And you don't think this is just an industry coming up with a way to get out of a crisis? Angela Sun is an award-winning journalist, sports caster, and filmmaker. Good stuff, easy to do. They didnt want to go anywhere near no triangle. Sunil Bagaria is national chairman of the plastics division for ISRI, the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries. Along the way she meets scientists, researchers, influencers, and volunteers who shed light on the effects of our rabid plastic consumption and learns the problem is more insidious than we could have ever imagined. Sun, Angela (film director) The fact that you now dont have to worry about dropping a shampoo bottle that was made out of glass on the bathroom floor because its plastic. This is everywhere in every supermarket. These chemicals can then enter the food chain when consumed by marine life. What we put in our recycling bins ends up in sorting plants like this one, outside of Portland. STEVE RUSSELL, VP, American Chemistry Council, 1995-2020: The thing that made them unique was the ability to do more with just a little bit of material; to make things that we used lighter and more efficient. Some, like Keurig, saw a need for better technology. So this is how it looks like when they burn it. Its facing opposition to the construction of new plants. Today its main lobbying group is the American Chemistry Council, and until recently its vice president of plastics was Steve Russell. "Some firms used it as a green marketing tool." In a highly controversial action, one county in New York state has voted to ban all packaging made of two kinds of plastic. But the proof here is the dramatic amount of investment that's happening right now. 115 billion pounds. It just keeps getting better, doesnt it? childhood leukemia. A lot of that waste is ending up in the ocean. The plastic industry that you were working with agreed to these and signed on to this report. And that's the way recycling has been sold as well, OK? What is the problem? If you have questions about how to cite anything on our website in your project or classroom presentation, please contact your teacher. I wanted to understand how we came to this moment; how the plastic industry has been able to thrive all these years in the face of a growing crisis and opposition thats now stronger than its ever been. [CDATA[ Students will learn the unexpected economic and ecological facets of plastic pollution and ways for each of us to minimize our plastic footprint. Not a good idea for the Earth. Then what? But to get to the beach, the trash had to float through the water, which is where coral reef organisms would have encountered it. In 2015, a marine biologist came across a sea turtle in distress. Made from readily available petroleum, plastic was the go-to material for the war machine. Thomas wrote a confidential memo in 1989 about the precarious position the industry was in. JIM BECKER, VP, Sustainability, Chevron Phillips: Our view is you have to be very careful with that because sometimes the substitute products can have a bigger environmental impact than the thing you are banning. One in every 10 Americans took part in rallies, concerts and. The crisis passed. So here weve collected some old newspaper articles from 199425 years ago. A lot of Americans do this, like what you're doing right now. There's going to be more plastic than ever. In this independent documentary film, journalist/filmmaker Angela Sun travels on a personal journey of discovery to uncover this mysterious phenomenon. What do you think? But you're talking about couple of companies. How America's 20-year war in Afghanistan culminated in Taliban victory. Is this recyclable? the equivalent of a garbage truck dumped every minute. Less than 10% of plastic has actually ever been recycled. Docuseek Build 2.0.b297-c7-gej, Angela Sun, consumption of plastics, Great Pacific Garbage Patch, Midway Atoll, plastic, pollution, gyre, Pacific gyre, Midway Atoll, war in the pacific, history of plastics, plastics in war and peace, BPA, endocrine disruptors, Frederick vom Saal, John Klavitter, Matt Brown, Captain Charles Moore, Rikeem Sholes, Lewis Goldsmith, Arnold Schwarznegger, Jean-Michel Cousteau, Gerry Fishbeck, Brian Porter, Andy Keller, Rolf Halden, Wailana, Elizabeth Keenan, Gregor Hodgson, Susie Holst, Marcus Eriksen, Noel Mendiola, Annette Horman, Indie Carbo, dianna Cohen, Anna Cummins, Kitt Doucette, Dave Rastovich, Wallace J Nichols, Lisa Boyle, Julia Brownley, Gretchen Bleiler, Jack Johnson, Micah Mendiola, Daniel McGregor, Raquel Long, Matthew Long, Greg Stone, Peter Seligmann, Algalita Marine Research and Education, plastic nets, microplastics, albatross, indicator species, recycling, single use plastics, consumer power, American Chemistry Council, ACC, Society of the Plastics Industry, SPI, bag monster. The film won many awards and was released in 2013. Plastic films, plastic bags, the plastic wrapping that comes around a lot of packaged goods, that all goes into the garbage. Elizabeth A. Newell, Stephanie Hanus, Stevie Monteiro, Destiny Harbison, and James McTighe. But thats not what weve been told for decades, as the things we buy have been increasingly packaged in plastic. Others, like Colgate-Palmolive, saw a need for better education. Save our Earth. But later we surely realized that there was always another aspect of what was going on in China. 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 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. ", "We must immediately undertake a major program of unprecedented proportions to reverse this fast-moving tidal wave of growing negative public perception.. and came up with a report identifying key problems with the numbering code. This film makes the case that the only solution is source control, and that consumers have a great deal of underutilized power.' So all the plastic will come off before the line ends. How much plastic will the US produce this year? We said, "Next time try recycling." The image of plastics among consumers is deteriorating at an alarmingly fast pace, it says. The big leverage is with the producers. After the community complained to the government about the burning, the dumping stopped here. We have to start showing success. Starring Angela Sun Wallace J. Nichols. Another priority is narcotics. Reveals the history and worldwide scope of plastics pollution, investigates its toxicity and explores solutions. Recycle, bury, what to do with it? 