And yet its become ground zero for The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, syphoning plastics from three distant continents. So the big plastic producers came up with a multimillion-dollar solution: advertising. and industry is investing tens of billions of dollars in new plastic plants. The idea behind that particular facility is if we improve the way that recyclables move down the conveyor belt, so they get separated, we're going to create better, cleaner streams of like materials. 115 billion pounds. The sacks are from a plastic company. And when it comes to understanding and reducing the environmental impacts of materials, including packaging, consumers have the lowest amount of leverage. Anyone may search for titles and find detailed information about the titles. The Boston Globe, Best of Fest Award, Docuwest Film FestivalGrand Jury Award, Wild and Scenic Film FestivalBest Medium Length Documentary, FICMA, Barcelona International Environmental Film FestivalBest Educational Film, Blue Ocean Film FestivalBest Documentary, Philadelphia Asian Film FestivalGold Award Winner, California Film AwardsBroadcast Award, American Conservation Film FestivalBest Environmental Film, San Francisco Ocean Film FestivalIsla Conservation Award, Catalina Film FestivalHawaii International Film FestivalSonoma Film Festival International Wildlife Film Festival, Missoula, MTSan Francisco Green Film FestivalBig Bear International Film FestivalSan Diego Asian International Film FestivalHonolulu World Oceans Day Festival Waimea Ocean Film FestivalLos Angeles Asian American Film Festival Boston Film Festival Kuala Lumpur Eco Film Festival Sonoma International Film Festival Irvine International Film Festival Richmond Environmental Film Festival Marda Loop Justice Film Festivals I Imagine Film Festival Festival TransAmeriques Montreal Gray's Reef Ocean Film Festival Miami and the Beaches Environmental Film Festival Reel Change Sustainability Film Festival, Sun, Angela (screenwriter) But more than half of all people that live in the Portland area believe this belongs in the curbside container. We support, actually, the ACC goalsAmerican Chemistry Councilgoals of getting plastic waste out of landfills by, I think the date is 2040. A lot of that waste is ending up in the ocean. And yet it's become ground zero for The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, syphoning plastics from three distant continents. The documentary is directed by Craig Leeson, an Australian journalist dedicated to investigating the impact our obsession with plastic is having on the planetspecifically our oceans. So, it was up to us in the plastics industry to solve this problem so that they could continue to package their products in plastic. Once a completely natural product, much of today's plastic is man-made and largely dependent upon fossil fuels. Back in Oregon, I found one of these new technologies. 18 billion pounds of plastic waste end up in the ocean every year. There is no proof. based on Indonesian customs documents wed obtained. Science tells us that we need to significantly reduce our use of materials overall, and yet for the most part, the policymakers are still focused with laserlike intensity on recycling. Plastic Paradise "Sun offers a fresh, new voice for her generation and has made a film that can appeal to the masses" - Honolulu Pulse "Chilling film.journalist Angela Sun offers valuable new insights." --The Hollywood Reporter "Thoughtful new documentary by @sunnyangela examines the Great Pacific Garbage Patch The photography is a strong asset, and images from Midway Island are especially striking. We have to show hard results. As long as we didnt disclose his identity. It spent most of its money, millions and millions of dollars, on advertising. With the help of an Indonesian journalist, we tried to speak to someone at New Harvestindo, but we were told there was no one available. And the remaining plastic waste will then be disposed of. This floating ocean garbage is home to a surprising amount of life from the coasts. Years later, we shut it down because there was no way to make money at it. There are various types of plastics, and that the cost of new plastic is so low that sorting and reprocessing used plastic cant be justified economically. This film makes the case that the only solution is source control, and that consumers have a great deal of underutilized power.' They are everywhere around this area. New Harvestindo eventually got back to us and denied it was responsible for doing anything that damaged the environment. When we do that, we end up with bales that are more easy to sell and that are more easy for consumer goods companies to incorporate into their packaging. But there are growing concerns here that a lot of plastic waste is not being handled the right way, and Indonesian officials are trying to prevent what happened in China from