Uncovered the Identity of Missing Plastics! Proposal for Prohibiting the Manufacture, Sale and Use of Styrofoam

Abstract

Kentoku Funaki*

The number of plastic waste floating in the seawater is estimated to be 75 million tons, of which 60% should be floating in the sea. However, from the research so far, the total amount of plastics on the sea is only 0.44 million tons, 99% of the plastics is missing. But I think that most of the plastics should stay on the riverbed or coast, and the number of plastics floating on the sea surface is almost the same as the number of plastics floating in the sea or the seabed. Since microplastics are produced by deterioration of plastics due to ultraviolet rays and moisture that are exposed to them while they are staying on the riverbeds and coasts, I propose that people all over the world pick up garbage there once a year. In addition, among plastics, Styrofoam is apt to become likely microplastics, so I propose a ban on its production. If banned, I estimate that microplastics will be reduced by 10 to 20%.

Fifteen years ago, I was dispatched to Chiang Mai and Nonthaburi in Thailand as a Senior Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers by JICA (The Japan International Cooperation Agency), and had been an advisor for waste treatment and recycling of Thai municipalities for a total of four years. I had experience in collecting and recycling waste in Thailand, and I am familiar with the status of waste landfills. In addition, 10 years ago, I have had experience in picking up garbage floating in the river with a handle of less than 3 m in length and the outer diameter was 32 cm from the top of the ship for one and a half years. In addition, I have proposed charging for plastic shopping bags 25 years ago in the Journal of the Japan Society for Waste Resource Recycling [1]. In this paper, based on these experiences, I will mention the dynamics of missing plastics and their amounts, as well as how to recover plastics floating on river and sea surfaces washed ashore on riverbeds and coasts, as well as microplastics and nano-plastics. I’d like to propose that plastics, which is becoming a threat to humankind, should be completely abolished from the earth. Especially for Styrofoam and synthetic fibres, I’d like to propose a ban on the manufacture, sale and use of them by 2030 because they are easy to become microplastics.

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