriously.
00:35:42.667 --> 00:35:46.167
For years, Patagonia has made
their popular fleece jackets
00:35:46.200 --> 00:35:48.033
out of recycled bottles.
00:35:48.067 --> 00:35:50.300
That didn't sound like downcycling.
00:35:50.333 --> 00:35:54.400
It also sounded like a perfect excuse
to go back to California.
00:36:10.233 --> 00:36:11.700
(man)
Naked man.
00:36:11.733 --> 00:36:13.933
We were all born that way.
00:36:37.400 --> 00:36:40.067
(Connacher) I learned
that this high-end sportswear company
00:36:40.100 --> 00:36:41.967
known for its
environmental mandate
00:36:42.000 --> 00:36:45.367
have moved far beyond
the mere plastic bottle.
00:36:45.400 --> 00:36:49.800
(Rapp) Here we have
a 100% recycled plastic jacket.
00:36:49.833 --> 00:36:55.333
And the feed that goes into here
is about 2% bottles
00:36:55.367 --> 00:36:59.867
and about 98% random plastics
like old office chairs
00:36:59.900 --> 00:37:01.700
and shower curtains
00:37:01.733 --> 00:37:05.333
and things that you would never
imagine could be recycled.
00:37:05.367 --> 00:37:08.900
(Connacher) That means Patagonia
will take back any old items
00:37:08.933 --> 00:37:10.900
and recycle them
into new clothing.
00:37:10.933 --> 00:37:14.800
This closed-loop system
seems like a true model for recycling,
00:37:14.833 --> 00:37:16.767
if only they could find a way
to get people
00:37:16.800 --> 00:37:19.800
to give back
their warm and cozy jackets.
00:37:21.800 --> 00:37:24.567
One company that has no problem
reclaiming its product
00:37:24.600 --> 00:37:27.167
is Georgia-based
Interface Carpet.
00:37:27.200 --> 00:37:29.767
If you've ever been
in an office or an airport,
00:37:29.800 --> 00:37:32.300
chances are good that you've
walked on their product.
00:37:36.167 --> 00:37:37.833
But most people aren't aware
00:37:37.867 --> 00:37:42.300
of just how much plastic
there is in our flooring.
00:37:42.333 --> 00:37:46.033
(Jones) There are so much virgin
and petroleum-based materials
00:37:46.067 --> 00:37:47.400
that go into a carpet.
00:37:47.433 --> 00:37:49.067
For instance,
just our carpet product
00:37:49.100 --> 00:37:50.300
has five different polymers.
00:37:52.367 --> 00:37:54.267
(Connacher)
The hardest plastic to deal with
00:37:54.300 --> 00:37:56.767
has traditionally been
the vinyl backing.
00:37:56.800 --> 00:38:01.567
As a result, carpets represent
a huge portion of landfill waste.
00:38:01.600 --> 00:38:05.067
Now Interface has a technology
called Cool Blue.
00:38:05.100 --> 00:38:08.833
It recycles any and all plastic
components into new carpets.
00:38:08.867 --> 00:38:12.400
The whole system runs on methane
from the local landfill.
00:38:12.433 --> 00:38:15.967
Interface believes
this makes good business sense.
00:38:16.000 --> 00:38:17.000
(Jones)
Absolutely.
00:38:17.033 --> 00:38:19.933
We feel the landfills are gonna
be the oil wells of the future.
00:38:19.967 --> 00:38:23.167
We'll be mining them to get our
plastics to feed Cool Blue
00:38:23.200 --> 00:38:25.967
and other technologies
like Cool Blue.
00:38:40.467 --> 00:38:44.800
(Connacher) In Nairobi, Kenya,
I visited UniquEco Designs.
00:38:44.833 --> 00:38:47.200
They turn trash into treasure,
00:38:47.233 --> 00:38:51.233
like these plastic bags
that are woven into decorative purses.
00:38:57.333 --> 00:38:59.667
Kenya is one of five
African nations
00:38:59.700 --> 00:39:02.933
who have either restricted
plastic bags of a certain thickness
00:39:02.967 --> 00:39:04.833
or banned them altogether.
00:39:04.867 --> 00:39:08.667
Locals call plastic bags
the national flower.
00:39:08.700 --> 00:39:11.600
(Bwanaali) It's quite a big issue
and quite a big concern.
00:39:11.633 --> 00:39:14.400
As it stands now,
the government is trying
00:39:14.433 --> 00:39:20.000
to put in place measures
to reduce plastic bags.
00:39:23.000 --> 00:39:25.567
(Connacher)
But UniquEco goes beyond plastic bags
00:39:25.600 --> 00:39:28.167
and has included rubber hose
and flip-flops -
00:39:28.200 --> 00:39:29.433
yeah, flip-flops -
00:39:29.467 --> 00:39:32.333
that are collected
from cities and beaches.
00:39:35.300 --> 00:39:37.767
Villagers then
core out the flip-flops
00:39:37.800 --> 00:39:39.467
and send the pieces here
00:39:39.500 --> 00:39:42.300
to be made into bowls
or curtains or jewelry.
00:39:47.067 --> 00:39:51.033
Other flip-flops are sanded
and carved into various knickknacks.
00:39:56.767 --> 00:39:59.433
While the money
may not be rolling in yet,
00:39:59.467 --> 00:40:02.300
UniquEco's resources
are unlimited,
00:40:02.333 --> 00:40:05.933
especially with no true
recycling infrastructure in Kenya
00:40:05.967 --> 00:40:11.833
and little interest from manufacturers
like the Bata shoe company.
00:40:11.867 --> 00:40:15.233
(Bwanaali)
One of the ways of helping is to, like,
00:40:15.267 --> 00:40:21.633
help a company like ourselves
to be able to recycle those wastes.
00:40:21.667 --> 00:40:24.600
So we're able to collect
whatever they're not using.
00:40:24.633 --> 00:40:27.000
For example, Bata company,
00:40:27.033 --> 00:40:30.633
which is currently producing
a lot of flip-flops in the country,
00:40:30.667 --> 00:40:34.867
if they could come in
and help us to recycle their products,
00:40:34.900 --> 00:40:37.933
that would be moving towards
the right direction.
00:40:38.800 --> 00:40:42.900
(Connacher) For Tahreni, such an action
is motivation enough.
00:40:43.733 --> 00:40:45.467
(Bwanaali)
Send the message out
00:40:45.500 --> 00:40:51.933
that we as human beings
need to get a solution
00:40:51.967 --> 00:40:54.267
to this world problem.
00:40:54.300 --> 00:40:57.267
We are the problem,
and we should provide the solution.
00:40:57.300 --> 00:40:59.067
That's the message.
00:41:11.967 --> 00:41:14.333
(Connacher) I was feeling a disconnect
between what I knew
00:41:14.367 --> 00:41:17.767
about the enormous amounts of plastic
created in the U.S. every year -
00:41:17.800 --> 00:41:20.033
a hundred billion pounds -
00:41:20.067 --> 00:41:25.067
and the tiny fraction being recycled -
maybe 5%.
00:41:25.100 --> 00:41:28.333
What were we doing with the rest
of all that waste?
00:41:39.633 --> 00:41:41.267
I knew that recyclers in the West
00:41:41.300 --> 00:41:42.933
were having
a hard time competing
00:41:42.967 --> 00:41:45.500
with the cheap labor costs overseas,
00:41:45.533 --> 00:41:46.800
and I knew, because of that,
00:41:46.833 --> 00:41:51.467
a lot of our plastic waste
is being sold to China and India.
00:41:51.500 --> 00:41:54.867
I wanted to see what other countries
were doing with our waste
00:41:54.900 --> 00:41:57.933
and how they were managing their own.
00:42:31.767 --> 00:42:34.733
India is organized chaos.
00:42:34.767 --> 00:42:37.133
Even coming from a city
of 5 million,
00:42:37.167 --> 00:42:40.133
I was overwhelmed
by the numbers, the congestion,
00:42:40.167 --> 00:42:43.933
the pollution, the beauty,
the architecture, the color,
00:42:43.967 --> 00:42:47.100
and the photogenic
and curious faces.
00:42:51.367 --> 00:42:54.100
I needed to find somewhere quiet
for a few days
00:42:54.133 --> 00:42:58.100
to decompress and make a plan.
00:42:58.133 --> 00:43:01.200
[horn honking]
00:43:07.400 --> 00:43:10.567
So I went up to the Himalayas
to a small town which,
00:43:10.600 --> 00:43:11.733
I quickly learned,
00:43:11.767 --> 00:43:15.033
had banned plastic bags
of a certain thickness.
00:43:15.067 --> 00:43:17.367
(all)
No plastic in Himachal.
00:43:18.467 --> 00:43:22.267
(Connacher) Shop owners were eager
to demonstrate alternatives.
00:43:27.700 --> 00:43:31.100
It seemed thin plastic bags
had very little value
00:43:31.133 --> 00:43:33.933
and thus were ending up
all over the countryside.
00:43:33.967 --> 00:43:37.300
In cities, they clogged sewers
and caused floods.