happening here. Sunil Bagaria is national chairman of the plastics division for ISRI, the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries. I watched the film with some of my students so I can attest that it appeals to the younger generation. Polystyrene, PET, PVC, polypropylene. And if you turn this over, you see the chasing arrows. For the oil and gas industry, the stakes are higher, too, because single-use plastic is their Plan B. "Give me raw material"that's all they wanted. And the next thing you know, all of the plastic containers have these symbols on them. No. Planetsave'Sun offers a fresh, new voice for her generation and has made a film that can appeal to the masses.' And that's the way recycling has been sold as well, OK? Do you think that because its not quite recyclable yet that that might be a little misleading? Responding to pressure from states and environmentalists to better identify the many types of plastic, it created a code to tell them apart. Americans discard more trash than any other country in the world. The whole idea about, "Oh, just sort better. See it and share it with others!' After a 30-minute drive, we reached a quiet neighborhood with an area hidden from the road. It all made me wonder whether the plastic industry is just recycling old ideas. Funding for FRONTLINE is provided through the support of PBS viewers and by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Instead, what they disclose is the recycling logo. LAURA LEEBRICK, Manager, Government Affairs, Rogue Disposal: What youre seeing happening right now isthats a full-sizethat's probably a 53-foot trailer. The producers know what the environmental impacts of these different formats are, but they don't disclose it. In five years, he invented a new material called celluloid, which would become known as the first plastic. So the idea would be mechanical sorters pick out 11 billion K-Cups, right? Teaching Sociology 2020 48: 3, 259-261 Download Citation. The manufacturing of plastic has increased from 20 million pounds worldwide in 1927 to 115 billion in 2014. We're covered in plastic-based gear from head to toe. Oh, poor baby, Im sorry. plastic paradise transcriptplymouth township mi police scanner. Plastic Paradise: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch DOCUMENTARY The invention of synthetic plastic created an era of disposable products. In the business, theyre called "mixed plastics. Amazing work!' (function() { var po = document.createElement('script'); po.type = 'text/javascript'; po.async = true; po.src = 'https://apis.google.com/js/plusone.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(po, s); })(); Now the country is trying to clean up its image. The common refrain in this whole field is that it's all up to consumers. Honolulu Pulse'Offers some alarming information that might cause viewers to think twice about buying one-time-use water bottles.' Sun, Angela (film producer) This is the world we see. What once was glass will soon be plastic. ", "We must immediately undertake a major program of unprecedented proportions to reverse this fast-moving tidal wave of growing negative public perception.. But the question really is, "How do I reduce?". In a highly controversial action, one county in New York state has voted to ban all packaging made of two kinds of plastic. You could recycle this in a lab. The crisis passed. You guys have been around for a long time. Dr. Sherri A. Mason, Professor of Chemistry, Environmental Sciences Program Coordinator, SUNY at Fredonia'We are all familiar with trash, but most of us likely are unaware of indestructible plastic trash that pollutes the oceans, contaminates our seafood, kills birds, fish, and marine mammals as well as carrying toxic substances into the environment and our bodies. At Plastic Paradise's conclusion, the viewer is left pondering that the amount of plastic in the world will increase by 400% by 2050. Yes. In 2015, a marine biologist came across a sea turtle in distress. First,. I mean, China did a big one for the recycling industry, I must say. In this independent documentary film, journalist/filmmaker Angela Sun travels on a personal journey of discovery to uncover this mysterious phenomenon. Watertight and endlessly malleable, plastic is the perfect invention yet, its miraculous durability is also its curse because it never goes away. Lets be the ones that came together to change the world. We could ship scrap and hope that it is being recycled in the way it should be, or the other way is come here, see how serious he is about doing it the right way. So you can talk about this stuff a lot. It needs improvement. Many of them cannot be recycled anymore and are dirty. This is plastic that has no home, so it's your clamshells, Ziploc bags, film, a CD, a food wrapper. DAVID ALLAWAY, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality: Very nice to meet you. Greenpeace went and climbed aboard it and took a huge banner that we put on it. These chemicals can then enter the food chain when consumed by marine life. TV-PG. And on the day I stopped by, local lawmakers had been invited in to hear about the benefits of a new sorting machine that industry says will make recycling plastic more economical. When the recycling market in China went away, Bagaria and other brokers scrambled to find a new home for their plastic, and countries like Indonesia saw a business opportunity. 