Outline of three ideas - Essay Example

Three Ideas Trawling for Plastic One of the biggest problems facing the world’s oceans today are the so-called plastic seas, large collections of plastics that are accumulating in the middle of our oceans and killing off the natural aquatic life. The plastic breaks down and releases poisons into the sea and replaces the plankton that all other life depends on. This problem could be addressed by employing already developed trawling ships to do shallow water trawls to collect the plastic and bring it back for more appropriate disposal on land.

It is difficult to determine potential patrons for such expeditions; however, there are numerous fishing businesses that depend almost exclusively on the catches they obtain through more destructive mid- and deep-level trawling. These businesses could be encouraged, through law or regulation, to offset some of their harmful by-catch (the killing of valued or endangered animals such as dolphins, turtles or sharks) by returning a specific amount of plastic catch for every 5 live catches, for example.

Draining the Plastic Sea Drainage filters throughout our cities and towns are necessary to protect our water and food supplies. Filters would work to reduce the amount of trash that enters the oceans and pollutes the fishing industry. They could be installed in storm drains throughout the cities – making the city dwellers and the cities themselves obvious patrons of the system – and help prevent some of the plastics that are making their way into the ocean and poisoning the fish. Because of land effects of plastic on the fishing industry, this industry might also be interested in being patrons, helping with educating the public and helping with other marketing efforts.

A filter could be developed that works in much the same way as the filters we use for our tap water. Water would flow into the storm drains and go through a series of chambers that have different levels of screening material before it is finally free to enter the river or ocean system. It would be necessary to also begin a new city service similar to the waste department to maintain these filter systems, emptying the chambers of collected trash on a regular basis. Tireless Tires To reduce the amount of rubber produced and its harmful effects on the environment, these tires are designed to stay full for nearly the life of the vehicle.

They are made from ultra-durable rubber created with recycled plastic and rubber materials and designed with a special self-heal technology that instantly closes off any potential punctures. These tires would be in high demand by tire companies looking to offer the latest and greatest technology, environmentally-conscious individuals and drivers everywhere who don’t want to replace their tires every year. This technology has already been put to use to some degree in many types of tires, but has never been pushed this far and has not been applied to more durable materials.

Examples of this technology is also found in the ‘unbreakable, stretchable’ trash bags offered through Glad.