“Death to the Living, Long Live Trash” is an Exhibit in the Brooklyn Museum all about art that was created from reused plastic waste that was found on the beach. The artist, Duke creates beautiful mosaic-type pieces that are made of 100% found plastic and is is pictured above. His genius uses of different materials blows me away and my favorite piece of his is the different fishing lures that he made from different common plastic trash Like the lure made from the Juicy Drop Pop. He also makes scrimshaws by using plastic bottles instead of whale bones. They where so convincing that it was almost impossible to tell what is real and what he made.

All of his work has made me reflect on the amount of plastic that I use and it makes me take a step back and think about how I could use it instead of recycling it or throwing it away. It inspired me to think outside of the box when it comes to art or any other activity and try to use unconventional materials to make something that is inspiring and beautiful.

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Karen Napolitano, who is the education and outreach coordinator of SIMS Recycling Center met us at the front entrance and showed us around. We saw a presentation where I learned that the statistic, “only 9% of plastic that is produced is actually recycled” is misleading because it accounts for plastics that are usually reused like toilet seats and printers. We also learned that the reason that they don’t recycle certain plastics is because the companies that buy the materials don’t want them. The companies only want hard plastic so all of the soft plastic that get recycled just go to landfill.

When we first got into the building, we went through a sort of museum that had all of the different processes that are used in recycling on a smaller scale so that you could see and understand them close up. Probably the most fun one was the manual sorting station where someone would turn a conveyor belt and you would have to sort different items into different categories, metal, paper, and plastic. It put into perspective how hard it is to work a job like recycling and it made me appreciate the people who do it even more.

Then came when we actually got to see the real machines and they were really cool. There was so many different conveyor belts and it was cool to see all of the different processes that we explored on a miniature scale in real life. There was a front loader that was moving a ton of trash around and it was really cool to just watch it. On the way out we saw all of the different bales of plastic stacked on top of another and there was so much plastic just in that pile that it put into perspective how much plastic we use every day just in NYC.

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‘Death to the Living: Long Live Trash,’ is an exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum organized and created by Duke Riley, a Brooklyn-based artist who uses pieces of plastic found at sea and on beaches. His art includes his own twist of scrimshaw, a craft done by whalers carving on whale bones and making fishing lures from many everyday plastic objects from tooth brushes to utensils to mini bubble wands and many more items. He also made wall hangings out of plastic utensils, bread bag holders, bottle caps, small bags, lighters, plastic tampon applicators, and straws, mixed in with beads, sea shells, cigarette buds and more trash to make beautiful murals. While I call them beautiful, they are also very sad to look at because of all of the plastic that was found on beaches.

This exhibit makes me wonder if I could have indirectly contributed to these murals because of my plastic usage. It made me reflect on all the plastic I use and how simple changes can help me contribute to the solution. I encourage people to go see the exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum by April 3, 2023. Also, I encourage people to think about some ways that what they do with their waste effects items way beyond what we might see or know.

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We went on a tour of the Sims Municipal Recycling Center located in Brooklyn NYC which is a Materials Recovery Facility or MRF. In simple terms, they take recyclable materials from our green and blue recycling bins and sort them into bales and sell them to companies that use the materials like glass, metal, cardboard/paper and plastic to turn them into more products. If you’re wondering how the NYC recycling process works, it’s fairly simple. Homes have access to 3 or 4 bins: black bins for landfill trash, green for paper and cardboard goods, and a blue one for metals, glass bottles, cans, hard plastic, and cartons. Some buildings have access to a brown bin which is for food scraps to compost.

Guiding us through the facility was Karen Napolitano, the education and outreach coordinator at SIMS Recycling Center. After walking through their learning center, she told us about recycling and sorting through the facility and how metal, glass, cardboard/paper, and plastic. Surprisingly, anything that is 50% or more metal can be recycled, delicate glass like light bulb glass can’t be recycled even though housing and car glass can, greasy pizza boxes can be recycled, and only rigid plastics can be recycled. Plastic wrap, plastic bags, and other thin and filmy plastic coming from NYC is usually incinerated because that is one of the only ways to get rid of it. She also told us about how different materials are sorted when they are heaped into two bins (blue & green), showed us the sorting machine (image above) and how it had a complex array of near-infrared sensors, filters, air jets, conveyor belts, and more to make this facility run 24/6.