00:43:37.333 --> 00:43:40.133
Cows were also known to eat them
out of dumpsters,
00:43:40.167 --> 00:43:41.833
eventually clogging
their stomachs,
00:43:41.867 --> 00:43:44.900
causing a slow
and painful death.
00:43:44.933 --> 00:43:47.800
(Alvares) This is a sacred animal
of India, which is -
00:43:47.833 --> 00:43:49.767
it is eating garbage,
00:43:49.800 --> 00:43:52.333
and it shows you the level
to which we have sunk
00:43:52.367 --> 00:43:55.333
that our sacred animals
have to eat garbage to survive.
00:43:58.200 --> 00:44:01.233
(Connacher) Banning these bags
also seemed liked a good option
00:44:01.267 --> 00:44:03.400
for the town of Vasco da Gama.
00:44:03.433 --> 00:44:06.467
The town banned plastic bags
in 2006
00:44:06.500 --> 00:44:11.667
and even handed out free bags
made from locally grown jute.
00:44:11.700 --> 00:44:14.167
As Elvis Gomes, town officer,
discovered,
00:44:14.200 --> 00:44:16.667
the plastic industry
is very powerful.
00:44:16.700 --> 00:44:17.867
It forced the government
00:44:17.900 --> 00:44:22.033
to define what was and wasn't
a plastic bag.
00:44:22.067 --> 00:44:25.533
And then carry bag has been now
defined by the government.
00:44:25.567 --> 00:44:28.100
It should have a handle.
00:44:28.133 --> 00:44:30.800
It should have a cut
where you can hold it,
00:44:30.833 --> 00:44:33.600
and if you make it a square,
it does not become a carry bag.
00:44:33.633 --> 00:44:36.933
This is a carry bag.
00:44:37.067 --> 00:44:38.833
This is a carry bag.
00:44:38.867 --> 00:44:41.933
You can carry it like this.
00:44:41.967 --> 00:44:46.500
Sometimes it may have a cut here
so that you can put your hand.
00:44:46.533 --> 00:44:51.233
And this is not a carry bag...
00:44:51.267 --> 00:44:53.367
because you cannot carry it
like this.
00:44:53.400 --> 00:44:55.633
You have to carry it like this.
00:44:55.667 --> 00:44:58.967
So technically, we are beaten.
00:45:10.267 --> 00:45:14.433
(Connacher) Banning plastic bags
seemed to me a bit extreme,
00:45:14.467 --> 00:45:17.067
but the enormity of the problem
didn't really sink in
00:45:17.100 --> 00:45:20.200
until Parvinder Singh
of Toxics Link
00:45:20.233 --> 00:45:24.500
gave me a tour of Delhi's
largest open landfill.
00:45:30.233 --> 00:45:32.400
(Singh) It is not just an issue
of hygiene.
00:45:32.433 --> 00:45:35.100
It's not just an issue
of environment.
00:45:35.133 --> 00:45:38.200
Now as you can see,
it's also issue of management.
00:45:38.233 --> 00:45:40.800
The amount of plastic
that we generate is no joke.
00:45:40.833 --> 00:45:42.533
I mean, it is huge, colossal.
00:45:42.567 --> 00:45:46.133
We are the second most populous
country in the world.
00:45:46.167 --> 00:45:49.033
Delhi is expanding
very, very rapidly
00:45:49.067 --> 00:45:51.200
and so is the output of plastic,
00:45:51.233 --> 00:45:53.767
because we haven't yet
declared it
00:45:53.800 --> 00:45:56.367
of the proportion
to cause a panic.
00:45:56.400 --> 00:45:59.700
We are dumping it onto
a population, as you can see,
00:45:59.733 --> 00:46:02.667
which is just struggling
from day-to-day survival
00:46:02.700 --> 00:46:06.767
on things less than a dollar
with no possession, no house, nothing,
00:46:06.800 --> 00:46:07.933
just living on a dump.
00:46:15.333 --> 00:46:18.833
And you have this fire burning
in the dump all the time.
00:46:18.867 --> 00:46:21.433
It's sustained mostly
by plastics.
00:46:21.467 --> 00:46:24.333
It's combustible,
releasing dioxin day in and out.
00:46:24.367 --> 00:46:27.300
Any point of the day you can come,
00:46:27.333 --> 00:46:28.733
you would see this happening.
00:46:28.767 --> 00:46:30.300
This fire doesn't stop.
00:46:30.333 --> 00:46:34.300
(Connacher) 60% of all plastic
gets recycled in India
00:46:34.333 --> 00:46:36.533
compared to the 5% that we do.
00:46:43.133 --> 00:46:47.333
A large component of Indian recycling
is the so-called e-waste:
00:46:47.367 --> 00:46:51.367
printers, computers, monitors,
and other electronic components.
00:46:51.400 --> 00:46:52.633
Everything is used.
00:46:52.667 --> 00:46:54.500
Circuit boards are broken down.
00:46:54.533 --> 00:46:55.967
Waste plastic is burned.
00:46:56.000 --> 00:46:57.367
Metals are extracted.
00:46:57.400 --> 00:46:59.933
They tear everything apart
and keep it all.
00:46:59.967 --> 00:47:03.300
If you need one of those little wheels
for the fan in your computer
00:47:03.333 --> 00:47:05.767
or if the letter H
falls off your keyboard,
00:47:05.800 --> 00:47:08.133
you can get another one here.
00:47:08.167 --> 00:47:10.500
(man) This motherboard,
T4 motherboard.
00:47:10.533 --> 00:47:12.500
Scanning cartridge.
00:47:12.533 --> 00:47:15.367
Plastic.
00:47:15.400 --> 00:47:18.533
These are also
all kinds of motherboards.
00:47:18.567 --> 00:47:20.700
(Connacher)
Driving through parts of Bombay,
00:47:20.733 --> 00:47:22.833
I could see plastic chairs
and tarps
00:47:22.867 --> 00:47:26.433
that had obviously been
repurposed into living spaces.
00:47:26.467 --> 00:47:29.467
With 1/4 of the population
living in poverty,
00:47:29.500 --> 00:47:33.000
nothing is wasted.
00:47:33.033 --> 00:47:37.667
India felt to me like a country
coming to terms with disposability.
00:47:37.700 --> 00:47:39.067
If everything is reused,
00:47:39.100 --> 00:47:42.000
why was I seeing illegal dumps
on the sides of roads
00:47:42.033 --> 00:47:46.033
and landfills overflowing
with disposable packaging?
00:47:46.067 --> 00:47:48.033
According to Plastindia,
00:47:48.067 --> 00:47:50.267
a lobby group
for the plastic industry,
00:47:50.300 --> 00:47:52.367
this is just the beginning.
00:47:52.400 --> 00:47:56.433
India is now modernizing their
cities for a culture of malls,
00:47:56.467 --> 00:47:59.100
and with big names
like Wal-Mart coming to town,
00:47:59.133 --> 00:48:02.267
disposable packaging
can only increase.
00:48:02.300 --> 00:48:04.667
(Alvares) You won't find anybody
from the middle-class
00:48:04.700 --> 00:48:06.467
that always generates
voluminous plastic
00:48:06.500 --> 00:48:07.733
coming to a site like this,
00:48:07.767 --> 00:48:10.133
or even from the upper classes
coming to a site like this
00:48:10.167 --> 00:48:13.167
and saying,
"Now, what the hell have we created?"
00:48:13.200 --> 00:48:14.567
I mean, this has all
come from us.
00:48:14.600 --> 00:48:16.100
This doesn't come
from poor families.
00:48:16.133 --> 00:48:17.653
The poor families
don't waste anything.
00:48:25.033 --> 00:48:28.833
(Connacher) India doesn't have anywhere
near the levels of consumption we do,
00:48:28.867 --> 00:48:31.533
and as the country races
towards globalization,
00:48:31.567 --> 00:48:35.100
the plastic companies
are promoting a disposable lifestyle.
00:48:35.133 --> 00:48:37.167
India doesn't have
the infrastructure
00:48:37.200 --> 00:48:39.333
to deal with that kind of waste.
00:48:39.367 --> 00:48:41.633
(Ahuja)
India, we're a huge population,
00:48:41.667 --> 00:48:46.600
and everybody is moving towards
more packaging and more -
00:48:46.633 --> 00:48:49.767
it's becoming
a throwaway society.
00:48:49.800 --> 00:48:52.400
So if you start
with a huge population,
00:48:52.433 --> 00:48:55.000
if we all start
throwing waste outside
00:48:55.033 --> 00:48:59.333
and not take care of segregation
or think in terms of recycling,
00:48:59.367 --> 00:49:02.100
then India is going to be
flooded by garbage.
00:49:04.567 --> 00:49:05.867
(Connacher)
To slow the deluge,
00:49:05.900 --> 00:49:10.567
Anita Ahuja is trying to assign
a value to disposable plastic.
