Media Release 14/07/12
Plastic pollution spokesperson says, ‘Ignore the industry lies on container deposits’
Environmentalist and plastic pollution spokesperson Tim Silverwood has come out scathing at media reports that the proposed 10 cent container deposit scheme (CDS) is a new ‘plastic tax’ designed to ‘hit the family budget’.
“The claims of a 20 cent price rise from a national container deposits scheme are just wrong and should be ignored. All the economic research from real world systems show it is simply impossible that an efficient CDS (unlike the NT one managed by the industry) would have an extra 10 cents on top of the deposit – in fact the Boomerang Alliance scheme developed from best practice systems would have no extra fee.”
“These media stories are clearly being pedalled by the beverage industry and are only focusing on one misleading part of the debate, that CDS is a new tax. It’s not a tax, it’s a refundable deposit.” Tim said. “And where is the mention of the huge range of benefits for a CDS and that in all surveys conducted over 80% of Australians support it?”
Tim Silverwood who has been researching and documenting the plastic pollution problem for many years supports the scheme. He has seen first hand the frightening reality of where a lot of the world’s plastic ends up, in the middle of the ocean. In July 2011, Tim spent 3-weeks sailing through a region of the North Pacific Ocean known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch where ocean currents carry all manner of discarded plastic into a giant vortex stretching across a region larger than the continent of Australia.
“There is over18 000 pieces of plastic in every square kilometre of ocean. Research suggests that up to one third of all marine debris in the oceans comes from the beverage industry; we’re talking about millions of tonnes of new beverage related plastic into the sea every year.
South Australia has had a successful CDS operating since 1975 that results in 80% of all beverage containers being returned for recycling and negligible levels of beverage container litter. Other Australian States have recycling rates of around 40% for beverage containers. Researchers estimate that around 8 billion recyclable beverage containers are sent to landfill or littered every year in Australia, with only 5 billion being recycled.
Environmental groups and local government associations have been calling on the government to adopt the successful South Australian model for many years and recent indications from political leaders show they support it. At a public rally in April, Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke spoke in favour of the scheme but emphasised that the decision rests with each State to endorse a Nationwide scheme.
“Marine debris is killing over a million innocent marine creatures per year and will become an ecological disaster in years to come if we don’t act. We are using more plastic now than ever before and we’re not managing it properly. Around the world CDS is seen as THE solution to preventing litter and boosting recycling, it gives people that extra ‘nudge’ to make sure they do the right thing.” Tim said.
In 2009 Tim co-founded the not-for-profit organisation Take 3, that asks every visitor to simply take three pieces of rubbish with them when they leave the beach, waterway or…anywhere. Developed by a small group of passionate surfers and beach lovers sick of seeing plastic waste on the beaches and in the ocean, it now has followers all around the world.
“What the beverage manufacturers are failing to be honest about here is that they are actually MAKING money off the unreturned containers. They are crying poor and suggesting they have to raise prices on beverages and make consumers pay more whilst they are pocketing millions of dollars in unredeemed containers. This is simply a callous PR campaign designed to stop producers ever having responsibility over the waste of their products. Big business has an inherent distaste for any legislation geared towards extended producer responsibility (EPR) and if we listen to their nonsense we will have to keep on picking up their waste and watching the oceans fill up with rubbish whilst they run off to the banks with pockets full of cash.” Tim concluded.
For further information or to arrange an interview please contact Tim Silverwood directly on 0420 668 114 or email tim_silverwood@hotmail.com or visit www.timsilverwood.com
For a detailed account of why Australia needs a container deposit scheme visit: http://timsilverwood.com/2012/07/04/why-australia-needs-a-national-container-deposit-scheme/
Media Release 01/09/11
Adventurer returns from Great Pacific Garbage Patch with alarming news
Central Coast environmentalist Tim Silverwood has returned from a research expedition to the North Pacific Gyre, aka Great Pacific Garbage Patch with alarming insights into the frightening state of the world’s oceans. Tim spent three weeks sailing over 5000km from Honolulu to Vancouver with scientists, environmentalists, artists and filmmakers as part of the expedition coordinated by Algalita Marine Research Foundation.
What he discovered is that the description of the Garbage Patch as a ‘floating island’ of trash is far from the truth. “In fact it’s much worse than that”, said Silverwood. “If it were a floating island of trash it would be possible for us to go and clean it up but unfortunately it is more like a plastic soup. Larger plastic items like bottles, bags, buckets and crates don’t retain their structure for long as the sun’s rays beat down and the waves toss them around, they break apart into millions and billions of plastic fragments that then remain in the ocean. They don’t biodegrade though, that’s the scary part.” Silverwood continued. The extent of the problem was emphasized when every trawl sample the team deployed returned with plastic in it including one with a toothbrush, two pen caps, a spray nozzle, a handful of tiny plastic fragments and a plastic toy gorilla.
“There is this notion that when we throw ‘away’ the growing amount of silly single use plastic items we use in our lives that they just go ‘away’. Unfortunately, ‘away’ isn’t always landfill or a recycling centre, a huge amount of our waste ends up in the environment and a growing amount ends up in the ocean.” Silverwood added.
