Save Marine Life and Reduce Plastic Waste with Beer

IStock - Trash Floating in the Ocean

Reducing our plastic consumption and finding new, innovative materials to make many pre-existing items out is the way to go. One thing that doesn't need to exist, and definitely doesn't need to be made out of plastic is canned six pack rings.

While it doesn't stop it from being eaten, as a kid I was always told to cut the rings with a scissor to prevent animals from getting stuck. People put emphasize on ocean creatures getting stuck in the rings, and forget that local wildlife are affected by our trash habits too. Birds, squirrels, cats, raccoons, possums and chipmunks are more likely to hurt themselves on trash that has made its way on to the city pavement. I once chased a street cat 2 blocks to try to remove a plastic bag handle from around its neck. Since most folk aren't in the habit of cutting or disposing their trash consciously, redesigning or getting rid of certain packaging altogether seems like a good idea.

The best design I could come up with to reinvent six pack rings was a sturdy cardboard, but I didn't like the idea of using paper because recycled paper or cardboards made from biodegradable materials are hard to get in large quantities because they go on backorder. Finding direct sources and working together would be a solution, but scarcity on recycled materials is another story for another day.

The Saltwater Brewery, on the other hand, has the materials on call. Saltwater found a way to use brewery waste to make edible, biodegradable and compostable six pack rings. The sturdy beverage holders are made from the leftover barely and wheat remnants from the brewing process.

Saltwater Brewery "Edible Six Pack Rings" from We Believers

That's damned neat. Clever design will save the world. When you are creating an item that is useful for you or your business out of the waste you are making, that ties everything up pretty well. How can other big companies follow this example of creating a more sustainable model with what they have, or can easily resource?

I work at a restaurant where we get soda deliveries. San Pellegrino seem to be slowly rolling out their 6 pack of 6 packs with less plastic. Instead of each 6 pack being shrink wrapped, they are now in a cardboard box. That also means no plastic ring to hold the cans in place. At least the cardboard is recyclable and more biodegradable. It is a step up. Have to appreciate the baby steps. They are better than nothing.

Why is this important?

Out of the 200 billion pounds of plastic consumed yearly by humans, 10% of it ends up in the ocean. 90% of garbage in the ocean is plastic. This garbage circulates and accumulates in our ocean's gyres creating garbage patches the size of small counties. This causes many ecological disturbances, including the most obvious one of being a danger to marine life.

  

Entangled seal by derelict net, Hawaii. Photo Source: NOAA

An estimated 1 million sea birds, and 100 thousand sea mammals and turtles become entrapped or ingest plastic mistaken as food and die. It sounds like a pretty awful way to go out. Just a quick internet search of "seals stuck in trash" will smash you in the feels when you see their little suffering faces. I don't know about you, but bringing sickness, suffering or death to any creature that relies on humans to keep their backyard clean is pretty shitty.

                                              Cruise Ships and Excessive Water Pollution

In addition, plastics in the water absorb floating chemicals, which are attracted to the plastics' oil base. These chemicals are widely known as persistent organic pollutants which never break down into the environment. These include insecticides, fungicides, pesticides, industrial waste toxins, PCBs, coolant, lubricants and more. Aside from slowly poisoning the water of the oceans that we need for life to thrive on this planet, we also ingest the poisons that were consumed and absorbed in our seafood when it is eaten.