00:49:10.600 --> 00:49:12.667
Her company, called Conserve,
00:49:12.700 --> 00:49:15.267
collects plastic bags
from across Delhi,
00:49:15.300 --> 00:49:16.300
cleans them,
00:49:16.333 --> 00:49:19.733
and turns them into decorative
purses, shoes, and jewelry,
00:49:19.767 --> 00:49:23.333
which she then sells
around the world.
00:49:23.367 --> 00:49:28.600
(Ahuja) We collect about - maybe about
3,000 to 4,000 of plastic bags
00:49:28.633 --> 00:49:30.600
every day come out here.
00:49:30.633 --> 00:49:32.433
And it is washed.
00:49:32.467 --> 00:49:37.300
It all - sometimes they're able
to wash 1,500, sometimes 2,000.
00:49:37.333 --> 00:49:39.400
If we have a lot
of production orders,
00:49:39.433 --> 00:49:40.800
then we just get more people,
00:49:40.833 --> 00:49:44.467
and even 5,000 bags
can be washed in a day.
00:49:48.767 --> 00:49:52.600
(Connacher) Anita was an inspiration
amidst the devastation.
00:49:52.633 --> 00:49:56.500
Her efforts have given
400 laborers a living wage,
00:49:56.533 --> 00:49:58.833
constructed a school
for their children,
00:49:58.867 --> 00:50:02.867
and helped workers learn a skill
that they can take pride in.
00:50:02.900 --> 00:50:06.600
I felt privileged to meet her.
00:50:06.633 --> 00:50:10.133
Come on, you have to check out
the India, the growing India.
00:50:10.167 --> 00:50:11.667
This is the backwaters.
00:50:11.700 --> 00:50:12.833
[laughs]
00:50:23.100 --> 00:50:27.400
(Connacher) Up to this point, all the
processing has been driven by sorting.
00:50:27.433 --> 00:50:30.233
Whether it's optical technologies
or human labor,
00:50:30.267 --> 00:50:34.133
recycling depends largely on
separating different plastics,
00:50:34.167 --> 00:50:37.500
which is very
time and energy intensive.
00:50:37.533 --> 00:50:39.900
It seemed kind of ridiculous
that we're paying people
00:50:39.933 --> 00:50:43.067
to physically sort bottles,
cans, and newspapers.
00:50:43.100 --> 00:50:46.533
One Tennessee company has said,
"To hell with sorting."
00:50:46.567 --> 00:50:49.767
(Hill) We take everything just like you
would put it in the can at home,
00:50:49.800 --> 00:50:52.000
your plastic bottles,
your glass bottles,
00:50:52.033 --> 00:50:56.233
your cans from the beans you eat at supper,
dirty diapers.
00:50:56.267 --> 00:50:59.100
Everything you throw away at home
and put in your plastic bag,
00:50:59.133 --> 00:51:02.600
we take that with a loader
and drop it directly in our system.
00:51:02.633 --> 00:51:06.967
(Connacher) WastAway uses an automated
process to separate metals and glass.
00:51:07.000 --> 00:51:08.200
Then everything else is pushed
00:51:08.233 --> 00:51:12.000
into a high-temperature steam system
which renders it inert.
00:51:12.033 --> 00:51:16.067
They call the final product Fluff.
00:51:16.100 --> 00:51:17.933
(Hill) It's a really nice
growing medium.
00:51:17.967 --> 00:51:22.633
We actually bag this product here
and sell it to landscapers.
00:51:22.667 --> 00:51:25.467
(Connacher) Fluff can also be turned
into products.
00:51:25.500 --> 00:51:28.367
This is a bench made
from 100% waste.
00:51:28.400 --> 00:51:30.700
We also have variations
of this product
00:51:30.733 --> 00:51:33.100
where we add
other recycled plastics
00:51:33.133 --> 00:51:35.100
to increase
the building characteristics
00:51:35.133 --> 00:51:37.867
where we make things
like decking boards.
00:51:37.900 --> 00:51:42.400
(Connacher) WastAway diverts 90%
of the local community waste from landfill,
00:51:42.433 --> 00:51:45.700
and they also see potential
to turn Fluff into fuel.
00:51:45.733 --> 00:51:47.467
They believe it will work,
00:51:47.500 --> 00:51:51.533
mining old landfills
and turning it into a useful product.
00:51:56.933 --> 00:51:59.300
It seems like a cool idea,
00:51:59.333 --> 00:52:03.567
but growing my vegetables
in Fluff that contains plastic waste
00:52:03.600 --> 00:52:05.933
frightens me just a little bit.
00:52:05.967 --> 00:52:08.400
I'd already learned
that plastics may be created
00:52:08.433 --> 00:52:11.100
using harmful chemicals.
00:52:26.767 --> 00:52:28.667
And they leach
out of the plastic.
00:52:28.700 --> 00:52:31.733
That new car smell
when you sit into a new car
00:52:31.767 --> 00:52:33.033
and smell all that vinyl
00:52:33.067 --> 00:52:38.000
and all that plastic dashboard
emanating into your nostrils,
00:52:38.033 --> 00:52:41.867
that's actually
dosing you with hormones.
00:52:45.167 --> 00:52:48.167
[brooding blues guitar music]
00:52:48.200 --> 00:52:53.867
♪ ♪
00:52:53.900 --> 00:52:59.533
(man) ♪ Sometimes I feel like
a motherless child ♪
00:52:59.567 --> 00:53:05.333
(woman ♪1) ♪ Sometimes I feel like
a motherless child ♪
00:53:05.367 --> 00:53:12.500
(woman ♪2) ♪ Sometimes I feel like
a motherless child ♪
00:53:12.533 --> 00:53:18.200
(all)
♪ A long way from home ♪
00:53:18.233 --> 00:53:23.867
(man)
♪ A long way from home ♪
00:53:23.900 --> 00:53:29.567
(woman ♪1) ♪ Sometimes I feel like
a starless night sky ♪
00:53:29.600 --> 00:53:35.633
♪ Sometimes I feel like
a starless night sky ♪
00:53:35.667 --> 00:53:42.533
♪ Sometimes I feel like
a starless night sky ♪
00:53:42.567 --> 00:53:48.167
(all)
♪ A long way from home ♪
00:53:48.200 --> 00:53:53.867
(woman ♪1)
♪ A long way from home ♪
00:53:53.900 --> 00:53:59.600
(man) ♪ Sometimes I feel like
a salmon swimming dry ♪
00:53:59.633 --> 00:54:05.433
♪ Sometimes I feel like
a salmon swimming dry ♪
00:54:05.467 --> 00:54:12.567
♪ Sometimes I feel like
a salmon swimming dry ♪
00:54:12.600 --> 00:54:19.400
(all)
♪ A long way from home ♪
00:54:19.433 --> 00:54:21.533
(Connacher) Armed with
opinions and research,
00:54:21.567 --> 00:54:23.900
I thought I needed to seek out
some experts
00:54:23.933 --> 00:54:26.500
studying chemicals in plastic.
00:54:32.467 --> 00:54:36.233
So I went to see
Dr. David Busbee at his Texas ranch.
00:54:36.267 --> 00:54:39.667
The geneticist
from Texas A&M University
00:54:39.700 --> 00:54:41.933
has been testing
nearby water samples
00:54:41.967 --> 00:54:45.633
and discovered
alarming levels of DEHP,
00:54:45.667 --> 00:54:50.700
which is the world's
most commonly used plasticizer.
00:54:50.733 --> 00:54:52.767
(Busbee)
Plasticizers are chemicals
00:54:52.800 --> 00:54:56.800
that are mixed
with the plastic itself.
00:54:56.833 --> 00:54:59.133
The plastic is hard.
00:54:59.167 --> 00:55:01.267
You can't form it into anything.
00:55:01.300 --> 00:55:05.633
So if you take plasticizers
and mix with your plastic,
00:55:05.667 --> 00:55:09.133
then you can - you can -
00:55:09.167 --> 00:55:12.967
you can form using various,
various means.
00:55:15.333 --> 00:55:17.700
(Connacher) They're also in a class
called phthalates,
00:55:17.733 --> 00:55:19.500
and they're in everything:
00:55:19.533 --> 00:55:23.367
cosmetics, food packaging,
blood bags, our house paint,
00:55:23.400 --> 00:55:24.900
coatings on pills.
00:55:24.933 --> 00:55:28.167
The water we drink often comes to us
via plastic pipes.
00:55:28.200 --> 00:55:31.700
And Dr. Busbee told me
that when he exposed these phthalates
00:55:31.733 --> 00:55:36.367
to cells in culture,
he was shocked by what he found.
00:55:36.400 --> 00:55:41.933
These compounds disregulate,
either up or down regulate,
00:55:41.967 --> 00:55:44.500
the function of genes
00:55:44.533 --> 00:55:47.333
or the expression of genes
in the system.
00:55:47.367 --> 00:55:50.007
(Connacher) Every one of the phthalates
you've tested do the same -
00:55:50.033 --> 00:55:51.033
pretty much the same thing?
00:55:51.067 --> 00:55:52.067
Yes, every one of them.
00:55:53.667 --> 00:55:55.500
(Connacher)
And that's a fancy way of saying
00:55:55.533 --> 00:55:57.733
these chemicals
could alter the development
00:55:57.767 --> 00:56:00.733
of everything from our brains
to our immune system.
