Due to my recent obsession with the TED website, here is a video about what happens to the millions of plastic containers we purchase every day, courtesy of artist Dianna Cohen, who uses them in her sculptures. Did you know that glass and metal can be recycled indefinitely but plastic cannot? That is, that a glass bottle or an aluminum can can be melted down and remade without it affecting the quality of the product at all, but a plastic bottle can only become waste. 80 to 90% of the man-made waste found in the ocean is plastic, because it doesn't break down. I have always wondered why we never hear about how damaging plastic is to the environment due to its non-degradable qualities, so I am so happy that I can share this with you.
Basically, the crux of the matter is this: if we as consumers by less plastic packaged items, them we will have a marked affect on the amount of waste we litter our planet with. Essentially it is a theory of negation - you actually achieve something by not doing something else. While this is hard because everything in the supermarkets is dripping in plastic, there are a few things you can do that are simple and affective. Not buying and then instantly throwing away plastic drinks bottles is an obvious one. But, watch this video for more solutions.
Below are some of Dianna Cohen's plastic pieces, which, I'm sure, she will be fully stocked to keep on making for years to come.
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