Name: Eva Solo

Date: 11/09/19 

Professor: Marcela Godoy 

While watching ‘Bag It’ I was considering how we can translate ecology awareness into a trend of conversation. Jeb Berrier, in his unique approach to the tone of the film, set a very clear visual why we must pay attention. I have to admit feeling some shame, because it really did take a visual compilation of thousands of plastic bags flooding the streets –  for me to stop picking up those thin produce bags out of ‘convenience’ while getting my daily banana dose. When I say ‘trend’ I want to emphasise the focus of adapting a mentality where being environmentally friendly is encouraged. 

As this is the first Journal Entry, I want to share something from this week: A new pop-style called the “VSCO girl aesthetic” has been circulating the social media world. I usually don’t pay attention to mass-produced templets on how to ‘be’, but this was different. Apart from the basics “We wear big t-shirts, and scrunches in our hair” , these girls often reference their metal straws and hydro flasks (reusable metal water bottles) which is amazing for the environment.  They also often post environmental awareness content on their social media accounts. Regardless if it is for the genuine love of this world or for the sense of community, these girls unknowingly are raising the bar for the standards and are spreading the message far and wide. Even the currently viral meme videos imitating the “VSCO” girls are spreading awareness and putting seeds into the impressionable youth which may influence their future decision making.

I appreciate and value knowledge as a resource to grow and develop, not only  on the individualistic level but societal also. Reading “Plastic Recycling Is Broken” allowed me to prioritise the need to stay aware of the current state of our planet. Truthfully speaking, even with my current efforts, I had not considered where my trash went past the initial discarding… The comment by Jenna Jambeck, “I think it is probably going to be harder before it get easier”, resonated with me because a majority of our ’society’ (*big generalisation here) is still in the mind-set that individualistic choices won’t contribute to the cause at large. I am currently shedding the last bundle of misconceptions I’ve collected over the years, and raise this question to those that aren’t: In the grand scheme of this reality, YOUR actions contribute to its circulation, the moral and the careless, why would you chose to intentionally cause harm? Ignorance is fuelling the destruction of this world, so when I read that China has stopped importing trash from other countries, I immediately consider what flow of discussions has lead the government to this decision. Even with the immense amount of information available on the digital space, I realise that I still have a very limited scope of understanding in comparison to personnel with authority in situations like ecology debates. What gives me motivation to take responsibility for my actions  is the curiosity about this planet, and if more people would just tap into their curiosity as a human beings we would flourish more forests than skylines. 

Reflection on the Readings:

Plastic Recycling Is Broken. Here’s How to Fix It.

After reading this article, I realized it did not really give a solution to “fix it”. As I scrolled down the article, it talked about using recycled plastic as an opportunity to re-create something new. However, it also explained that since most plastic has mixed contents of other chemicals and are not really “recyclable” it is difficult to reuse the plastic. I kept on expecting a clear instruction on how to really fix this problem but it just left me even more confused. The article shared a lot of data on China and the trash they have collected but didn’t really give a solution. 

In this past year, China and their waste management have changed drastically. From not importing to any more trash from other countries to enforcing a new trash system, China’s realization of plastics or trash in general is something this nation should be proud of. I truly appreciate the government taking a strong stance on waste management and even implementing a law to fine others if they do not take care of their trash the correct way. Though more research needs to be done to answer if this new waste management China has implemented is actually working well, I can assume that this new rule cannot hurt the environment.  

China stopped taking a long list of garbage and it’s causing chaos.

After watching the video, I feel a sense of proudness yet worried. As a citizen of both Taiwan and the United States, I’m happy that China is starting to take care of their own country and rejecting others responsibility but at the same time, I’m worried that the United States’ trash accumulation will cause even more health and environmental issues. I was surprised to see that Massachusetts has waived the recyclable trash and it disappointed me because I have lived in Massachusetts most of my time before college. I hope that this will only be a temporary rule and that a better solution will come about. 

Response to the “Bag It” movie

Prior to watching this movie, I thought it was just another type of movie that explains the negatives of plastic and showing us a lot of data. However, I really enjoyed the way Jeb Berrier presented his research and thought in this movie and made it very intriguing and educational. He showed us that even an average guy can make a difference and it made me really think about the things that I can do. Moreover, the way he talked about the future especially with his kids who is arriving to this world soon made me really think about my future as well. I hope in the future my children wouldn’t have to suffer the consequences that we are causing right now. 