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. Do you fundamentally think that in the United States recycling could ramp up to a capacity to handle the vast majority of plastic that's being produced? There's nothing wrong with promoting recycling except when recycling sucks all the oxygen out of the room and we never do anything else. FRONTLINE is a registered trademark of WGBH Educational Foundation. This package here is technically recyclable. Many U.S. cities are taking steps to ban plastic grocery bags. No. When you look at plastic, you know how it helps things stay fresh and safe and light. They would just take the low-hanging fruits. As we continued reporting, we found even more internal documents and court filings and spoke with over a dozen industry insiders, including three top executives who represented the big plastic producers and agreed to talk publicly for the first time. They float in the water and get eaten by sea life. We follow Angela Sun while she investigates the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, which is where the plastic waste of three different continents accumulates. Considering the creation of plastic was used as a substitute for . Stuck with plastics they couldnt sell, Smith and other recyclers met with representatives from the plastic industry. We need more work. Film Review: Plastic Paradise: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch. We dont want that. under Environment, Pollution; by Tafline Laylin. Can we come in and look? The U.S. is now one of the worlds largest plastic producers. John Wesley Hyatt took up the challenge. Can we afford, ecologically or economically, to turn it off or to leave it running? People can stop it. Plastic is different than any Smokejumping is the pinnacle of wild land firefighting. Dont tell me thats a freaking straw. Were working with other organizations to get the word out. Some items, like soda bottles and milk jugs, are easier to recycle, so theres money to be made. And the guy industry tapped decades ago to get recycling going isnt surprised. So, contaminated plastic trash is as big a problem for you guys as narcotics and drugs coming into the country. The voyage she completes can motivate students to discover more about pollution of all kinds on their own. twice the size of texas or as big as the US. Were going to have to invest in innovation, because some of these technologies still need to be further developed. And few places have pursed recycling more aggressively than Oregon. And yet it's become ground zero for The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, syphoning plastics from three distant continents. We took a trek up to Wilmington and this one DuPont executive, he said, "I think if we had $5 million"which seemed like a lot of money then"if we had $5 million, we could solve this problem.". One internal document from the Society of the Plastics Industry cautioned "the techniques of cleaning and separating the mixed plastics has not been developed for large scale economic application. I guess I think of it more as an investment in managing plastic waste. Liesemer was sent to Minnesota on an urgent mission. The table is set with polyethylene products, too. When I came here in June, I asked them where did they get this from? Let's do right by our future. We're covered in plastic-based gear from head to toe. [Speaking Indonesian] It used to be only once a month, but now it can be two or three times a week. When you get a bale of plastic, how much of that bale is plastic that the company wants and how much of it is stuff that is just plastic that youre not going to do anything with? Chevron Phillips would like to see all of that plastic recycled back to make new plastic things. It really became a metaphor of, "We are bumping up against limits here. William J. Cooper, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Director of the Urban Water Research Center, University of California-Irvine'A fun and well-balanced introduction to a complex environmental topic. One recycling company here caught our attention. We need to confirm if the data that we have is correct or not. In small groups, explore the impact of ocean plastics on coral reef species by having students research the impact of ghost nets on sea turtles, the ingestion of plastic by Pacific seabirds, and the ingestion of plastic particles by coral polyps. I think it is a big moment. Let's put these away and let me show you another recycling label. Not a good idea for your wallet. Have we made any progress? I mean, it says "sorts out the problems.". Devastating Plastic Paradise Documentary Shows How Our Trash Lands up in the Pacific Ocean (VIDEO) Environment. The sacks are from a plastic company. As plastics break down through photodegradation, they leach out colorants and chemicals, such as bisphenol A (BPA), that have been linked to environmental and health problems. 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. 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. ", And this document was candid: There is serious doubt widespread plastic recycling can ever be made viable on an economic basis.. But it isnt just industry thats kept consumers focused on recycling for so long. He now heads a local environmental coalition, but he remembers a pivotal board meeting in the late '80s, when the industry was worried about its public image. Directed by Angela Sun If the oil industry is able to get 100% of the material recycled. He told me he could take me to a place where the company had recently been dumping plastic. It is ultimately getting recycled. This is from California. We need to increase the interest in and demand for recycled materials and more products made from recycled materials. "Give me raw material"that's all they wanted. Amazing work!' and industry is investing tens of billions of dollars in new plastic plants. Plastics in the ocean have been building up for decades. And Im afraid that the same thing is happening right now. Plastic Paradise engages students by illustrating how their everyday interactions with plastic are connected to pollution at the farthest, most exotic corners of the world. We call it Plasticstown USA. Yes, it would. In