Good news! device created to clean up plastic from the ocean is finally doing its job

[Sara S]

A floating device created to clean up plastic from the ocean is finally doing its job, organizers say

https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/02/tech/ocean-cleanup-catching-plastic-scn-trnd/index.html

(CNN)A huge trash-collecting system designed to clean up plastic floating in the Pacific Ocean is finally picking up plastic, its inventor announced Wednesday.

The Netherlands-based nonprofit the Ocean Cleanup says its latest prototype was able to capture and hold debris ranging in size from huge, abandoned fishing gear, known as "ghost nets," to tiny microplastics as small as 1 millimeter.
"Today, I am very proud to share with you that we are now catching plastics," Ocean Cleanup founder and CEO Boyan Slat said at a news conference in Rotterdam.

The Ocean Cleanup system is a U-shaped barrier with a net-like skirt that hangs below the surface of the water. It moves with the current and collects faster moving plastics as they float by. Fish and other animals will be able to swim beneath it.
The new prototype added a parachute anchor to slow the system and increased the size of a cork line on top of the skirt to keep the plastic from washing over it.

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It's been deployed in "The Great Pacific Garbage Patch" -- a concentration of trash located between Hawaii and California that's about double the size of Texas, or three times the size of France.

Ocean Cleanup plans to build a fleet of these devices, and predicts it will be able to reduce the size of the patch by half every five years.


Finally, some good news for this planet! It will take some time since there are decades of garbage out there, but it looks like there is progress.
Video at link.

[wisewomn]

And here's something we all can do, Sara:

We Can Now Help Keep Plastics Out of the Ocean
Simply By Ditching the ‘Delicate’ Washing Machine Cycle


Researchers have identified a new way for people to help keep plastic out of the ocean—and it’s as simple as changing the setting on your washing machine.

According to new research led by Newcastle University, delicate wash cycles in washing machines release more plastic microfibers than other cycles.
The study found that it is because of the volume of water used during the wash cycle, rather than the spinning action of the washing machine, which is the key factor in the release of plastic microfibers from clothes.

The team measured the release of plastic microfibers from polyester clothing for a range of cycles and water volumes. Counting the fibers released, the team found the higher the volume of water the more fibers released, regardless of the speed and abrasive forces of the washing machine.

In fact, they found that on average, 800,000 more fibers were released in a delicate wash than a standard cycle.

Publishing their findings this week in the academic journal Environmental Science and Technology, PhD student Max Kelly, who led the research, explained:
“Counterintuitively, we discovered that ‘delicate’ cycles release more plastic microfibers into the water, and then the environment, than standard cycles.

“Previous research has suggested the speed the drum spins at, the number of times it changes spinning direction during a cycle and the length of pauses in the cycle—all known as the machine agitation—is the most important factor in the amount of microfiber released.

“But we have shown here that even at reduced levels of agitation, microfiber release is still greatest with higher water-volume-to-fabric ratios.

“This is because the high volume of water used in a delicate cycle which is supposed to protect sensitive clothing from damage actually ‘plucks’ away more fibers from the material.”

Millions of plastic microfibers are shed every time we wash clothes that contain materials such as nylon, polyester and acrylic. Because these fibers are so small, they drain out of our washing machines and can ultimately pollute marine environments.

Laundry has been recognized as a major contributor of microplastics but until now, precisely measuring the release of these fibers has been difficult due to the fact that it’s almost impossible to accurately simulate the reality of what happens in people’s machines in a lab setting.

Continues here (https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/we-can-keep-plastics-out-of-oceans-by-ditching-delicate-washing-cycle/)

[dancenteach]

I would suggest that we all stop using laundry detergent as it breaks down the fabric in all your clothes. I have been using various alternative methods to wash my clothes without soap for 25 years. You have to like your clothes as they don't wear out. One that is readily available is from Life Miracle. (http://www.magneticlaundry.ca/magneticlaundrysystem.html) It is called the Magnetic Laundry System. You can read about it for yourself but here are some highlights.

Saves the money normally spent buying chemical laundry detergents for your entire life.
Cleans just as well as the laundry detergents and it lasts a LIFETIME with a 50 year manufacturer’s warranty.
Spares you and your family from inhaling toxic scents by protecting your body from contact with the chemicals lurking in your clothes
Saves on water bills as you can skip the rinse cycle and conserve water.
Prevents more toxins going into the rivers, endangering aquatic life.

According to the University of Washington, your laundry detergent releases banned cancer-causing chemicals that may be affecting the health of you and your family. On July 23rd, 2008, a study was performed. What they found is that 99% of laundry detergents release cancer-causing chemicals that are legally hazardous and deemed toxic by the EPA.

Most of them were NOT on the label. These chemicals are so toxic:
They are a major ingredient in pesticides. They are used to kill insects.
They are extremely harmful to your body because they imitate the hormone 'estrogen'
When these artificial hormone like chemicals get into your blood stream through your skin, they may start to cause serious damage to your body.
The Journal of Pesticide Reform shows strong evidence that these chemicals cause severe damage to heart and muscle function.


And here's something we all can do, Sara:

We Can Now Help Keep Plastics Out of the Ocean
Simply By Ditching the ‘Delicate’ Washing Machine Cycle

Continues here (https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/we-can-keep-plastics-out-of-oceans-by-ditching-delicate-washing-cycle/)