00:56:00.767 --> 00:56:03.600
Dr. Busbee knows
that much more research is needed
00:56:03.633 --> 00:56:06.367
before anything conclusive
can be demonstrated,
00:56:06.400 --> 00:56:07.600
but he is very concerned
00:56:07.633 --> 00:56:12.333
about the amount of plastic
that surrounds us.
00:56:12.367 --> 00:56:16.100
(Busbee) There are more things
that we don't know than that we do.
00:56:16.133 --> 00:56:19.333
I think that it's
a very critical area,
00:56:19.367 --> 00:56:25.233
and it's one that, frankly,
frightens me just a little bit.
00:56:31.400 --> 00:56:33.700
(Connacher) I was alarmed by
what he had to tell me
00:56:33.733 --> 00:56:36.933
but frustrated that much of the data
seemed to be anecdotal,
00:56:36.967 --> 00:56:39.600
so many of the connections
hard to prove.
00:56:39.633 --> 00:56:43.367
Regardless, these chemicals
are in our bodies.
00:56:43.400 --> 00:56:46.033
A recent survey
by the Centers for Disease Control
00:56:46.067 --> 00:56:48.100
showed that nearly
every American
00:56:48.133 --> 00:56:50.767
tested for the chemical
Bisphenol-A
00:56:50.800 --> 00:56:53.433
showed measurable levels
in their urine.
00:56:53.467 --> 00:56:55.833
Children had the highest levels.
00:56:55.867 --> 00:56:57.833
Then I remembered Rob Krebs
00:56:57.867 --> 00:57:00.067
talking about a guy
in the Midwest
00:57:00.100 --> 00:57:04.300
who was doing work
on this very chemical.
00:57:04.333 --> 00:57:06.567
I know that -
00:57:06.600 --> 00:57:09.300
this was
Frederick vom Saal, I believe,
00:57:09.333 --> 00:57:12.967
had worked -
done some work in this area.
00:57:13.000 --> 00:57:15.933
(Connacher)
It turns out Bisphenol-A or BPA
00:57:15.967 --> 00:57:19.300
is the main building block
chemical in polycarbonate.
00:57:19.333 --> 00:57:20.967
That's the hard, clear plastic
00:57:21.000 --> 00:57:24.467
that is used to make my sunglasses,
skis, baby bottles,
00:57:24.500 --> 00:57:26.700
compact discs, dental sealants,
00:57:26.733 --> 00:57:29.867
and lines the interior
of soup and vegetable cans.
00:57:29.900 --> 00:57:34.400
(vom Saal)
And we are seeing cancers.
00:57:34.433 --> 00:57:38.133
We are seeing prostate cancer,
00:57:38.167 --> 00:57:44.833
premammary cancer conditions
in the mammary glands of animals.
00:57:44.867 --> 00:57:50.333
We are seeing abnormal
sperm production in males.
00:57:50.367 --> 00:57:53.633
We're seeing
abnormal brain development,
00:57:53.667 --> 00:57:55.833
abnormal social behaviors,
00:57:55.867 --> 00:57:59.533
hyperactivity,
super aggressiveness,
00:57:59.567 --> 00:58:01.433
learning disabilities.
00:58:01.467 --> 00:58:05.233
I'm not so worried
about picking up a CD.
00:58:05.267 --> 00:58:06.800
What I am worried about
00:58:06.833 --> 00:58:09.900
is 6 billion pounds
of polycarbonate
00:58:09.933 --> 00:58:11.533
being thrown into landfill.
00:58:14.867 --> 00:58:17.600
(Krebs) At the levels
that you would be exposed to
00:58:17.633 --> 00:58:19.833
of any type of Bisphenol-A,
00:58:19.867 --> 00:58:25.300
there is no cause for concern
for human health concern.
00:58:25.333 --> 00:58:26.833
I'm gonna give you a number
00:58:26.867 --> 00:58:29.967
that probably doesn't
mean anything to anybody,
00:58:30.000 --> 00:58:33.900
but less than
a trillionth of a gram
00:58:33.933 --> 00:58:39.033
of the natural hormone estradiol
in a milliliter of blood
00:58:39.067 --> 00:58:44.467
is sufficient to cause changes
in the development
00:58:44.500 --> 00:58:48.700
and the functioning of cells
in the human body,
00:58:48.733 --> 00:58:53.567
and that is also true
for this chemical Bisphenol-A.
00:58:55.267 --> 00:58:57.633
(Connacher)
This is called low-dose theory,
00:58:57.667 --> 00:59:00.167
the premise that small amounts
of a chemical
00:59:00.200 --> 00:59:03.333
can cause greater harm
than a toxic dose.
00:59:03.367 --> 00:59:04.900
It's a theory
the plastic industry
00:59:04.933 --> 00:59:07.400
has a hard time
getting their head around.
00:59:07.433 --> 00:59:09.067
Basically if you
think about that,
00:59:09.100 --> 00:59:12.633
it's standing science
on its head,
00:59:12.667 --> 00:59:17.733
because if this much is -
makes you sick,
00:59:17.767 --> 00:59:23.200
and even a little
would make you less sick,
00:59:23.233 --> 00:59:27.533
and then if you go to even
the smallest amount, it's the -
00:59:27.567 --> 00:59:32.500
to say that it is more harmful
as it gets smaller
00:59:32.533 --> 00:59:36.767
is standing science on its head.
00:59:36.800 --> 00:59:39.733
It's reversing, basically
what's - what's going on.
00:59:39.767 --> 00:59:43.467
It is common sense,
and whoever said that,
00:59:43.500 --> 00:59:45.467
was this person
supposedly a scientist,
00:59:45.500 --> 00:59:47.067
or was he an administrator?
00:59:47.100 --> 00:59:48.867
(Connacher)
A communications person.
00:59:48.900 --> 00:59:50.600
He was
a communications specialist.
00:59:50.633 --> 00:59:54.867
Well, when you watch
the talking heads on the TV,
00:59:54.900 --> 00:59:57.867
do you automatically believe
everything that they say?
00:59:58.633 --> 01:00:00.067
Does industry lie?
01:00:00.100 --> 01:00:01.400
Absolutely.
01:00:01.433 --> 01:00:05.667
It will do anything
to protect its profits.
01:00:05.700 --> 01:00:08.533
The tobacco industry
is paying a price
01:00:08.567 --> 01:00:10.933
for having done that
for a long time,
01:00:10.967 --> 01:00:14.967
and the plastic industry
is going to pay the same price.
01:00:17.333 --> 01:00:19.500
(Connacher) I had a hard time
grasping the concept
01:00:19.533 --> 01:00:21.467
that a trillionth of a gram
of this stuff
01:00:21.500 --> 01:00:23.533
could alter human development.
01:00:23.567 --> 01:00:25.767
But I was told that Bisphenol-A
was developed
01:00:25.800 --> 01:00:28.700
as a synthetic estrogen
in the 1930s
01:00:28.733 --> 01:00:32.000
and was later found to be useful
for making plastics.
01:00:32.033 --> 01:00:35.000
So if these chemicals
are in any way bad for us,
01:00:35.033 --> 01:00:37.000
why are they
in the plastics at all?
01:00:39.067 --> 01:00:41.267
(vom Saal)
Other countries like in Europe,
01:00:41.300 --> 01:00:44.300
where the phthalates
have already been banned,
01:00:44.333 --> 01:00:50.633
that set of information
led the European Union to say,
01:00:50.667 --> 01:00:51.667
"That's it.
01:00:51.700 --> 01:00:52.700
They're out."
01:00:54.167 --> 01:00:56.667
(Connacher) Health Canada
has also begun testing
01:00:56.700 --> 01:00:59.633
for the presence of BPA
in people's blood.
01:00:59.667 --> 01:01:01.733
Unfortunately,
they wouldn't tell me why,
01:01:01.767 --> 01:01:03.433
nor would they grant me
an interview
01:01:03.467 --> 01:01:07.667
to speak about toxic ingredients
in plastic.
01:01:07.700 --> 01:01:09.633
In my home province of Ontario,
01:01:09.667 --> 01:01:13.200
I was invited up to the farm
of Dr. William Shotyk.
01:01:13.233 --> 01:01:16.800
He's a geochemist from the
University of Heidelberg in Germany.
01:01:16.833 --> 01:01:19.133
He studies heavy metals
in ice cores
01:01:19.167 --> 01:01:22.633
and discovered something unusual
in plastic bottles.
01:01:22.667 --> 01:01:25.700
It's called antimony
or white lead,
01:01:25.733 --> 01:01:30.467
and it's used in the production
of PET plastic.
01:01:30.500 --> 01:01:32.033
(Shotyk)
So then I asked the question,
01:01:32.067 --> 01:01:36.900
"Well, if we have antimony
in that plastic,
01:01:36.933 --> 01:01:40.167
could that possibly have
an effect on the water?"