To highlight the harmful effect our litter has on marine life Tim has been recognized by Keep Australia Beautiful as an ambassador for their 2011 campaign, “Dropped on Land…Kills at Sea”. According to Keep Australia Beautiful National Spokeswoman, Lara Shannon, “Each year, millions of items such as cigarette butts, plastic and glass beverage containers, food packaging and fishing gear make their way into our oceans and rivers through storm water drains, or by being left on beaches and river banks. Marine litter poses a vast and growing threat to the marine and coastal environment with at least 77 species of marine wildlife found in Australian waters being affected. Sea turtles, seabirds, dolphins and sea lions particularly vulnerable”, Shannon added.
Recent incidents close to home reveal the devastating impact plastic ingestion is having on wildlife with a Green Sea Turtle in Ballina discovered to have ingested 317 pieces of plastic and an 80 day old Flesh-footed Shearwater chick on Lord Howe Island revealed to have 276 pieces of plastic in its stomach, representing a horrific 15% of it’s body mass. Ian Hutton OAM, Curator of Lord Howe Island Museum has been studying this species for some time and feels they may be one of the worst affected seabird species in the world from plastic ingestion, “Even on pristine Lord Howe Island, 500 kilometres from the nearest land and with some of the best environmental protection in the world, the seabirds are being impacted by this global problem”, Hutton said.
Reacting to the new evidence of plastic ingestion on Lord Howe Island Tim continued, “Innocent creatures are eating OUR plastic waste, there is no denying that this plastic came from the East Coast of Australia. It makes me embarrassed, shameful and downright angry. We have to do something.” Recent evidence suggests 9% of small fish called mctophyds are consuming plastic particles that they confuse for food. These species represent a base for the food chain meaning toxins in plastic and that attach to plastic are entering the food chain alarming scientists.
A component of Silverwood’s adventure was to gather footage and photographs for a documentary project he is working on and to better understand the complexities of the issue to help in the future management of the non-profit organization of which he is a co-founder, ‘Take 3 – A Clean Beach Initiative’. “Take 3 asks each visitor to our beaches and waterways to simply take 3 pieces of rubbish with them when they leave.” Tim Said. “We are developing educational resources and ongoing initiatives to raise awareness of plastic pollution in our oceans but we need lots of help. We need funding, volunteers and pro bono help to develop our organization. We want to make sure that every Australian knows what is happening out there and what they can do to help.” Take 3 was awarded the Innagural Taronga Zoo Green Grant in March this year.
As part of Tim’s push to bring awareness to the issue he is traveling to parts of Australia over the coming months to give presentations and screen the amazing film all about plastics titled, ‘Bag It’. Tim will visit Melbourne and the Surf Coast from 14th – 18th September and Perth from the 8th – 18th October and is interested to hear from other communities interested in helping him organize an event. For full listings of events visit http://www.timsilverwood.com/events
For further information or to organize an interview with Tim Silverwood please contact him directly on 0420 668 114, email tim_silverwood@hotmail.com or visit www.timsilverwood.com or www.take3.org.au
Media Release 21/06/11
Environmentalist encourages student participation as he sets sail to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch to research and document plastic pollution.
On June 26, 2011, Central Coast environmentalist Tim Silverwood will embark on a voyage sailing across the Pacific Ocean from Honolulu to Vancouver to undertake important research into plastic pollution in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
Reportedly twice the size of the France and growing exponentially, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch has been compared to a ‘monstrous plastic soup’ and is threatening to become one of the great ecological disasters of our time. It’s here where ocean currents from Asia and North America converge, bringing together tonnes of plastic debris into a swirling vortex.
Tim has spent three months raising awareness and funds for the expedition, in which he will be conducting leading scientific studies into plastic pollution alongside researchers from around the world. The research voyage is organised by Algalita Marine Research Foundation, a California-based organisation founded by Charles Moore, the man credited with discovering the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in 1997.
With his colleagues from ‘Take 3’, Tim is encouraging Australian schools to become involved in the issue of marine debris by following the interactive blog developed by Algalita titled, ‘Ship 2 Shore’. Once registered with the free program, primary and high school students: have access to a wealth of information about marine debris; can post questions online for the team to answer; and receive updates from the vessel as it studies the Garbage Patch.
In 2009 Tim, along with a fellow Central Coast surfer Mandy Marechal and Marine Ecologist Roberta Dixon-Valk, co-founded the non-profit organisation ‘Take 3 – A Clean Beach Initiative’. In March 2011, ‘Take 3’ was awarded the inaugural Taronga Conservation Society Green Grant and a $50K purse to help develop the organisation.
“The Ship 2 Shore program has been developed to enable students from all around the world to get together and learn more about marine debris. There are opportunities for students to ask questions, meet the crew, learn about the research being conducted, undertake their own research and develop their own solution to plastic pollution in their area” Tim said.
“Not many people have visited the Great Pacific Garbage Patch for research so this program is a very unique chance for students to receive real time ‘news’, photos and findings straight from the ‘oceans mouth’, so to speak”.