One important distinction was the differences between the many types of plastic and that only a few can be recycled by their facility. We learned that the statistics that only 5-6% of plastic is recycled is only accurate when you have context. When an EPA study was conducted, they calculated that about 9% of all plastic produced including plastic items like toilet seats, printers, tables, insulation, etc. These are items that are used for more than one year, and are being factored in. But, the percentage of single-use plastic that was recycled vs. thrown into landfills or incinerated isn’t known because there is no good way of collecting data on how much plastic companies use, we can only guess. Learning about the inner workings of this facility taught me how complex recycling is. As much as I recycle, learning how low the percentage of items recycled overall makes me wonder if people would care more if they could visit this facility.

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My group and I interviewed Erica Cirino who is the Communications Manager at Plastic Pollution Coalition (PPC). She and her team work with 1000+ different organizations and businesses around the globe to lower our plastic consumption. During our interview, we learned some shocking facts about plastic and how we can work together to help combat this ever growing problem. She gave us some new and interesting information relating to what PPC does and how they’ve been very successful. One thing I learned is that micro and nano-plastics are everywhere including in humans and that we eat plastics involuntarily which was kind of scary and also sad. This is also the case for lots of marine animals like whales that take in a lot of water with fish, with plastic in it and then digest plastics involuntarily and unknowingly. During the interview, we found out that PPC is partnered with a few organizations here in NYC and one of them helps schools get rid of single use plastics like utensils and other items. She stated that we need to find alternatives to recycling in the world because many types of plastics can’t be recycled. In the US, only 5-6% of recycled items are actually recycled. It would be better if the plastic recycling percentage was higher, however the plastic production and consumption needs to be lowered or as Erica put it, “We need to turn off the tap of plastic production.” Despite the numbers being grim, Erica was optimistic that we as the human race can turn this problem around.

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I attended a webinar with the Plastic Pollution Coalition on the topic of microfibers. The webinar discussed where and how microfibers are formed. Micro and nano fibers can be traced back to many sources. A few big sources are tire marks, degrading plastic on land and in the sea. Studies have found that most plastic water bottle companies have hundreds, sometimes thousands of pieces of nano plastic in all plastic water bottles. For nano fibers, one of the biggest contributors are washing machines. Their filters aren’t fine enough to catch the majority of microfibers and they leech into sewers and then eventually end up in estuaries or even the ocean. Fortunately, a company called Planet Care has made washing machine filters that collect up to 90% of microfibers. These microfibers are thrown into landfills to properly dispose of them instead of having them float in water for animals to consume them. Also, more than 50% of clothing is made with some kind of plastic material. It would be better to use other materials than plastic to help to lower the production and consumption of plastics.

After listening to the webinar, one of the many takeaways is that my household must create many pounds of microfibers over the course of a year contributing to microplastics in the environment. It also makes me more interested in purchasing clothing made from natural fibers vs. synthetics/plastic. If we all can make little changes, we can be part of the solution.

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We met with Ann Blake on February 15, 2023. Ann is a freelance consultant who has spent the last 30 years looking for solutions that will improve the world. Through our connections with the PPC, an organization we had already interviewed, we got in touch with her. She spoke about many of the projects she has worked on and seemed incredibly passionate about this subject. She genuinely wanted young people like us to be concerned about this issue, so she asked each of us why we were fighting for change in the plastic industry. We found Ann to be very motivating, and it was an honor to hear her opinions and see how interested she seemed in us. Overall, I thought the interview went well, and I learned what people can do when they have a strong motivation to succeed.

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On February 15, 2023, we traveled to 36th Street on the D train, and from there we walked to the SIMS Recycling Facility on the pier. Since we haven’t really gained much knowledge about the recycling process, we wanted to learn more about it. In Sunset Park, Brooklyn, the SIMS Recycling Center is a material recovery facility (also known as a “MRF,” meaning that they receive plastic and other recyclable materials and sort them out). When we were outside, we noticed some tiny plastic pieces being used as decorations outside the recycling facility, which we thought was an interesting addition.

