Washed Out Plastics Retrieved From Our World's Oceans Being Used to Build Vacum Cleaners

Electrolux Vac From The Sea - Mediterranean Edition.

Even on the most basic level, plastics have become an essential part of people’s lives - needed to make everything from combs to laptop computers.

What’s also true is that most things made of plastic are petroleum-based, not biodegradable, and finding their way into our oceans.

Kimberly Amaral, a naturalist at the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary in Cape Cod Bay, says that, “When plastic objects get into main sewers (either by being flushed down the toilet, or carried by rain into street drains), then those objects can float out to sea.

“A more direct route is boaters dumping their trash right into the sea. In the past, this has been the main cause of plastics in the ocean.”

The 5 Gyres Institute, a non-profit collaborative of marine scientists explains that, “Large systems of currents, coupled with wind and the earth’s rotation, create gyres that are massive, slow rotating whirlpools in which plastic trash accumulates.”

Electrolux Vac From The Sea - Pacific Edition.

The North Pacific Gyre is the most heavily researched for plastic pollution, and spans an area roughly twice the size of the United States. The pollution is having a devastating effect on wildlife, and posing great risk to people’s health.

5 Gyre has found that whales, sea turtles, and a growing list of fish species have been documented with plastic in or around their bodies.

When marine animals consume plastic trash, presumably mistaking it for food, this can lead to internal blockages, dehydration, starvation, and potentially death. Also of great concern is the potential impact on human health from toxic chemicals entering the marine food chain from plastics.

Most of the research on plastic trash circulating in oceanic gyres has focused on the North Pacific, but the pollution exists in varying extents in all of the five major oceanic gyres around the world, according to 5 Gyre.

In the “Vac From The Sea” public awareness campaign created to bring attention to the problem, Electrolux has teamed up with conservation groups to create five functional display vacuums made from plastics retrieved from the world’s oceans.

Each vacuum cleaner corresponds to the particular ocean body where the plastics were retrieved to make it. The vacuums - which will go on tour - represent the pollution found in the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, and Baltic Sea.

From left to right: North Sea Edition, Indian Ocean Edition, Mediterranean Sea Edition, Pacific Ocean Edition, Baltic Sea Edition.

“Our intention is to bring awareness to the situation and the need for better plastic karma. Right now, only post consumer plastic on land meets our commercial safety and quality standards,” said Cecilia Nord, vice president of floor care sustainability and environmental affairs at Electrolux.

“However, as part of our commitment to researching new materials, we’re exploring how the ocean plastic might be used in the future. Electrolux is looking into auctioning out one of the vacuums, where the revenue will go to research. At the moment, the quality and the logistics needed for cleaning and sorting ocean plastic makes it difficult to use in mass production,” she added.

The next step in the process is to get the official tour schedule for the vacuums ready. “Dialogue with industry and environmental organizations has intensified following the wake of the campaign,” said Ms. Nord.

The Ocean Conservancy also suggests how every person can do their part to keep the oceans clean, including.

• Recycling: If you can’t reuse it, recycle it. Check online with your local government to see what you can and can’t give back, and recycle everything possible.
• Reducing: Since packaging materials account for much of the trash we generate, they provide a good opportunity for reducing waste. Consider items with less, reusable, or recyclable packaging.
• Preventing contaminated runoff: No matter where you live, the ocean is downstream. Don’t use chemical fertilizers and pesticides on your lawn. On the driveway, avoid harmful cleaning products, and take proper care of spilled oil.
• Being a green boater: Bring your trash back to shore.
• Taking only pictures: Choose vacation spots working to protect endangered sea animals. When snorkeling or diving, take pictures and tell stories but never stand on coral reefs or touch the marine life.
• Voting Blue: Urge your elected representatives to support ocean-friendly policies that protect our ocean.

Another everyday thing that people an do to minimize pollution is to buy thing that come in biodegradable packaging. Today there are also biodegradable plastics, which allow microorganism in the environment to metabolize the molecular structure of plastic films to produce an inert humus-like material that is less harmful to the environment.

Reader comments and input are always welcomed!