Seasons of Creation 1 Ocean-Safe Plastic by Leigh Cook

Scientists at the Riken research institute in Japan have collaborated with the University of Tokyo to develop a plastic that will remain strong but will be able to fully break down in environments such as soil and sea water, without leaving any microplastics behind.

Tests showed that the new plastic, when placed in salt water would start to break down into its original components within 2-3 hours, these components can then be acted upon bacteria, leaving no plastic in the environment.

When put into soil, sheets of the new plastic degraded in 10 days and supplied a chemical similar to fertiliser, which helps keep soil healthy.

Takuzo Aida, who led the study, said: “With this new material, we have created a new family of plastics that are strong, stable, recyclable, can serve multiple functions, and importantly, do not generate microplastics.”

https://youtu.be/ZTbQMTNJUC0?si=xXHTKrd_GN-U7B4N

I have long, been angered and distressed by the actions of those who thoughtlessly and irresponsibly adopt an “out of sight, out of mind” approach to the disposal of their rubbish. In particular, things like single use plastic bottles which are tossed into the sea, or abandoned on beaches, with the expectation that they simply disappear.

Currently, North Pacific Ocean is home to a collection of such items in an ‘oceanic rubbish dump’ covering 1.6million square kilometres (twice the size of Texas, three times the size of France).

It is very exciting that Japanese scientists have developed a material that could mean that has the potential to make such rubbish dumps a thing of the past. May It Be So.

Leigh Cook, Season of Creation 2025