01:01:44.833 --> 01:01:46.300
(Connacher)
He brought me to his farm
01:01:46.333 --> 01:01:50.533
because the ground water here
is more pure than ancient arctic ice
01:01:50.567 --> 01:01:53.900
and provides the cleanest sample
he can get.
01:01:53.933 --> 01:01:58.433
(Shotyk) Till the bottle's nearly full,
and cap that.
01:01:58.467 --> 01:02:01.333
(Connacher) We took samples,
put them in plastic bottles,
01:02:01.367 --> 01:02:04.167
and then traveled back
to his clean lab in Germany,
01:02:04.200 --> 01:02:06.700
where the water could be
analyzed for antimony.
01:02:06.733 --> 01:02:09.433
Shodyk's assistant explains
the process.
01:02:09.467 --> 01:02:11.333
When you want to do
a measurement,
01:02:11.367 --> 01:02:13.367
you just take the liquid sample.
01:02:13.400 --> 01:02:17.000
The sample is aspirated
by a nebulizer,
01:02:17.033 --> 01:02:20.933
which is then transported
into a very hot plasma,
01:02:20.967 --> 01:02:24.033
and then all the elements
are ionized.
01:02:24.067 --> 01:02:27.100
And then you focus,
then you generate an ion
01:02:27.133 --> 01:02:30.700
and then pass through
the mass separator,
01:02:30.733 --> 01:02:33.533
which consists here
of a very strong magnet,
01:02:33.567 --> 01:02:35.600
and at the end
of that flight path,
01:02:35.633 --> 01:02:39.633
you have an electron multiplier
who is detecting the signals.
01:02:39.667 --> 01:02:43.300
They talk about antimony,
and it is a catalyst,
01:02:43.333 --> 01:02:47.867
but it chemically bonds
to the polymer.
01:02:47.900 --> 01:02:49.700
It cannot extract itself.
01:02:49.733 --> 01:02:51.267
It doesn't come apart.
01:02:51.300 --> 01:02:53.267
It is part of the polymer.
01:02:53.300 --> 01:02:56.600
So it can't possibly excrete
or come out.
01:02:58.867 --> 01:03:01.967
(Shotyk) So out of that 200 bottles
that we've tested
01:03:02.000 --> 01:03:04.733
and more than 100 brands,
01:03:04.767 --> 01:03:10.467
probably 2% or 3% are not
contaminating the water with antimony.
01:03:13.133 --> 01:03:16.667
(Connacher) Although the levels were below
FDA allowable limits,
01:03:16.700 --> 01:03:19.767
some did exceed
the limits set by the Japanese,
01:03:19.800 --> 01:03:23.333
who have already begun using
titanium as an alternative.
01:03:24.733 --> 01:03:28.500
Do we - should we as the public
be concerned
01:03:28.533 --> 01:03:30.267
if it's parts per trillion
01:03:30.300 --> 01:03:34.633
and there's already been said
by the EPA or the FDA
01:03:34.667 --> 01:03:36.867
that the level
is certain parts per billion?
01:03:36.900 --> 01:03:39.033
Our bodies don't need it.
01:03:39.067 --> 01:03:40.600
It's like mercury.
01:03:40.633 --> 01:03:42.000
It's like thallium.
01:03:42.033 --> 01:03:43.567
It's like cadmium.
01:03:43.600 --> 01:03:44.900
It's like arsenic.
01:03:44.933 --> 01:03:47.767
These things don't have
a physiological function,
01:03:47.800 --> 01:03:49.700
which means
they can't be beneficial.
01:03:49.733 --> 01:03:52.867
They can only have no effect
or a negative effect
01:03:52.900 --> 01:03:56.067
depending on the concentration
in the species it's present.
01:03:59.633 --> 01:04:02.167
(Connacher) It was difficult
to relate to fancy machines
01:04:02.200 --> 01:04:03.733
that swivel and rotate
01:04:03.767 --> 01:04:06.967
or computer screens
with incomprehensible data.
01:04:07.000 --> 01:04:08.067
So I asked these scientists
01:04:08.100 --> 01:04:12.267
how these findings have changed
their own personal habits.
01:04:12.300 --> 01:04:15.900
We don't buy bottled water.
01:04:15.933 --> 01:04:20.333
We don't buy beverages
in PET bottles.
01:04:20.900 --> 01:04:23.467
I use no polycarbonate plastic.
01:04:23.500 --> 01:04:25.867
I eat nothing out of cans.
01:04:25.900 --> 01:04:29.233
I cook everything in glass.
01:04:29.267 --> 01:04:31.767
I don't use
Teflon products anymore.
01:04:31.800 --> 01:04:35.200
I do have glasses
with polycarbonate products,
01:04:35.233 --> 01:04:37.100
and I don't lick them.
01:04:37.133 --> 01:04:38.800
I wash them with water.
01:04:39.467 --> 01:04:42.800
This is a -
this is a problem.
01:04:42.833 --> 01:04:48.267
I don't - I don't know
how to tell a person
01:04:48.300 --> 01:04:51.200
how to resolve this problem.
01:04:51.233 --> 01:04:52.800
How do we get away
from these things?
01:04:52.833 --> 01:04:54.667
I have no idea.
01:04:56.400 --> 01:04:58.967
(Connacher)
So what's the answer?
01:04:59.000 --> 01:05:02.033
[cheery acoustic guitar music]
01:05:02.067 --> 01:05:06.233
♪ ♪
01:05:06.267 --> 01:05:09.400
(man) ♪ This city heat
can take your sweat ♪
01:05:09.433 --> 01:05:12.433
♪ and leave you
just a silhouette ♪
01:05:12.467 --> 01:05:15.500
♪ It's sometimes easy
to forget that ♪
01:05:15.533 --> 01:05:18.033
♪ well, every day
is the best one yet ♪
01:05:18.067 --> 01:05:21.767
♪ 'cause we get high
and we get low ♪
01:05:21.800 --> 01:05:24.633
♪ Round and round
the circle goes ♪
01:05:24.667 --> 01:05:27.533
♪ Darkness does
what darkness knows ♪
01:05:27.567 --> 01:05:30.533
♪ It's time to let
the darkness go ♪
01:05:43.700 --> 01:05:46.633
♪ I pass some kids
out on the street ♪
01:05:46.667 --> 01:05:49.067
♪ I watch them dance
and move their feet ♪
01:05:49.100 --> 01:05:53.000
♪ like little puppets
on a string ♪
01:05:53.033 --> 01:05:55.400
♪ 'cause they're all tied
to everything ♪
01:05:55.433 --> 01:05:58.967
♪ 'cause we get high
and we get low ♪
01:05:59.000 --> 01:06:02.900
(Connacher) Could we ever live
without plastic?
01:06:02.933 --> 01:06:04.167
I might eat better,
01:06:04.200 --> 01:06:06.900
but how realistic
is a plastic-free life
01:06:06.933 --> 01:06:10.233
for the average family?
01:06:10.267 --> 01:06:12.867
So what's gonna change
consumer behavior?
01:06:12.900 --> 01:06:15.833
What's gonna make industries
start to value these materials
01:06:15.867 --> 01:06:19.600
instead of making them disposable?
01:06:19.633 --> 01:06:22.367
Maybe if the rising price
of polyethylene
01:06:22.400 --> 01:06:25.967
was listed alongside petroleum.
01:06:26.000 --> 01:06:29.100
And the worldview is that you're
either doing something
01:06:29.133 --> 01:06:30.867
to help the environment
01:06:30.900 --> 01:06:34.233
or you're doing something
that might harm the environment.
01:06:34.267 --> 01:06:36.600
And they think plastics,
01:06:36.633 --> 01:06:40.467
since it had its origins
in petrochemicals -
01:06:40.500 --> 01:06:43.500
and they're not aware that it's
made of natural gas today.
01:06:44.533 --> 01:06:47.500
(Connacher) Natural gas is still
a fossil fuel,
01:06:47.533 --> 01:06:50.633
finite and dictated
by world oil prices.
01:06:50.667 --> 01:06:51.667
So maybe the first step
01:06:51.700 --> 01:06:55.133
is to make sure these materials
don't ever go to landfill
01:06:55.167 --> 01:06:56.833
or into the environment.
01:06:56.867 --> 01:07:00.933
What if there was a way
to harness the energy in waste plastic?
01:07:03.433 --> 01:07:05.867
(Kaminsky)
We have here some polyester.
01:07:05.900 --> 01:07:09.567
This is PET from clothes,
industrial clothes.
01:07:09.600 --> 01:07:15.400
And this material
can be pyrolyzed into oil.
01:07:15.433 --> 01:07:16.900
You have here liquid -
01:07:16.933 --> 01:07:19.133
can be used as gasoline
in a car.
01:07:19.167 --> 01:07:22.633
Or a tar material -
that is this one -
01:07:22.667 --> 01:07:26.333
can be distillated
and used for petrochemicals.
01:07:26.367 --> 01:07:28.467
(Connacher)
Dr. Walter Kaminsky is a chemist
01:07:28.500 --> 01:07:30.933
at the University of Hamburg
in Germany.
