There is no process to 'lithify' bits of plastic in place on a beach. This is probably the result of someone partially burning/melting a pile of plastic(nets) on the beach. The resulting slag washed into the ocean , broke up, and became rounded 'rocks' by wave action.
Scientists find ‘plastic rocks’ on remote island
31–40 of 47 posts
Re: Scientists find ‘plastic rocks’ on remote island
#32Earlier quoted context omitted.
Is this something that a paper bag could solve for?
Paper is heavier and bulkier, production is pretty resource intensive, recycling doesn't work all that well, it's not transparent, and you may have to line it with something else to make it hold up to moisture. It's better than plastic I guess but a non-fossil-sourced and easily biodegradable plastic would be kind of perfect for this, even if it was a little less sturdy than the current mainstream options.
> It's better than plastic I guess but a non-fossil-sourced and easily biodegradable plastic would be kind of perfect for this
It would be, but plastic like that that is also suitable for use as a bag doesn't exist.
Re: Scientists find ‘plastic rocks’ on remote island
#33Earlier quoted context omitted.
Because it reduces food spoiling. Without some deeper research, it's not clear cut whether the benefits of plastic packaging reduction outweigh the costs of extra spoilage. IIRC analysis from Wageningen University suggested that they don't.
I assume this is only a concern because in America you're forced to make grocery trips once a week because of the suburban layout and car-centric development instead of getting fresh food off the corner store every other day like most countries.
But in the US (or at least my part of it), it's not common to find produce individually wrapped in plastic. I always thought that was more of a European thing.
Re: Scientists find ‘plastic rocks’ on remote island
#34There is no process to 'lithify' bits of plastic in place on a beach. This is probably the result of someone partially burning/melting a pile of plastic(nets) on the beach. The resulting slag washed into the ocean , broke up, and became rounded 'rocks' by wave action.
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Re: Scientists find ‘plastic rocks’ on remote island
#35Earlier quoted context omitted.
Is this something that a paper bag could solve for?
Paper is heavier and bulkier, production is pretty resource intensive, recycling doesn't work all that well, it's not transparent, and you may have to line it with something else to make it hold up to moisture. It's better than plastic I guess but a non-fossil-sourced and easily biodegradable plastic would be kind of perfect for this, even if it was a little less sturdy than the current mainstream options.
And then at some point you have to weigh the carbon cost of transporting the extra mass vs the impact of the plastic itself (I'm not making this up, it's a thing that came up when some cities started requiring the thicker, more durable plastic grocery bags)
There's no easy win
Re: Scientists find ‘plastic rocks’ on remote island
#36Earlier quoted context omitted.
Paper is heavier and bulkier, production is pretty resource intensive, recycling doesn't work all that well, it's not transparent, and you may have to line it with something else to make it hold up to moisture. It's better than plastic I guess but a non-fossil-sourced and easily biodegradable plastic would be kind of perfect for this, even if it was a little less sturdy than the current mainstream options.
> It's better than plastic I guess but a non-fossil-sourced and easily biodegradable plastic would be kind of perfect for this It would be, but plastic like that that is also suitable for use as a bag doesn't exist.
> It would be, but plastic like that that is also suitable for use as a bag doesn't exist.
There is quite a bit of R&D in the biodegradable plastics space and the EU is banning more and more single use plastics so I'm hopeful that will change. One store around here piloted corn-based ones and while they weren't quite as sturdy and certainly very expensive, they worked ok-ish (and apparently biodegraded within years).
Re: Scientists find ‘plastic rocks’ on remote island
#37Given enough time, nature will evolve towards a more plastic accepting genome. Hopefully it will be fast enough!
As George Carlin once said, for all we know, humans are nature's way of manufacturing plastic.
Now I imagine a group of aliens evolved on a level that we are no more than bacteria to them observing us, marvelling over our lifeforms ability to produce plastic. "First alien life form synthesising plastic from their ancestors liquified dead remains discovered.", their tabloids tell them.
Re: Scientists find ‘plastic rocks’ on remote island
#38Given enough time, nature will evolve towards a more plastic accepting genome. Hopefully it will be fast enough!
Trees did not decompose for millions of years and just piled up, since there were no fungi or bacteria that evolved to decompose wood. I'd rather not wait millions of years to see plastic decompose. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carboniferous#Rocks_and_coal
Its slowness is what I really hate about evolution. With sufficient energy, humans can make almost every environment habitable. Corals, butterflies and fish really need to step up their game. "Aeiouuu!!! The seas temperature increased by 2 degrees celsius over 50 years -I guess I will just surrender and die." just doesn't cut it in 2023 anymore. Bad attitude.
Re: Scientists find ‘plastic rocks’ on remote island
#39Earlier quoted context omitted.
> It's better than plastic I guess but a non-fossil-sourced and easily biodegradable plastic would be kind of perfect for this It would be, but plastic like that that is also suitable for use as a bag doesn't exist.
> It would be, but plastic like that that is also suitable for use as a bag doesn't exist. There is quite a bit of R&D in the biodegradable plastics space and the EU is banning more and more single use plastics so I'm hopeful that will change. One store around here piloted corn-based ones and while they weren't quite as sturdy and certainly very expensive, they worked ok-ish (and apparently biodegraded within years).
Yes, the current biodegradable plastics are, basically, PLA -- the same stuff commonly used for 3D printing.
And they are technically biodegradable, but won't do so in a reasonable period of time outside of industrial facilities. They're better on that count than more traditional plastic, but I'm not sure they're better enough to actually matter.
Hopefully, there will be some advance in the future but, as they say, the future isn't here yet!
Re: Scientists find ‘plastic rocks’ on remote island
#40There is no process to 'lithify' bits of plastic in place on a beach. This is probably the result of someone partially burning/melting a pile of plastic(nets) on the beach. The resulting slag washed into the ocean , broke up, and became rounded 'rocks' by wave action.
>There is no process
You just described a process to make plastic that looks like igneous rocks, which seems to be all the paper is claiming.
The abstract mentions "plastic debris forms are rock synthetic equivalents in which humans act as depositional and post-depositional agents," so I suspect the authors are thinking the same thing. I can't see the full text however.