Medford, Oregon, Rogue Disposals landfill takes about a hundred loads of trash a day, and more and more of it is plastic. That kind of implies that thats where the responsibility lay. Do your part, save the Earth, recycle. In an underwater paradise, a plastic nightmare. Register to request a quote. I believe with the proper infrastructure and the proper education and we all work together as a collective, we can. We've got to fix the recycling system; clearly that's job one. Recyclers and the plastic makers couldn't agree on how to change the code. Drawing from the expertise of a diversity of scientists, activists and management practitioners in the field, this film introduces its audience to issues regarding plastic production and waste-management, plastic contamination in the ocean and the hazards of plastic and its chemical cocktail to humans and wildlife.' And by impacts, I don't mean whether or not it can be recycled. Dr. Garen Baghdasarian, Professor of Biology, Chair of Life Sciences, Santa Monica College'Filmmaker Angela Sun tells a compelling story about the plethora of harmful impacts associated with non-degradable plastic, particularly in regard to the marine environment, while recognizing that the properties of plastic have enhanced our quality of life in many ways. As I made my way through the innovation fair. Recyclers also appealed to government regulators, but they sided with industry. From 1990 to 2010, production more than doubled. I think others were more hopeful. Yeah, I mean, its bleeding already. EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler was talking up the future of recycling. The Hollywood Reporter'The film everyone needs to see.' All Rights Reserved.Graphics by. For decades, the national response to the growing plastic waste problem has focused on one solution: recycling. Now the country is trying to clean up its image. But the question really is, "How do I reduce?". They said that the chasing arrows symbol was OK, as long as it was small and on the bottom of packaging. Allaway is a leading authority on the environmental impacts of materials, like plastic. Plastic Paradise | Bullfrog Films: 1-800-543-3764: Environmental DVDs and Educational DVDs is a leading source of educational DVDs & videos, with a collection of over 700 titles in these main subject areas: Environment Globalization Sustainability Climate Change Social Justice Developing World Indigenous Peoples Earth Science Life Science (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); })(); By doing so, this film will inspire young people to act as global citizens and contribute to finding solutions for the major environmental problems of the coming century.' We dont think that were being misleading because technically it is recyclable. ThermaSet is the future. This is a documentary that should be seen by educators, students, politicians, and environmentalists alike. Because as long as it remotely resembled plastic, they wanted it. Angela SunProduced by Angela Sun, Gil Elbaz, Elyssa Elbaz, Tanya Leal SotoEditor: Wendy ShueyCinematography: Joseph Ochoa, Francisco Aliwalas, Mark BellaGraphics: Jonathan Jelkin. I would say that their conclusions in 1973, you say, are still true. It provides valuable information and presents that information in an engaging and visually gripping way.' That needs to be. If you have questions about licensing content on this page, please contact ngimagecollection@natgeo.com for more information and to obtain a license. This film makes the case that the only solution is source control, and that consumers have a great deal of underutilized power.' The manufacturing of plastic has increased from 20 million pounds worldwide in 1927 to 115 billion in 2014. All of a sudden, our own customers, they would bring it in and not only say it has the triangle, but it wouldthey would flat-out say, "It says its recyclable right on it." It holds one of the worlds largest collections of industrial history. This is an American city, a real community of homes and homemakers like thousands of others across the nation. Brand-name companies that used plastic were facing bans on their products. National Geographic Society is a 501 (c)(3) organization. We support, actually, the ACC goalsAmerican Chemistry Councilgoals of getting plastic waste out of landfills by, I think the date is 2040. They wanted us to sort plastics when people thought plastics might be starting to be a problem. That's a 3,000% increase in just a few short years. And the numberthere's some words; it says, "1 PETE." Plastics will never go away as long as the consumer demands it. ", "Thoughtful new documentary by @sunnyangela examines the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, @plasticdise plasticparadisemovie.com #ppgp2", "Offers some alarming information that might cause viewers to think twice, about buying one-time-use water bottles. Plastic Paradise engages students by illustrating how their everyday interactions with plastic are connected to pollution at the farthest, most exotic corners of the world . For information on user permissions, please read our Terms of Service. Plastic Paradise is an excellent, accessible, and troubling documentary that reveals these issues. DAVID ALLAWAY, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality: Very nice to meet you. But as we continued our reporting in Oregon, we heard about a surprisingly similar effort that took place more than 25 years ago at a recycling company 50 miles away called Garten Services. Yes. [Chanting] Save our Earth! The film is excellent--in its timeliness, its depth, and its presentation. It was, "We need to be doing things.". I met up with Yuyun Ismawati in a small rural community nearby. Dr. Chelsea M. Rochman, Smith Fellow in Conservation Biology, Marine Ecologist/Ecotoxicologist, Aquatic Health Program, University of California Davis'Plastic Paradise offers new and sharpened perspectives on the problem of plastics in the environment. If the public thinks that recycling is working, then they're not going to be as concerned about the environment. The world is flooded with plastic garbage. You can see from that corner to the end of that valley over there. Ask students to predict what might happen if turtles or seabirds become less common in a coral reef ecosystem. 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.