We met Kara Napolitano, who served as our guide and appeared to be very knowledgeable about recycling. She was also a really pleasant person to talk to. Kara did a great job of explaining the various recyclable items as well as which bin they should go in. The blue bin is used for rigid plastic, cartons, metal, and glass. The metal can be anything that contains at least 50% metal, including appliances, though electronics cannot be recycled. You can only put glass bottles and jars in the blue bin because that is what is required to make more glass. Given that the cartons contain both paper and a thin layer of plastic, they should actually go in the blue bin rather than the green bin (paper). Following this, we were released into an interactive room designed for tours, with different activities to help us understand the process more. We learned how the recyclables were sorted, how much money each bunch of sorted recyclables would bring in, and what kinds of jobs can affect social change. After finishing that, we entered the recycling facility. It was enormous and had a musty, slightly sour cheese-like smell. As we walked further in, we could see the various ways they sorted the enormous pile of trash that they had already gathered. To sort the plastic as effectively as possible, they used a magnet, hand sorting, and a few other interesting techniques. We then thanked Kara and departed to return to school. It was very interesting because I don’t believe I’ll ever go to a recycling facility again in my life.

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On February 17, 2023, we went to the Brooklyn Museum to look at an exhibition related to plastic in the oceans and beaches. The exhibition was called Death to the Living: Long Live Trash. The exhibition displayed the art of Duke Riley, who makes art using plastic that he has found on beaches. It was really cool to see his art and how it was made.

It was a very cool exhibit with all kinds of art. In some of his art, he mimicked scrimshaw, a style of art sailors used. They would carve images onto some wood in their spare time. Duke Riley did the same thing, only he used plastic bottles and other plastic waste instead of wood. He would paint it to look like wood, and have images on them. He also made many other things, such as fish bait made out of plastic he found on beaches that actually worked. He tested them out himself and he actually caught a lot of fish with them! That is really cool, as it gives us a way to reuse plastic that is also helpful with finding food.

He also made beautiful mosaics out of plastic he found on beaches and some shells. They were really pretty. It was really cool to see what kind of art we can do with plastic waste. My personal favorite was a really pretty chandelier made out of tiny glass bottles. It was super pretty, but also super realistic, something that would actually go well in a house. I thought it was really cool. Overall, it was a really cool trip!

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On February 15, 2023, we met with Ann Blake, an independent consultant that has been working for almost 30 years trying to find alternatives that will be better for the environment. We emailed her asking for an interview, and were delighted to meet her. She was very nice and very helpful. We really enjoyed meeting with her.

She was very helpful and answered all our questions with a lot of detail. She really emphasized the importance of caring about this issue. We really need to care about this problem. She told us that we should be passionate about what we are doing. She even took time to hear about what we each thought about the issue, and what we wanted to accomplish in this project. Overall, we really enjoyed meeting her and she was very nice!

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On February 7, 2023, during lunch and recess, we arranged this meeting with Little Red’s science teachers, Antonia Rocchio and Sherezada Acosta, to discuss the problems with microplastics. Sherezada Acosta teaches the fifth and sixth grades, while Antonia Rocchio teaches the seventh and eighth grades in science. They were very knowledgeable about this subject, and they explained the various types of plastics made for various purposes.  I discovered something that I didn’t know before: using single-use water bottles repeatedly could result in plastics entering your body because they eventually degrade because they are so thin. On the other hand, approved reusable water bottles are made to be reused repeatedly and do not degrade. Knowing this is crucial because some people might reuse a single-use bottle in an effort to save the environment, but they are actually endangering their health.

They were very knowledgeable about this issue, and they explained about the different types of plastics made for different things. Something I learned, which I didn’t know before, is that with single-use water bottles, continuing to reuse them could lead to plastics entering your body since they break down eventually since they are so thin. Official reusable water bottles, on the other hand, are designed for multiple uses and do not break down. This is very important to know because some people might think of reusing a single-use bottle to help the environment, but instead they are damaging their bodies.

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We met with Karen Napolitano, who is the education and outreach coordinator of SIMS Recycling Center. We learned that recycling is a very complicated process, but is very effective. They are able to recycle metal, cardboard, glass, and plastic, although not all types. Soft plastics, such as plastic bags aren’t recycled, not because they aren’t recyclable, but because they need to make a profit and to do that they have to sell plastic that companies need, and soft plastic isn’t what they need. Not all glass is accepted either, for example light bulbs are much more fragile than other glass, so companies wouldn’t want it as much and therefore it wouldn’t make a profit for the recycling center.

Aluminum foil isn’t accepted either. We learned that these materials that aren’t recycled end up in landfills, which aren’t the best places for things to go because landfills consume oxygen and let out methane, which is horrible for the environment. Karen Napolitano told us how only 9% of plastic produced in a year is recycled, but that statistic isn’t as simple as it sounds. A lot of plastic is made to be reusable, and therefore wouldn’t be recycled, but the plastic that is disposable and isn’t recycled is a problem.