Though this movie made me think a lot about my actions and the consequences that I am doing, it is frankly so hard to live the way Jeb does especially in China. I personally do not trust the tap water restaurants or other food place serve because I do not think they are sanitized and actually drinkable. Therefore I tend to buy bottled water because I trust that they are safer. However, I do reuse the water bottle multiple times until I lose it or I think it is dirty. I do constantly try to use less plastic but almost everything that I buy comes with plastic and it is not my choice to say “please don’t use plastic” or “I don’t need it”. Therefore it is up to the society to cut out plastic all together as well as packaging services using alternative sources or even realizing that hey, maybe this product doesn’t even need any packaging. 

Name: Mehr Un Nisa Javed 

Date: 11th Sep’2019 

Professor: Marcela Godoy 

Reading Response:

I found the article “Planet or Plastic” by NAT Geo quite interesting as it showed the true face of the plastic and the reality behind our daily plastic usage. China has by far been the highest importer of waste around the world which consisted of 45% of the world plastic imports. However, after 2016 China stopped the huge imports because it started to focus more on its environmental concerns. china was able to recycle most of the imported waste and process it into usable goods but still a lot of imports used to go into dumping and created huge wastes. Therefore, although China’s reduced waste imports have created issues for the developed world but still it would be overall, quite beneficial because it would lead to more sustainable practices and maybe in future lower consumption of plastic to produce cheaper goods for selling. Finally, I believe that Chinas plastic waste import ban would force Japan and US to think of other options instead of just throwing away waste for China and this would overall, help our plant to be less polluted and get achieve some sustainability. 

I overall, felt very sad about the increased pollution and waste we are creating which would adversely affect our Mother Earth but at the same time that sense of responsibility encouraged me to alter my practices and do something which would no further harm our planet. 

Video Response:

Bag It documentary, really made me realize that we people are so naive and so irresponsible that we do not even think about how and where our waste goes and will it be even used or not.  We keep on using the products made out of plastic and not thinking about our home, Earth which we are polluting by giving it the non-biodegradable plastic which would stay forever and has vert few chances of even being recycled. Thus, I believe that we are already aware of the root cause and just need to alter our practices and make the waste management actually work! 

Across the Bag It documentary, Vice video and National Geographic article, two predominant feelings stuck with me: fear and guilt. Fear, because of the amount of waste we have already and are continuing to generate on this planet, and guilt because of my personal contribution to it.

Bag It raised the point that we really do not know what happens to our waste once we recycle it. I myself am guilty of tossing an empty single-use water bottle into the recycling bin, feeling relieved of any responsibility after naively believing that the plastic I just tossed out will somehow find its way into a place where it can be effectively reused. However, both the National Geographic article and Vice video totally disproved this naive thought.

A point that really stuck out to me in the National Geographic article was that “only nine percent of the plastic produced globally is recycled.” Where does the rest of the plastic go? As was mentioned in Bag It, we are constantly using plastic, a material that lasts forever, to hold products that last less than a day.

The lack of proper government regulation is possibly the most concerning issue that arose from the reading, video and documentary. In Bag It, it was mentioned there was no regulation on using the recycling symbol. In the National Geographic article and Vice video, it seems that countries that were previously exporting their waste to China have no solid internal system for processing waste. Seeing the piles of stagnant recycled material blocks in the Vice video along with the discussion over companies receiving waivers to throw recyclables away make it so evident that countries like the United States have a waste management system that simply does not work. However, the root of that problem is that we are simply generating way too much waste in the first place, and for seemingly no reason at all other than favoring convenience and capitalism over the environment. 

From the documentary “Bag It”, to the video on vice.com, and the reading on National Geographic, it’s incredibly obvious that plastic is a problem. However, the recycling process seems to be an even larger and more insidious problem. After educating myself, I saw that I personally fell victim to the mindset that recycling = doing my part in environmental conservation. In reality, there’s a lot I could/should do before tossing something into the recycling bin. I definitely felt disillusioned after watching the documentary, and Jeb Berrier even mentions that over-policing of environmentalism can lead to apathy.

I never thought that recycling would become this large of an issue, but it seems to be even more omnipresent now that China has implemented stricter laws regulating imported recyclables. It also isn’t just on a governmental scale, I notice it seeping into my daily life in Shanghai as well. However, having laws and regulations is only half the solution. The general consensus is that individuals should start by reducing and reusing the waste that they create. The trash in the world doesn’t just disappear, so instead of adding to the pile and thinking that recycling will take care of the situation, we should slow down consumption in the first place.

In the National Geographic article, Jenna Jambeck says “It will take time to develop and expand domestic systems and markets and to change product design.” It’s not merely a matter of consumers changing habits or governments passing laws, there are multiple industries that have to change and re-model themselves around sustainability.

