Landfill, oceanic flotsam, or a new kite? Your disposal choice can have a serious impact.
This quirky video from TedEd urges us to think about the consequences of single use plastic bottles. It follows the journey of three plastic bottles from origin to their final discardment - with outcomes that effect nothing less than the planet.
The message is pretty clear - recycle properly to avoid your bottle unnecessarily ending up as toxic sludge in landfill or drifting eternally through waterways and oceans. Six million tonnes of rubbish finds its way into the ocean each year and has a devastating effect on marine life who become entangled or mistake the plastic for food, ultimately dying of starvation. The plastic also breaks down to microscopic levels and is then "eaten" up the food chain by larger and larger animals until it ends up on our plates!
There is a possible positive outcome. When plastic is correctly recycled is can be washed and melted back to its original raw material. It can then be moulded into endless possibilities; new bottles, containers, clothes, and kites (the sky's the limit). Alternatively, invest in a reuseable bottle and take it with you everywhere you go!
