Japanese consortium and universities jointly study the impact of plastic waste on humans

It is understood that a large amount of plastic waste flows into the sea every year and is found in the internal organs of whales and various fishes.

The plastic waste flowing into the sea is decomposed into particles and absorbed by fishes over time. However, no scientists have yet given the answer to what effect the consumption of these fish will have on our bodies. However, in order to identify the issue of "whether plastic waste will cause harm to humans", the Japanese consortium previously submitted a related research commission to a Japanese university, hoping to solve the public's worries from a scientific point of view.

The Japanese consortium has been committed to promoting the recycling of plastic resources a long time ago. For example, the previous idea of "making all kinds of exquisite backpacks and handbags from a large number of discarded fishing nets salvaged from the ocean" has achieved great success. Recently, plastic bottle recycling machines have been introduced in some 7-11 convenience stores.

In Japan, there are as many as tens of thousands of convenience stores alone. If all convenience stores participate in recycling, not only can they fully recycle related resources, but they can also bring social benefits to the store and create a good public image.

In the summer of 2019, the news that "plastic flakes appeared in the stomach of a whale carcass stranded on the coast of Kanagawa's Yubihama" caused an uproar in Japan, and the issue of marine plastic waste quickly became a hot spot in Japanese society. The Japanese consortium plans to realize the recycling of plastic bottles through recycling, processing, and reproduction, and create a new model of plastic waste recycling called "Bottle to Bottle".

Recycled 100,000 plastic bottles in half a year

According to the Bureau of Resource Recycling of a city in Japan, 120 7-11 convenience stores in 16 districts of the city have installed plastic bottle recycling machines, and the number of plastic bottles collected in the past six months has reached 100,000.

After the clean empty bottle with the cap and label removed is placed in the recycling machine in front of the convenience store, it is automatically squashed, and after special treatment, it becomes the raw material for the production of new bottles. Compared with making new bottles with raw materials extracted from petroleum, this recycling method can reduce carbon emissions by 25%.

According to reports, all transparent plastic bottles with a volume of less than 2 liters can be put into this recycling machine, and every five plastic bottles can be exchanged for one point in the electronic wallet "nanaco" under Seven&I Group.

Millions of tons of plastic waste flows into the ocean every year

As early as more than 50 years ago, scholars pointed out that plastic garbage floating in the ocean will be eaten by various marine organisms, which will affect the entire ecological environment.

It is estimated that millions of tons of plastic waste flows into the sea every year around the world. By 2050, the total amount of plastic waste in the ocean may exceed the weight of marine fish.