It’s a large responsibility to save our planet, and I think it’s not feasible for one group of people (i.e. general public, recycling industry, manufacturing industry, government) to take on the burden. However, the import ban in China may just be the kick the world needs to re-structure what environmentalism really requires from large industries all the way down to individual people.

Response to “Bag It” screening:

The video was extremely eye-opening and quite frankly terrifying. I was always familiar with the threat that plastics and their disposal pose for the environment, however the extent to which this issue was affecting human and marine life, as depicted in the video was shocking. There are several key points that I acquired from the video. Firstly, the data about the high number of hazardous chemicals present in everyday plastic items we use: from soda bottles and product packaging to baby toys. As stated in the video, nearly all everyday household items made from plastic contain high levels of BPA and Phthalates. These chemicals end up in the human body after the life cycle of the plastic is completed: from when it it first thrown in the recycling bins to when it is discarded in the ocean and absorbed by marine life that ultimately ends up on our plates. This harmful intake of hazardous waste over prolonged periods of time will affect not only the health of our future generations through complications such as heart problems and infertility, but also decrease the levels of masculinity in young boys, studied have shown. Furthermore, the video drew attention to the frightening occurrence of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, where non-biodegradable material circulates through the ocean currents, reaching insurmountable distances and threatening the biodiversity of our oceans.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the documentary and the comedic yet grave tone it employed. It was a wake-up call that the issue of inaccurate plastic disposal is omnipresent and it is our responsibility as a generation to reduce the everyday waste we consume, so as not to contribute to the disposal of plastics in our environment and oceans.

Response to Vice Video:

The video drew attention to the massive shift in the recyclable plastic disposable industry, after China’s announcement that it would no longer accept a long list of plastic and paper waste. The country implemented stricter guidelines for the type and cleanliness of the waste it was willing to take, in an attempt to alleviate the country’s environmental issues. The video was important as it highlighted the fact that developed countries were now prompted to take responsibility for their trash and invest in recycling facilities locally, which would dispose of the trash in a sustainable way. This realization caused multiple recycling companies in the U.S. to scramble to find places to store and process heaps of plastics, a problem they previously seldom had to face.

Response to National Geographic Article:

The article also referenced the turmoil that occurred after China’s announcement that after 25 years of importing the rich world’s plastic waste, they would be imposing strict guidelines on what is accepted, now denying 24 types of plastic. Previously, China took in 45% of the world’s plastics. A sad truth presented in the article is that only 9% of the world’s plastics are recycled. With recycling fees rising, once-exportable plastics in the U.S. are being transported to landfills, where they end up in the environment, recycling markets no longer posing lucrative alternatives. A frightening study by Nat Geo reporter Jambeck showed that as much as 12 million metric tons of plastic winds up in our oceans. Lastly, the article introduced the term “single-stream recycling” which mixed paper, glass and plastics together, which reduces the amount of waste but creates less pure an d valuable recycled product that rarely gets made into new products. The hardships encountered when attempting to dispose of plastic waste should serve as motivation t use less plastic overall, encouraging greater taxes on plastic waste that is still imported, as well as funding to support the creation of waste management infrastructure.

Response to “Bag It”:

Before watching this documentary, I just have a rough image of sustainability. One thing the documentary noticed is the ban on plastic bag around the world. I experience the ban on the plastic bag in China in 2008 but it didn’t last long. What the Chinese government eventually did is to place a fee on plastic bag everywhere–you need it and you have to pay for it. But in my opinion,  this is not the best solution for plastic management. We consume a crazy number amount of plastic product per hour/ year per person according to the data shown in the documentary, which cause incredible pollution. We use plastic bags for the convenience of several hours at the expense of the environment for hundreds of years. The management of plastic material is a really big issue.

The interesting points that I find out from “Bag It”:

• Where plastic bags go? — Go away? Where is away?– There is no away. Plastic bags are everywhere.
• Making one plastic bottle needs a quarter bottle of gasoline. If we won’t take action to solve the plastic recycle, we would waste more resources and cause more pollution
• Only a small part of the plastic product can be recycled effectively. Most plastic trash goes landfill or buried. For now, the recycling rate is quite low.
• Plastic waste mostly goes to Asia, especially China.
• The pollution caused by the plastic product is more serious than our imagination: plastic bags kill animals and break the balance of the ecosystem.
• The plastic product also damage human health

Take away:

• We should reduce the consumption of plastic products and control what we have made to the environment.
• Teaching consumer “what is a good product” is important.