01:07:30.967 --> 01:07:34.200
He's been perfecting
a technology called pyrolysis.
01:07:34.233 --> 01:07:37.400
Through this mess of tubes,
compressors, and distillers,
01:07:37.433 --> 01:07:39.200
Dr. Kaminsky can turn plastic
01:07:39.233 --> 01:07:42.100
back to the oil
from which it came.
01:07:42.133 --> 01:07:46.300
(Kaminsky) Plastics are made
by crude oil and oil products,
01:07:46.333 --> 01:07:49.067
and what we are doing now
is to crack them back
01:07:49.100 --> 01:07:51.600
into smaller molecules
01:07:51.633 --> 01:07:56.133
which can be used for other
petrochemical research works
01:07:56.167 --> 01:07:58.533
or industrial works.
01:07:58.567 --> 01:08:03.400
(Connacher) For Dr. Kaminsky, making energy
isn't the only value of pyrolysis.
01:08:03.433 --> 01:08:06.500
His styrene oil collected
from waste styrofoam
01:08:06.533 --> 01:08:08.167
is being fed to bacteria
01:08:08.200 --> 01:08:11.333
by an Irish bioengineer
to make plastic.
01:08:11.367 --> 01:08:13.367
They can eat that.
01:08:24.933 --> 01:08:27.300
(Connacher) Dr. Kevin O'Connor
grows bacteria
01:08:27.333 --> 01:08:31.100
that love to eat Dr. Kaminsky's
delicious plastic oil.
01:08:31.133 --> 01:08:34.100
They fill their cells with it
and grow and grow and multiply.
01:08:34.133 --> 01:08:36.133
When the bacteria
is all fat and fed
01:08:36.167 --> 01:08:38.333
and probably thinking about
having a nap,
01:08:38.367 --> 01:08:41.500
Dr. O'Connor extracts material
from the cells,
01:08:41.533 --> 01:08:44.500
which he then
turns into a plastic.
01:08:44.533 --> 01:08:49.000
(O'Connor) We are not using biotechnology
to create mutant bacteria,
01:08:49.033 --> 01:08:50.733
we're using a natural
soil organism
01:08:50.767 --> 01:08:52.767
that we have not
genetically modified.
01:08:52.800 --> 01:08:54.133
It is doing this naturally.
01:08:54.167 --> 01:08:55.900
If we were - if it was
out in the environment,
01:08:55.933 --> 01:08:57.400
it would be doing this anyway.
01:08:57.433 --> 01:08:59.300
So we're bringing it indoors.
01:08:59.333 --> 01:09:01.733
We're putting it in a fermentor,
and we're asking it,
01:09:01.767 --> 01:09:04.300
"Okay, here's a nice food source
that you like.
01:09:04.333 --> 01:09:05.533
Let's go and make plastic."
01:09:08.800 --> 01:09:13.367
(Connacher) The plastic is completely
nontoxic and 100% biodegradable,
01:09:13.400 --> 01:09:16.300
which means that under the right
environmental conditions -
01:09:16.333 --> 01:09:18.767
heat, oxygen, microorganisms -
01:09:18.800 --> 01:09:21.033
It will degrade away to nothing.
01:09:21.067 --> 01:09:24.433
Dr. O'Connor hopes
the first applications will be in medicine
01:09:24.467 --> 01:09:27.667
and is looking at other waste plastics
to feed to his critters.
01:09:27.700 --> 01:09:29.933
(O'Connor) We're targeting
at the moment polystyrene.
01:09:29.967 --> 01:09:31.733
That's our number one,
because polystyrene,
01:09:31.767 --> 01:09:33.167
there's millions
and millions of it
01:09:33.200 --> 01:09:34.567
ends up in landfill every year,
01:09:34.600 --> 01:09:36.033
millions and millions
of kilograms,
01:09:36.067 --> 01:09:38.667
so much so that the
Environmental Protection Agency in America
01:09:38.700 --> 01:09:40.267
recognizes it
as a major pollutant.
01:09:42.233 --> 01:09:44.867
(Connacher) While Dr. O'Connor's work
is cutting-edge science
01:09:44.900 --> 01:09:47.933
and probably a few years off
from mass production,
01:09:47.967 --> 01:09:51.467
there are already plant-based
plastics on the market.
01:09:51.500 --> 01:09:53.233
They're called bioplastics,
01:09:53.267 --> 01:09:57.300
and they've been around
for as long as oil-based synthetics.
01:09:57.333 --> 01:10:01.733
In 1941, Henry Ford even
unveiled a soybean plastic car.
01:10:01.767 --> 01:10:04.133
Of course,
Pearl Harbor put an end to that.
01:10:04.167 --> 01:10:08.367
Today, the price of oil
has put bioplastics back on the map.
01:10:16.367 --> 01:10:19.300
Bioplastics are renewable,
they can be recycled,
01:10:19.333 --> 01:10:21.767
they degrade away to nothing
but CO2 and water,
01:10:21.800 --> 01:10:25.133
and they can be used
to support local industry.
01:10:42.667 --> 01:10:46.267
NatureWorks is the largest
bioplastics company in the world
01:10:46.300 --> 01:10:48.467
and along with
corn giant Cargill
01:10:48.500 --> 01:10:51.267
have built an enormous plant
in Nebraska.
01:10:51.300 --> 01:10:54.367
They make their PLA plastic
out of corn,
01:10:54.400 --> 01:10:56.167
and it can be
turned into food packaging
01:10:56.200 --> 01:10:57.833
for customers like Wal-Mart
01:10:57.867 --> 01:11:01.433
and other products like bottles,
feminine hygiene pads, diapers,
01:11:01.467 --> 01:11:04.267
socks, shirts, carpets,
and bedding.
01:11:04.300 --> 01:11:06.200
(Davies) You can do
all the normal things with it
01:11:06.233 --> 01:11:07.300
you can with other polymers.
01:11:07.333 --> 01:11:08.333
You can incinerate it.
01:11:08.367 --> 01:11:09.800
You can landfill it.
01:11:09.833 --> 01:11:13.133
You can chemically recycle it,
but we offer a new option,
01:11:13.167 --> 01:11:14.533
which is you can compost it.
01:11:14.567 --> 01:11:22.567
I think that since there is
a what I call a shibboleth.
01:11:23.467 --> 01:11:26.267
A shibboleth is an old saying,
01:11:26.300 --> 01:11:28.633
and since there's
this old saying
01:11:28.667 --> 01:11:35.133
that plastics are somehow derived
from petroleum-based fossil fuels,
01:11:35.167 --> 01:11:37.033
there's this old idea that -
01:11:37.067 --> 01:11:39.433
they're capitalizing
on this idea.
01:11:39.467 --> 01:11:42.667
(Connacher) If that's the case, then
why are some big companies looking
01:11:42.700 --> 01:11:45.267
to reduce their dependence
on fossil fuels
01:11:45.300 --> 01:11:47.400
by developing bioplastics?
01:11:47.433 --> 01:11:50.267
I was surprised to learn
that Sony makes its famous walkman
01:11:50.300 --> 01:11:52.600
using NatureWorks PLA plastic,
01:11:52.633 --> 01:11:56.367
and PlayStation's packaging
is made from an expanded polystyrene
01:11:56.400 --> 01:11:59.333
that's recycled using the oil
from orange peels.
01:12:25.800 --> 01:12:30.400
Electronics giant NEC has made
a biodegradable cell phone
01:12:30.433 --> 01:12:34.067
derived from corn
and a plant called kenaf.
01:13:01.600 --> 01:13:03.300
(Connacher)
Now we're getting somewhere.
01:13:03.333 --> 01:13:04.800
Here are companies making money
01:13:04.833 --> 01:13:06.733
without releasing toxins
in the world
01:13:06.767 --> 01:13:08.867
or relying on fossil fuels.
01:13:08.900 --> 01:13:11.067
But I had to wonder
if plants could ever replace
01:13:11.100 --> 01:13:13.567
all the oil-based plastics
on the market.
01:13:13.600 --> 01:13:16.200
Would we have enough farm land
left to grow food?
01:13:16.233 --> 01:13:18.800
(Kaeb) Is there enough
arable land available
01:13:18.833 --> 01:13:20.500
for the production of plastics?
01:13:20.533 --> 01:13:23.733
We have one rough figure
01:13:23.767 --> 01:13:28.900
that says two to three tons
of bioplastics can be produced
01:13:28.933 --> 01:13:34.000
on 10,000 square meters
of agricultural area.
01:13:34.033 --> 01:13:35.867
If you look to that area
01:13:35.900 --> 01:13:38.300
which is available
here in Europe,
01:13:38.333 --> 01:13:42.367
experts says it's about
30 million hectares.
01:13:42.400 --> 01:13:46.933
It can produce about
60 million tons of plastics
01:13:46.967 --> 01:13:48.467
on that field here in Europe,
01:13:48.500 --> 01:13:50.967
just to give you an indication
of bioplastics.
01:13:51.000 --> 01:13:54.467
It's more than we consume
today in Europe.
01:13:54.500 --> 01:13:57.100
So we consume
40 million tons here.