We operated a smaller scale of the recycling process, by shooting air at plastic to sort it, quickly separating different types of plastics into their areas, and seeing the process of how magnets are used to separate metal from plastic. We learned about how much oil was used to create plastic, and we saw the jobs that people needed to operate recycling centers. But what we also saw in the process of recycling is that it also isn’t a perfect solution. Reduce and reuse are the two most important things you should do, and recycling should only be a last resort. We learned a lot and answered a lot of our questions.

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On February 7, 2023, we met with Antonia Rocchio and Sherezada Acosta. Antonia Rocchio is the 7th and 8th grade science teacher at LREI. Sherezada Acosta is the 5th and 6th grade teacher at LREI. We met with them to talk about the issues of microplastics in the environment. It was very nice of them to meet with us.

They were very nice and told us all they knew about this issue. They explained how different types of plastic are made for specific types of things. Some types of plastics, like single-use water bottles, are not designed for multiple use, and begin to break down into microplastics quicker than other types of plastics. It is important for us to realize that, because if we reuse single use plastics, we will end up getting more microplastics in our bodies. It was really interesting to talk to them about microplastics, and it was really nice of them to meet with us.

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On February 15, 2023, we went on a tour of SIMS recycling center to see how the recycling process works. SIMS recycling center is a recycling center in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Kara Napolitano, the tour guide, was very nice and helpful, and told us a lot of interesting facts. She explained that SIMS recycling center is a materials recovery facility, or a MRF. This means that they go through plastic, and other recyclable materials, and sort them out.

Kara also explained how and why different things are recyclable, and which bin they are supposed to go in. While this may seem simple, there are some things that might surprise you. For example, milk cartons go in the blue bin(where plastic goes in) instead of the green bin(where paper goes in). This is because the cartons are coated with a thin layer of plastic so that the milk doesn’t seep through the carton. This surprised me because I had always thought that cartons would go in the green bin.

We also how the different types of recyclable materials were sorted out. In SIMS recycling center, there was an interactive room for tours that explained how plastic was sorted out. This was very interesting, and we learned a lot from it. It was really interesting to see how they sorted the materials out my size, if it was magnetic or not, by hand, and more! We also got to see the real process. It was really interesting to see it, and I learned a lot from it.

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We met with the middle school science teachers Antonia and Sherezada. We learned a lot about microplastics with them, and discussed topics like bacteria that can eat plastic, and different types of recyclable materials. We learned about how plastic was in everything we used, like clothing, food, and even the air we breathe. We also learned how getting plastic in your system was almost unavoidable, as everything is packaged in plastic, everyday items are made from plastic, and in food. They told us how single use plastics are supposed to be single use, and reusing single use plastics could actually cause them to contaminate whatever is put inside them, like single use water bottles. The interview was very informative and we learned a lot about the microplastics problem and ways to fight it.

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Last Friday my group and I had an interview with Erica Cirino who is the communications manager at Plastic Pollution Coefficient. During the interview I learned a lot of very interesting information and she also spoke a lot about how we can work together to help fix the plastic problem. I learned a lot about microplastics and nano plastics and how they end up inside of us even if we are just breathing. We also learned that fish eat a lot of plastic and they are at the bottom of the food chain. Wales also eat a lot of plastic because they are filter feeders they just take in huge gulps of sea water and in that seawater are microplastics. Erica also told us about an organization that the PPC works with that helps reduce the amount of single use plastic in schools. The most shocking thing that I learned was the fact that of all recycled plastic, only 5% actually gets recycled. So instead of buying single use plastic items and then recycling them, you should just avoid them in the first place.

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Graydon and I watched Graduate students pitch their business plans in a business competition all about the environment and sustainability. I saw 5 30 minute presentations and while none of them were about microplastics specifically, I learned a lot and watching people present something they are very passionate about was really cool. My favorite company was all about collecting excess rain to water people’s lawns. Their idea was people would order their produce and they would come and install it for you. whenever it rained their system would collect the water and direct it into your water line going to the sprinklers in your garden and lawn. I learned that maintaining the ideal “american” lawn costs upwards of $10,000 every single year. In places like New Jersey people are only allowed to use a certain amount of water because they often have shortages. Because of this people cannot water their lawn occasionally and you can probably see why this is problematic, the grass would die and it would cost a huge amount of money to fix. Their system is made with off the shelf components from places like The Home Depot so they can easily make them and customize them to their customer’s needs. There was another group whose idea was to take excess coffee grinds from cafes and other places and get paid to do so. They would then use those coffee grinds and put them in soap instead of little pieces of plastic (microplastics) so you could get the same scrubbing effect without the plastic.