Response to Vice video and reading material:

In the past decade, China plays the role of “trash collector” around the world. As the reading material says, “In 2016, China imported two-thirds of the world’s plastic waste. So when China stopped buying the world’s discarded plastics, it threw markets into turmoil. But it also created opportunity“. I am thinking about why China decides to stop doing the trash business. The first thing come to my mind is that the amount of plastic trash may exceed the capacity of recycling waste in China. In addition, China may not be able to recycle at an effective rate, which means that the trash business is keeping the polluting environment in China. It is reasonable for China to stop importing plastic waste. Other Asian countries like Indonesia and India have less capacity to take over the business of China. It is telling that the globe is facing a serious issue of solving plastic waste. However, as I think, it is not a bad thing because the action of China will be the trigger other developed countries who used to ship their trash to China to set up or refine their recycling institution and system. Instead of keeping relying on China, it is better for all the countries on the earth to solve plastic waste together.

Vice Video 

• China stopped accepting certain plastic and paper waste and created a new rigorous sorting system of what the country is willing to take in
• The drastic policy changes are intended to reduce the country’s carbon footprint 
• NEW TERM!!  Trash Trade – Types: Single Stream Recycling facility 
• NEW KEY CONCEPT!! Companies in the “Dirty Business” collects, sorts, and sells recyclable waste to companies who then turn them into other products (Before the China ban – $75 per (x) weight/amount
• China banned the import of 24 different types of paper and plastic-like reusable water rebottles 
  • They also changed the requirement of recyclables but they still accept “higher grade clean stuff”
• By April shipments were down by 36% – 27 states 
• Are other countries able to take the influx? (Vietnam, India, Philippines, etc.) The answer is NO. 
  • These smaller countries don’t have the capacity and systems in place to successfully/correctly recycle and manage waste
• I think its the US’s fault for relying on other countries to do the ‘dirty work” for them. Instead of profiting off the trash trade, more US companies/the government should take initiative and create systems that can sustainably recycle excess waste. Now, the effects of selling trash to other countries are more relevant than ever and are having a drastic impact on the environment.

Reading Response  

I thought this film had a comical spin to a very serious topic which made it very easy to understand and digest. Jeb is your typical white American male living a mundane life with his expecting wife in Colorado. He then chooses to make a radical approach in one aspect of his life- pertaining to building sustainable habits. I think the use of this ‘Jeb’ character makes for a palpable and relatable story. Therefore, making it easier for the viewer to place him/herself into Jeb’s shoes and adjust their life accordingly. Throughout the plot, I realized how minimal the choices were and how impactful they are. I think today most people are aware of not using plastic bottles, bringing your own bags to the grocery store, and simple conservation tasks. But I often catch myself falling right back into these traps and I end up buying a plastic water bottle or accept a plastic bag from the grocery store. I would say the next step in the process of eliminating waste and minimizing my carbon footprint is to hold myself accountable. 

I also really enjoyed how by the end of the film Jeb’s wife was giving birth and it depicted the life cycle in parallel with the product life cycle. 

Nat Geo: Plastic Recycling is Broken Heres How to Fix It

It was not until the last few months that I became aware of the global phenomenon that is trash dispensing. I was shocked to find out that developed countries pack up all of their recycled trash and load it up to a cargo boat just to dispense it in some third world developing southeast Asian country. Not only does this create an unbalanced amount of waste, but it’s at the expense of people who are forced to live in harsh conditions prior to being invaded by foreign trash. I also had no idea that China was the world’s number one trash importer. What I am confused about is whether or not they purchase it or they receive money for it since the transaction would be that of commensalism in a symbiotic relationship.

Here are some key points I found interesting:

“single-stream recycling”- co-mingles paper, metal, glass, and plastic together. This recycled material is considered to be less pure so, in turn, less valuable. More quantity but less quality.

The consideration of revamping the product design cycle to start thinking about the end of the products life cycle

Vice video: China stopped taking a long list of garbage and it’s causing chaos

This short clip from Vice gave me a glimpse of what an average American recycling plant faces every day and how dependent they/we are on China. And now that China has regulated their waste intake there is no backup plan to ensure that recycled trash is being properly disposed of. This is very concerning and the fact that no one is talking about it and it is being pushed aside to worry about later is utterly disgusting. I see the issue from a design perspective- since that is the way my mind works- and action should be taken on redesigning a solution to not be dependent on other countries and also encourage individuals to take the step at home to recycle their own waste. 

Some key points I took away:

-China has regulated the recycled goods market and thus has disrupted the whole entire cycle of recycling worldwide.

-Certain US states such as Massachusetts, are starting to give companies waivers to throw out recyclables.