'This is an issue of vast scales. // ]]> Thousands of miles away from civilization, Midway Atoll is in one of the most remote places on earth. I mean, you got handed this task to recycle plastic in the United States. I mean what is the carbon footprint? Its very confusing to a lot of people. They said I couldnt dream. No transcript available. And the numberthere's some words; it says, "1 PETE." Were a not-for-profit. It is ultimately getting recycled. We dont think that were being misleading because technically it is recyclable. Earth Day was one of the largest mass protests in U.S. history. I think they knew that the infrastructure wasn't there to really have recycling amount to a whole lot. They are going to double down on single-use plastic like we have never seen, so we're heading towards a real battle. Then what? Using the infographic and a world map, point out the pattern of ocean currents. There is no program in Oregon that wants this in the curbside mix. The big problem is that it is all about money, profits. The plastic industry had brought a demonstration project here in 1994. Docuseek2 is a streaming platform of the best documentary and social issue films available for the higher education community. Her documentary, Plastic Paradise, reveals the devastating truths around single-use plastics and the reality of what they are doing to our oceans & marine life on a massive and rapid scale. It said in an email that it had a comprehensive system to handle plastic waste and it follows all Indonesian laws and regulations. Stuck with plastics they couldnt sell, Smith and other recyclers met with representatives from the plastic industry. The film provides graphic proof of this phenomenon. Jim Becker is the vice president of sustainability. Sun, Angela (film director) Here we are at our GDB South Brunswick facility. In this independent documentary film, journalist/filmmaker Angela Sun travels on a personal journey of discovery to uncover this mysterious phenomenon. If you want to step up above, you can see the machine in action. Its the biggest Ive seen. Glass? It includes a good history of the genesis of the plastics industry from materials shortages during World War II, and demonstrates that things put in the environment (such as a message in a bottle) can stick around for a long time and move great distances. News Pollution. Have we made any progress? Let's just go knock and see if maybe someone will talk to us. The big problem is that it is all about money, profits. And this was in 1973. The U.S. is now one of the worlds largest plastic producers. It was also a boon for oil companies as they had an entirely new market to tap from 20 million pounds in 1927 to 650 million pounds by 1943. My college age son thinks it is 'right on.' What's it like to look at a field this size and see it covered in plastic trash? They float in the water and get eaten by sea life. You cannot download interactives. Plastic Paradise: A Swingin' Trip Through America's Polynesian Obsession: Directed by Brett O'Bourke. Not a good idea for the environment. But to get to the beach, the trash had to float through the water, which is where coral reef organisms would have encountered it. Literally me. Others, like Colgate-Palmolive, saw a need for better education. As I made my way through the innovation fair. Considering the creation of plastic was used as a substitute for . It was created. Yes, because we are struggling to handle our own waste. October 7, 2013 by The CALI Award. So all the plastic will come off before the line ends. DENI SURJANTORO, Spokesman, Indonesian Customs: [Speaking Indonesian] We have some priority issues and one of them is plastic waste. Dr. Patricia Corcoran, Associate Professor of Earth Sciences, University of Western Ontario'Angela Sun spoke with all the right people and even went to places she wasn't supposed to go in order to present the full story on plastic pollution. [Expletive] Christ, that is plastic. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features NFL Sunday Ticket Press Copyright . The recycling system that we have at the moment, its not really recycling because some part of it exportedbeing exported all over the world to be "recycled," but you never know whether its really being recycled overseas or not. The smell of burnt plastic was in the air, and all around, there were sacks of plastic, and big piles, too. //