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We went to Bard’s 2022 Disrupt to Sustain Social Impact Pitch Competition Powered by RebelBase and learned a lot about people’s strategies to make sustainable business ideas that can also get money. It was very interesting because it was made in a way that would benefit everyone because it would be just as easy to use, and would be even more profitable.

Think this is a very smart idea because environmentally sustainable businesses shouldn’t be annoying to get anything from, because if the product wasn’t as good as non-sustainable ones, then why would people buy them? This information was very helpful and I will try to integrate it into my work on microplastics and ways for people to want to reduce plastic usage in a way that doesn’t affect them. We learned about a lot of situations where reusable products would be useful as well, like confetti and glitter, because those are both things that can get in the ocean.

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On January 12, 2023, a few of my group members and I joined a webinar about microplastics, specifically microfibers. The webinar had many experts talking about the problems about microfibers and solutions that they are working on. One of the speakers was Dr. Judith Weis, who is a professor of biological sciences at Rutgers University. Another person was Meli Hinostroza, who is the co-founder of Aya Eco-Fashion and Arms of Andes. She and her brother started a clothing company that is completely eco-friendly. The other speaker is the chief scientist of Planet Care. Him and his team are working on filters for washing machines that collect all of the microfibers. And Madeline MacGillivray was the discussion moderator.

It was really interesting to hear what they had to say about microfibers. Our group hadn’t focused on microfibers, so we all learned a lot of interesting facts that I didn’t know about. For example, I learned that over ⅓ of microplastics in the environment are textiles, which is surprising because when people talk about microplastics, they never really think about microfibers, when they are really a huge problem. Microfiber was a way bigger problem than I thought and I learned a lot.

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On January 20, 2023, our group met with Erica Cirino via google meet. Erica Cirino is the Communications Manager of the Plastic Pollution Coalition and has even written a book on the huge problem of microplastics, which is called Thicker Than Water. She has been working with plastic for a long time, and it was really nice meeting her. She taught us a lot about microplastics that we weren’t aware about. She also gave us a bit of insight on her own experience with microplastics and what compelled her to work in fighting pollution.

Erica explained about the impact of microplastics to living creatures. She explained about all the creatures that have been hurt because of microplastics. She also told us about the impact on our health, which was something that was mentioned before, but not very talked about. Not only did she speak about all of the animals that are eating plastic, but she spoke about humans themselves which eat plastic as well. She gave us more sources so that we could get even more information. It was really interesting to hear all that she had to say.

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My social justice organization joined a google meet with Erica Cirino, the Communications Manager of the Plastic Pollution Coalition, on January 20, 2023, at 12:15 p.m. She has spent the last ten years investigating the problem of microplastics, nanoplastics, and microfibers in our society as a science writer, author, and artist. In her most recent book, Thicker Than Water: The Quest for Solutions to the Plastic Crisis, she discusses the problems that plastic poses to various ecosystems, shares personal accounts from the communities that are most adversely affected by pollution worldwide, and outlines effective prevention measures to stop plastic from further harming the environment and its inhabitants.

Erica was a great person to interview, as she had lots of personal experience in the field and was very knowledgeable about our issue. She discussed how microplastics are present in all things, including our food and water, and how when we consume those things, the plastic enters our bodies. This issue has an impact on many marine creatures, including whales, fish, and sea turtles. Erica suggested a few ideas, such as avoiding plastic water bottles and once more purchasing clothing that isn’t made of plastic. Since we will be responsible for solving this issue in the future, she believes it is crucial for young people to be aware of it.

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We met with Erica Cirino who is a Communications Manager at the Plastic Pollution Coalition. We learned about microplastics inside of people and how it can affect health. We also learned about the scale of the problem and how there are garbage patches that are multiple miles long. We learned about opportunities to help out and the importance of starting early to help fix the problem before it becomes too large. We learned about how if we start now we can make a change and it is best to start when we are young and make a habit out of using less single use plastics.

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