01:13:57.133 --> 01:13:58.400
We can produce 60 million tons.
01:14:04.567 --> 01:14:07.100
(Connacher) I found some other bioplastics
hitting the market
01:14:07.133 --> 01:14:10.367
that are using everything
from orange peels to maple syrup,
01:14:10.400 --> 01:14:12.233
even carbon dioxide.
01:14:12.267 --> 01:14:14.633
At the USDA headquarters
in Baltimore,
01:14:14.667 --> 01:14:16.600
Justin Barone has
found a waste stream
01:14:16.633 --> 01:14:18.033
from the poultry industry.
01:14:18.067 --> 01:14:21.867
They're using chicken feathers
to make plastic.
01:14:25.333 --> 01:14:27.967
(Barone) We're taking the protein
from chicken feathers
01:14:28.000 --> 01:14:29.467
and making this plastic.
01:14:29.500 --> 01:14:30.700
The other thing we're doing is,
01:14:30.733 --> 01:14:34.967
we're taking the glycerol
which is left over from biodiesel.
01:14:35.000 --> 01:14:36.367
We have two uses for that.
01:14:36.400 --> 01:14:39.967
Number one, it's used
as the processing additive in this polymer.
01:14:40.000 --> 01:14:43.700
And number two, we react it
with citric acid to get a polyester.
01:14:43.733 --> 01:14:46.000
(Connacher) So this guy's
using a waste material,
01:14:46.033 --> 01:14:49.233
and it's directly competing
with oil-based plastics.
01:14:49.267 --> 01:14:50.267
Five years ago,
01:14:50.300 --> 01:14:52.367
they were laughed at
by the plastic industry.
01:14:52.400 --> 01:14:54.133
But the rising price
of fossil fuel
01:14:54.167 --> 01:14:58.033
means the USDA
is now able to take them on.
01:14:58.600 --> 01:14:59.600
You could eat this.
01:14:59.633 --> 01:15:01.167
I mean, I don't see
any reason why not.
01:15:01.200 --> 01:15:02.200
It's just protein,
01:15:02.233 --> 01:15:06.567
and the keratin not in your
stomach but somewhere -
01:15:06.600 --> 01:15:09.233
somewhere along the line,
keratin will dissolve.
01:15:09.267 --> 01:15:11.200
I don't know where.
01:15:11.233 --> 01:15:15.567
I can't chew it
'cause it's so hard.
01:15:15.600 --> 01:15:19.000
This isn't - it actually
has no taste to it.
01:15:19.033 --> 01:15:22.000
I've never eaten it before,
but it actually has no taste to it.
01:15:22.033 --> 01:15:26.167
(Connacher) He wasn't nearly as thrilled as
the CEO of Plantic in Australia,
01:15:26.200 --> 01:15:28.867
who regularly eats
his plastic products.
01:15:28.900 --> 01:15:31.533
(Morris) The best way
to convince the skeptic
01:15:31.567 --> 01:15:34.933
that Plantic material
is a functional product
01:15:34.967 --> 01:15:37.867
that's good for the environment
and is nontoxic
01:15:37.900 --> 01:15:41.567
is to take the tray
and crush it and say,
01:15:41.600 --> 01:15:43.033
"It performs just like plastic.
01:15:43.067 --> 01:15:44.067
"It looks like plastic.
01:15:44.100 --> 01:15:45.633
"It feels like plastic.
01:15:45.667 --> 01:15:52.267
But then when I pour water on it,
it starts to dissolve."
01:15:54.600 --> 01:16:00.633
And then - and then I take some,
and I eat it.
01:16:03.367 --> 01:16:07.100
(Connacher) Plantic uses a starch-based
plastic that dissolves in water
01:16:07.133 --> 01:16:10.933
unlike other bioplastics that
require hot compost to degrade,
01:16:10.967 --> 01:16:12.500
not that Brendan is advocating
01:16:12.533 --> 01:16:14.333
people throw
their snack packages
01:16:14.367 --> 01:16:16.567
on the side of the road.
01:16:16.600 --> 01:16:18.367
(Morris) We brand our product
in some cases
01:16:18.400 --> 01:16:21.900
as Plantic,
the solution to pollution.
01:16:21.933 --> 01:16:25.367
Plantic is truly biodegradable,
so in about eight weeks,
01:16:25.400 --> 01:16:29.567
it will be back to the biomass
of carbon dioxide and water.
01:16:29.600 --> 01:16:33.033
If it gets washed away
or ends up in the sea,
01:16:33.067 --> 01:16:35.267
then it will dissolve instantly.
01:16:35.300 --> 01:16:38.400
And it's nontoxic,
so it's not gonna hurt anybody.
01:16:43.033 --> 01:16:44.500
(Connacher)
Near the end of the trip,
01:16:44.533 --> 01:16:47.033
Captain Moore invited me
down to Hawaii.
01:16:47.067 --> 01:16:50.067
It seemed like a chance
to get away from airports and highways,
01:16:50.100 --> 01:16:51.767
and I looked forward
to spending some time
01:16:51.800 --> 01:16:54.733
relaxing on a white sandy beach.
01:16:54.767 --> 01:16:59.200
(woman) ♪ More so
than I ever thought it ♪
01:16:59.233 --> 01:17:00.467
♪ we bought it ♪
01:17:00.500 --> 01:17:04.567
♪ and we all sat back
and watched it ♪
01:17:04.600 --> 01:17:06.267
♪ No one fought it ♪
01:17:06.300 --> 01:17:08.667
♪ So we praise the renegades ♪
01:17:08.700 --> 01:17:09.933
♪ who take to the street ♪
01:17:09.967 --> 01:17:11.900
♪ with songs
in their feet, yeah ♪
01:17:11.933 --> 01:17:14.333
♪ And we sew seeds to grow ♪
01:17:14.367 --> 01:17:16.700
♪ in the soil
that has not yet spoiled ♪
01:17:16.733 --> 01:17:17.867
♪ Put your foot down ♪
01:17:19.500 --> 01:17:22.300
♪ Put your foot down ♪
01:17:22.433 --> 01:17:25.467
♪ Put your foot down ♪
01:17:25.500 --> 01:17:27.867
♪ When they come
to push you around ♪
01:17:27.900 --> 01:17:29.233
♪ put your foot down ♪
01:17:30.700 --> 01:17:33.333
♪ Put your foot down ♪
01:17:33.433 --> 01:17:36.633
♪ Put your foot down ♪
01:17:36.667 --> 01:17:39.433
♪ When they come
to push you around ♪
01:17:39.467 --> 01:17:43.567
♪ So we dug in our heels
and waited ♪
01:17:43.600 --> 01:17:47.167
♪ kept all our hooks baited ♪
01:17:47.200 --> 01:17:50.133
(Connacher) This is one of the most remote
beaches in Hawaii,
01:17:50.167 --> 01:17:53.300
and it had been cleaned
three months prior to our arrival.
01:17:53.333 --> 01:17:54.633
(woman)
♪ who take to the street ♪
01:17:54.667 --> 01:17:56.467
♪ with songs
in their feet, yeah ♪
01:17:56.500 --> 01:17:58.900
♪ And we sew seeds to grow ♪
01:17:58.933 --> 01:18:01.300
♪ in the soil
that has not yet spoiled ♪
01:18:01.333 --> 01:18:02.333
♪ Put your foot down ♪
01:18:02.367 --> 01:18:06.733
(Connacher) This is what the gyre
is rejecting, vomiting back.
01:18:06.767 --> 01:18:10.100
Just a small sample
of what is floating out there.
01:18:10.133 --> 01:18:12.633
(woman) ♪ When they come
to push you around ♪
01:18:12.667 --> 01:18:15.167
♪ put your foot down ♪
01:18:28.233 --> 01:18:32.033
(Connacher) Seeing all this garbage may
have been this film's inspiration,
01:18:32.067 --> 01:18:34.700
but it is the people
dealing with the mess
01:18:34.733 --> 01:18:37.233
that will continue
to resonate in me,
01:18:37.267 --> 01:18:39.800
many of whom couldn't fit
into the story.
01:18:43.133 --> 01:18:46.767
I met with dedicated volunteers
cleaning up remote communities.
01:18:49.567 --> 01:18:51.400
Others have devised new tools
01:18:51.433 --> 01:18:54.100
for cleaning plastic waste
from urban areas.
01:18:56.667 --> 01:18:58.033
I met plastic producers
01:18:58.067 --> 01:18:59.967
committed to reducing
pellet loss
01:19:00.067 --> 01:19:02.367
both inside and outside
of the factory.
01:19:04.967 --> 01:19:07.567
There were artists using waste
materials in everything
01:19:07.600 --> 01:19:10.567
from high fashion to folk art.
01:19:14.167 --> 01:19:16.133
In India, I met an entrepreneur
01:19:16.167 --> 01:19:20.267
starting the first
bioplastic bag company,
01:19:20.300 --> 01:19:22.933
and in Australia,
an ex-plastic producer
01:19:22.967 --> 01:19:26.700
showed me his new line
of bio-based packaging.
