Can we save the earth?

Twin_Moose

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Apr 17, 2017
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Twin Moose Creek
https://thethaiger.com/thai-life/top-10-most-plastic-polluted-rivers-in-the-world-2019
The top 10 most polluted rivers in the world have one thing in common – they are located alongside large human populations with poor waste management systems. Together, they deliver almost all the plastics in the entirety of our oceans.
10th – The Mekong River
One of the longest rivers in Asia and one that’s close to home. The Mekong River travels through Asia bordering various countries like China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. It supports 200 million people depending heavily on agricultural and fishing industries.
9th – The Niger River
The 9th ranked most polluted river on our list is the main river of West Africa. Niger River supports over 100 million citizens of Africa. From Nigeria, it flows through five countries before ending up in the Atlantic Ocean.
8th – The Amur River
Also known as Heilong River, Amur River is located between the borders of the Heilongjiang province of China and Russia’s Siberia, before being emptied on the vastness of Okhotsk Sea.
7th – The Pearl River
Ironically, this river was named after its pearl-coloured shells lying at its bottom that flows through Guangzhou City. Another one of China’s most notorious river for harbouring plastics, this river isn’t looking pearly anymore. As a matter of fact, Hong Kong is consistently suffering from trash coming from Pearl River being washed on its shores.
6th – The Ganges River
Considered to be the most polluted river in India, The Ganges River is upsettingly sixth on our list of the most polluted river in the world. It is worshipped as “Ganga Mata”, the divine mother responsible for sustaining life and nurturing civilization throughout India’s history. It provides water resources to over half a billion people or 40% of India’s population. Despite these facts, an overwhelming amount of 1.2 billion pounds of plastics are still dumped here annually.
5th – The Hai River
Another one of China’s nastiest rivers, Hai River is the fourth on our list. It flows between two of the most densely-populated regions of China, Tianjin and Beijing, before emptying into the Bohai Sea.
4th – The Yellow River
China’s cradle of civilization, Yellow River is the third longest river in Asia, next to Yangtze and Yenisei. It’s also the sixth longest river in the world, flowing through nine of China’s provinces to the Bohai Sea. This river is almost beyond salvation because of undrinkable water and 30% of its fishes gone.
3rd – The Indus River
3rd on our list, the Indus River is the longest in Pakistan. Its basin is covering over 384,000 square miles of open land, 204,000 of which lie in Pakistan. It’s one of Asia’s largest rivers running through Pakistan and India to the Arabian Sea. Aside from plastics, this river’s pollution is also from the absurd amount of sewage wastes.
2nd – Yangtze River
Located yet again in China, the Yangtze River is the longest in Asia and third longest in the world. Its reputation is the 2nd worst on our list for flowing out a staggering amount of 1.5 million tons or 55% of the ocean’s plastics. Flowing through some of China’s most populated regions like Shanghai (22 million), Wuhan (9.8 million), and Chongqing (7.5 million), the river’s basin is a home for 480 million people or one-third of China’s population. Because of the highly-consumerist lifestyle of the Chinese populace, their waste management system can no longer keep up.
The Most Polluted River in the World – The Citarum River
And finally, the leader of this infamous list, the Citarum River, regarded as the most polluted river in the world. Located in Indonesia, flowing down a basin that is home to millions of people. Due to the increase in industrial development and almost zero waste management, the river is succumbed by domestic, chemical, industrial and numerous types of water pollution.
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/bAh7nVq0mvg/maxresdefault.jpg
If it is not fake news pretty hard to ignore plastic flowing down rivers to the oceans, but it is hard not to say resulting from heavy rains and flooding.
The woke will use anything to advance their cause

 

petros

The Central Scrutinizer
Nov 21, 2008
109,373
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Low Earth Orbit
Malaysia has an "illegal plastic recycling industry". Plastic is good income.
If we paid cash for plastic maybe job rats would stop stealing copper and aluminum?
https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/26/asia/malaysia-plastic-recycle-intl/index.html
Cliff would say, "the Malaysian police are an arm of the billionaire scrap plastic moguls".


Seremban, Malaysia(CNN)Dozens of laborers and factory operators sit hand-cuffed in rows on the pavement at an industrial park in Malaysia.

They've been detained in a government raid on unlicensed plastic recyclers as the country seeks to curb a growing illicit industry.

"It's illegal," said Yeo Bee Yin, Malaysia's Minister of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change, who attended the raid and had invited journalists to watch.
 

petros

The Central Scrutinizer
Nov 21, 2008
109,373
11,436
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Low Earth Orbit
In North America we pay people to take away our, sorted, cleaned and very valuable scrap plastic, paper and metals that we bought and paid for when we bought the products they contained.

