Plastic in the Ocean:The role of hospitals

Erik Floyd

Ocean Recovery Alliance

International Anaesthesiologists Conference, Hong Kong

March 14, 2011

Plastic in hospitals

Short useful life, long damaging afterlife

• 90 percent not recycled - Ending up in oceans, countrysides and land fills

• Eco-system and health threats

• Non-biodegradable = long lasting

Hospitals - a major source of plastic waste

Plastic - a growing environmental concern

Project Kaisei – plastic in the Pacific

Surface trawling

Trawled 3,500 miles – found plastic in every sample!

Deep Trawling

850 meters down – found plastic in fish

Plastic floats

Large samples from the middle of the ocean

Plastic slowly breaks down

Smaller bits get eaten by fish and birds

Even small fish are eating plastic

Found 87 plastic pieces in a 5 cm lantern fish!

Plastic washes up on beaches

Beach cleanups treat symptoms, not a cure

• Targeted at businesses, universities & hospitals

• Measure plastic footprints

• Develop plastic management strategies – Less waste - supply chains, packaging & end user– Improved recycling programs– More recycled content– Better designs– New biodegradable materials

• Disclosure Requests - Backed by socially responsible investors

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure

It is not about “our grandchildren”

It’s about us………

www.oceanrecov.org www.plasticdisclosure.org