01:19:26.733 --> 01:19:29.467
Numerous environmental groups
also came forward
01:19:29.500 --> 01:19:32.333
with easy steps
to conscious consumerism.
01:19:32.367 --> 01:19:35.367
And one scientist has pioneered
a new field of study
01:19:35.400 --> 01:19:37.133
called green chemistry,
01:19:37.167 --> 01:19:39.500
where the toxicity,
biodegradability,
01:19:39.533 --> 01:19:41.267
and the potential for recycling
01:19:41.300 --> 01:19:43.833
drive the invention
of new materials.
01:19:43.867 --> 01:19:48.567
If there are safer alternatives
on the market, why not change?
01:19:48.600 --> 01:19:51.700
If plastic can be designed
to be infinitely recyclable,
01:19:51.733 --> 01:19:54.367
would we even need landfills?
01:19:54.400 --> 01:19:55.933
Instead of cheerleading plastic
01:19:55.967 --> 01:19:58.367
as a cheap and disposable
material,
01:19:58.400 --> 01:20:02.567
why not cherish it as the finite
and valuable material it is?
01:20:02.600 --> 01:20:05.100
I hope I've shown
we could do much better.
01:20:05.133 --> 01:20:06.667
The important thing to remember
01:20:06.700 --> 01:20:09.800
is that we as consumers
have done nothing wrong,
01:20:09.833 --> 01:20:12.733
despite what some
in the plastic industry might say.
01:20:12.767 --> 01:20:15.133
And truthfully,
I don't even think the industry
01:20:15.167 --> 01:20:17.300
set out
to create toxic materials
01:20:17.333 --> 01:20:18.967
that would never go away.
01:20:19.000 --> 01:20:21.867
All of us got swept up
in the plastic promise,
01:20:21.900 --> 01:20:22.900
one that would free us
01:20:22.933 --> 01:20:25.033
from the constraints
of nature and time.
01:20:25.067 --> 01:20:29.167
But now 100 years have passed
since plastic appeared.
01:20:29.200 --> 01:20:33.333
It's time to rethink our relationship
to synthetic materials.
01:20:33.367 --> 01:20:36.967
As you have seen,
a world of experts agree.
01:20:37.000 --> 01:20:38.267
Thank you for watching.
01:20:42.933 --> 01:20:44.800
Am I an environmentalist?
01:20:45.667 --> 01:20:46.667
Am I what?
01:20:46.700 --> 01:20:47.700
An environmentalist.
01:20:48.933 --> 01:20:50.367
Absolutely.
01:20:50.400 --> 01:20:53.200
This is, um...
01:21:01.867 --> 01:21:03.367
Um...
01:21:03.400 --> 01:21:04.433
I'm - I've -
01:21:05.433 --> 01:21:06.500
Environmentalist?
01:21:06.533 --> 01:21:08.100
Hmm.
01:21:13.633 --> 01:21:15.167
I consider myself a scientist.
01:21:15.200 --> 01:21:17.400
A closet environmentalist,
I would say.
01:21:20.867 --> 01:21:22.467
Oh, jeez, that's a good one.
01:21:32.000 --> 01:21:33.700
I'm a chemical engineer.
01:21:33.733 --> 01:21:35.367
I'm chemist.
01:21:35.400 --> 01:21:37.567
That is a good question.
01:21:37.600 --> 01:21:39.567
To a certain degree, yes.
01:21:39.600 --> 01:21:40.667
To a certain degree, yes.
01:21:44.300 --> 01:21:45.867
(woman)
I've now dedicated my life
01:21:45.900 --> 01:21:48.367
to working with something
that's environmentally friendly,
01:21:48.400 --> 01:21:49.720
and I see that
as the way forward.
01:21:52.367 --> 01:21:54.533
You ask me
if I'm an environmentalist.
01:21:54.567 --> 01:21:55.833
Yes, I am.
01:21:55.867 --> 01:21:56.867
Yes, I am.
01:21:56.900 --> 01:21:58.067
I'm - yeah, I am.
01:21:58.100 --> 01:22:00.900
I'm what is known
as a congenital environmentalist.
01:22:00.933 --> 01:22:02.533
[laughs]
01:22:06.967 --> 01:22:09.567
Well, I don't know that I'd
consider myself an environmentalist.
01:22:09.600 --> 01:22:10.600
On the other hand,
01:22:10.633 --> 01:22:12.300
I don't want to do anything bad
for the environment.
01:22:12.333 --> 01:22:14.013
I just want to do good
for the environment.
01:22:14.500 --> 01:22:16.233
I am an environmentalist.
01:22:16.267 --> 01:22:19.800
I am as much an environmentalist
as you'll ever meet.
01:22:24.167 --> 01:22:29.000
I have a lot of sympathy
with many environmental causes.
01:22:29.033 --> 01:22:32.300
I'm a member of the
Butte County Environmental Group.
01:22:32.333 --> 01:22:33.500
I am an environmentalist.
01:22:33.533 --> 01:22:36.067
No, I'm not a tree hugger,
if that's what you mean.
01:22:36.100 --> 01:22:37.833
No, it's whatever
you think it means.
01:22:37.867 --> 01:22:40.667
No, I am an environmentalist
as such, yeah.
01:22:46.167 --> 01:22:49.067
You might say I'm a -
some people will say -
01:22:49.100 --> 01:22:50.433
am I an environmentalist?
01:22:50.467 --> 01:22:52.467
Absolutely.
01:22:52.500 --> 01:22:53.900
We're farmers by trade,
01:22:53.933 --> 01:22:55.733
so farmers are
the first environmentalists.
01:22:57.067 --> 01:22:58.433
I think a pragmatic one.
01:23:02.633 --> 01:23:05.133
Most of my friends think
I'm quite a hippie,
01:23:05.167 --> 01:23:06.933
vegetarian, tree hugging.
01:23:06.967 --> 01:23:09.533
But I just think
there's more of us -
01:23:09.567 --> 01:23:11.200
there's more of us
arriving each day,
01:23:11.233 --> 01:23:17.367
and the more momentum it has,
the better the planet will be.
01:23:36.767 --> 01:23:39.067
(woman)
♪ Says she, ♪
01:23:39.100 --> 01:23:41.400
♪ "You all must be ♪
01:23:41.433 --> 01:23:45.267
♪ the change you wish to see" ♪
01:23:45.300 --> 01:23:48.067
♪ If I talk my speak
but my walk is weak ♪
01:23:48.100 --> 01:23:50.033
♪ show me ♪
01:23:50.067 --> 01:23:53.633
♪ just how to be ♪
01:23:53.667 --> 01:23:57.200
♪ the change I wish to see ♪
01:23:59.933 --> 01:24:02.633
♪ I endeavor to shed light
on blindness ♪
01:24:02.667 --> 01:24:05.033
♪ speak my mind
with patience and kindness ♪
01:24:05.067 --> 01:24:06.400
♪ You know what I'm doing ♪
01:24:06.433 --> 01:24:07.700
♪ I'm scoping for hope ♪
01:24:07.733 --> 01:24:10.533
♪ There's no better time
to share how we cope ♪
01:24:10.567 --> 01:24:13.333
♪ But it's not our own
Mama Earth's timeline ♪
01:24:13.367 --> 01:24:16.200
♪ We all have our own
steady rate of decline ♪
01:24:16.233 --> 01:24:19.000
♪ to use as a context
for our worry ♪
01:24:19.033 --> 01:24:21.600
♪ with one more day
would you slow down or hurry? ♪
01:24:21.633 --> 01:24:23.600
♪ Says she, ♪
01:24:23.633 --> 01:24:25.900
♪ "You all must be ♪
01:24:25.933 --> 01:24:29.900
♪ the change you wish to see" ♪
01:24:29.933 --> 01:24:32.667
♪ if I talk my speak
but my walk is weak ♪
01:24:32.700 --> 01:24:34.933
♪ show me ♪
01:24:34.967 --> 01:24:38.233
♪ just how to be ♪
01:24:38.267 --> 01:24:42.067
♪ the change I wish to see ♪
01:24:43.767 --> 01:24:46.867
♪ Give me a green, green valley
and a clean, clean lake ♪
01:24:46.900 --> 01:24:49.800
♪ a solar-powered homestead
so I don't take ♪
01:24:49.833 --> 01:24:52.167
♪ more than my share
of what is there ♪
01:24:52.200 --> 01:24:55.633
♪ I'll make a ginger tea
to soothe me ♪
01:24:55.667 --> 01:24:57.800
♪ dance to music that moves me ♪
01:24:57.833 --> 01:25:00.600
♪ it's amazing
just what can be found ♪
Distributor: Bullfrog Films
Length: 85 minutes
Date: 2008
Genre: Expository
Language: English
Grade: 10-12, College, Adult
Color/BW:
Closed Captioning: Available
Audio description: Available
Existing customers, please log in to view this film.
New to Docuseek? Register to request a quote.
Related Films
Filmmakers Judith Helfand and Daniel B. Gold use humor and chutzpah in…
An investigation into the continued production of single-use plastic products…