How many recycling jobs would be lost if plastic were 100% verboten?
 

petros

The Central Scrutinizer
Nov 21, 2008
109,373
11,436
113
Low Earth Orbit
Recycling not only saves energy and reduces landfill waste, the recycling industry creates jobs and helps our local economy. The study, “More Jobs, Less Pollution” shows that a 75% national recycling rate would create nearly 2.3 million jobs while reducing pollution by 2030.

Statistics about How the Recycling Industry Creates Jobs
Ecocycle.org cites that a U.S. recycling rate of 75% by 2030 would create 1.1 million new jobs.
Recycling and reuse create at least 9 times more jobs than landfills and incinerators, and as many as 30 times more jobs (via Ecocycle.org).
According to the US Recycling Economic Information Study (REI), the US Recycling Industry employed 1.25 million people whereas the US Solid Waste Management industry employed only 0.25 million (recycling is more labor-intensive than landfilling or incineration, so the recycling industry creates more jobs).
According to Recycling Works, union recycling firms provide starting wages of approximately $20 an hour, as well as healthcare benefits and safer work conditions.
What Types of Jobs does the Recycling Industry create?
The US Recycling Economic Information Study (REI) states there as many as 26 different kinds ofrecycling industry jobs balerrecycling businesses.
Manufacturing jobs for companies who make recycling equipment, such as vertical balers (like Harmony Enterprises, Inc.) contribute to the recycling industry.
Recycling Industries and facilities collect, process, and prepare discarded materials to sort and recycle materials.
Reuse stores and facilities, such as ReStore, Goodwill, or other places, accept gently used donations for reuse, resale, or shipment overseas.
Manufacturing and remanufacturing factories take recycled materials and make them into a new product (computer refurbishers, outdoor furniture makers, recycled paper, etc.)
Recycling goes Beyond Aluminum and Plastic
Recycling jobs, recycling textilesOften when people think about recycling, the common materials such as paper, plastic, aluminum, glass, and metal come to mind. But there are so many more materials that can be reused and recycled if we start to work towards zero waste. Everything from composting food to recycling clothing and textiles, construction and household goods, and 200+ more.

Recycling Industry Affects our Worldwide Economy
In many parts of the world, the recycling industry is growing fast, which can lead to many environmental and economic benefits. We know that the United States has a lot of room for improvement when it comes to recycling. Sweden is recycling nearly 100% of their waste. The Netherlands, Switzerland, and Austria are also leading the pack by recycling around 50% of their waste. Recycling has a large capacity for creating new jobs worldwide while also making for a better environment for generations to come!

More Jobs, Less Pollution
More Jobs, Less Pollution: Growing the Recycling Economy in the U.S. (Click here to download the PDF) shows how a stronger recycling economy would create 1.5 million new jobs in manufacturing, collection, and other careers. The recycling industry creates jobs that can be quality jobs with family-supporting wages.

Harmony Enterprises, Inc. makes balers, compactors and other recycling and waste management equipment that are used in schools, businesses, and other facilities worldwide. But, we are also on a mission to help people make decisions that are eco-friendly so we can live in a more sustainable world. If you would like to learn more about our recycling and waste management solutions, please contact us at 800-658-2320 or fill out this simple form.

Interested in reading articles on recycling, reducing waste, and helping our global environment from Harmony Enterprises? Subscribe to our monthly e-newsletter here.
 

AnnaE

Time Out
Jan 31, 2020
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Save the Earth? For what? It'll be fine once we are extinct or moved on.
 

captain morgan

Hall of Fame Member
Mar 28, 2009
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A Mouse Once Bit My Sister

taxslave

Hall of Fame Member
Nov 25, 2008
36,362
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Vancouver Island
Nobody wants to pick up the tab on a re-tooled fishing trolley that skims and removes down to micro debris in the Oceans, it operates on donations right now
World's first ocean plastic-cleaning machine set to tackle Great Pacific Garbage Patch
I also found this interesting as well shameful if true
50% of Ocean Plastic Is Fishing Nets, Not Straws
I guess ban fishing is the real answer
My experience around commercial fishing is that they are the worst pigs on the sea. When the seine fleet leaves Pt Hardy there is a trail of empty cardboard boxes looks like bread crumbs so they can find their way home.
 

taxslave

Hall of Fame Member
Nov 25, 2008
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Vancouver Island
I'm shocked that Vancouver and Victoria don't top this list
They are pristine compared to the places we exported all our manufacturing jobs to. Lately there have been lots of little plastic pieces washing up on the west coast. Can't remember the name at the moment but these are manufactured or ground this way for shipping. Seems like a container or three split open.
 

pgs

Hall of Fame Member
Nov 29, 2008
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B.C.
My experience around commercial fishing is that they are the worst pigs on the sea. When the seine fleet leaves Pt Hardy there is a trail of empty cardboard boxes looks like bread crumbs so they can find their way home.
I have not noticed that . Must be the native fleet .