Through an online campaign, private sponsorship and six awareness events where he screened the award winning documentary, ‘Bag It’, Tim has successfully fundraised $18K towards the voyage and the documentary/ awareness films he aims to create on his return.
***
To schedule an interview please contact Tim Silverwood directly:
Phone: 0420 668 114 Email: tim_silverwood@hotmail.com
Website: http://algalita.org/ship2shore/index.php
Media Release
Great Pacific Shame
Environmentalist sets sail to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch to research plastic pollution and raise awareness of marine debris.
On July 7, 2011, Newcastle environmentalist Tim Silverwood will embark on a voyage sailing across the Pacific Ocean from Honolulu to Vancouver to undertake important research into floating plastics in the North Pacific Gyre, otherwise known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
Twice the size of France and growing exponentially, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch has been compared to a floating island of trash and is threatening to become one of the great ecological disasters of our time. It’s here where ocean currents from Asia, North America and many Pacific nations converge, bringing with them tonnes of debris and creating a swirling vortex of plastic rubbish that is rumoured to double in size every ten years.
Tim will join researchers from around the world on a three-week expedition to the heart of the gyre. Throughout the voyage the team will undertake a range of studies to assess the burgeoning size of the ecological disaster and its impact on marine life.
The research voyage is being conducted by Algalita Marine Research Foundation, a California-based organisation founded by Charles Moore, the man credited with discovering the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in 1997. Algalita recently published results showing 35 percent of lanternfish caught in the North Pacific Ocean contain plastic[1] and, more alarmingly, that in some samples tiny plastic particles outnumber naturally occurring zooplankton forty-eight times to one.
Having co-founded ‘Take 3 – A Clean Beach initiative’ in 2010 , a grassroots program that encourages Australians to pick up three pieces of rubbish each time they visit coastal areas, Tim recognised there was much more to do.
“When I first began taking an interest in marine debris my primary focus was on preventing the innocent death of marine life. It has been reported that each year over a million sea birds and hundreds of thousands of sea mammals die from ingestion of plastic and entanglement in debris,” Tim said.
The latest research being undertaken confirms this is still the case but is also discovering a new and far more ethnocentric risk. Tiny plastic particles resulting from the breakdown of larger plastic items are being found in small fish such as lanternfish, a staple diet of species including tuna and mahi mahi. This may have a devastating effect on the food chain and ultimately human health.
“Once plastic enters the food chain through the smallest fish, the toxins can potentially remain there until they end up on our dinner plate,” Tim said. “Globally, humans rely on fish as a primary source of protein so the issue of plastic pollution really does affect everyone.”
Swedish based appliance manufacturer Electrolux recently sponsored research into marine debris and constructed a range of vacuum cleaners from plastic waste to highlight the issue[2]. Tim hopes organisations in Australia will take similar proactive steps to highlight the issue.
“No one really knows how best to tackle the issue. It’s not feasible to get out there with a big net and scoop it up, nor is it worth considering banning plastic. The best outcome we can aim for now is to raise awareness, put some ownership back on to people and ask corporations and governments to start implementing small changes,” Tim said.
“Research and observations suggest that the amount of plastic in the oceans is doubling every ten years. As we continue to rely on throw-away plastic goods it is inevitable a lot of it will end up in the ocean. ‘The ocean is downhill from everywhere’. When you see the amount of plastics entering the environment in coastal areas in countries like India, China and Indonesia you start to feel that the problem is almost too big to tackle. I guess that’s why we started ‘Take 3’.”
Last year Tim, along with a fellow Central Coast surfer Mandy Marechal and Marine Ecologist Roberta Dixon-Valk co-founded the non-profit organisation, ‘Take 3’. At its heart, the organisation’s message is each time you visit the beach pick up three pieces of rubbish.
“The thing I love about ‘Take 3’ is that it puts the ownership and responsibility back on the people. If people can be empowered to pick up someone else’s rubbish I reckon that’s the best thing ever! Too many of the world’s problems seem to be because people think, “it’s not my problem, why should I do anything?” I also love the feeling you get when you pick up some plastic off the beach and think, “Huh, I might have just saved a life,” Tim said.
Tim is required to fundraise US$10,000 for his position on the research voyage. He hopes to raise more for additional costs including flights, equipment and the production of an awareness documentary. Using an online fundraising campaign portal Tim has already raised more than AU$4000 in just thirty days. He is also seeking corporate sponsorship.
“The support from the public has been incredible but I’m still hoping to attract corporate sponsorship for my voyage, film project and ongoing education campaigns. Plastic has made life very easy for a lot of organisations for a very long time and I think it’s important that some of those companies recognise that it’s time to start looking at ways they can help alleviate this situation.”
***
[1] Los Angeles Times, http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-fish-plastic-20110311,0,6588047.story
Media Release
Award-winning documentary Bag It comes to Australia
“Is your life too plastic?”
Environmentalist and co-founder of ‘Take 3’, Tim Silverwood will host screenings of the new, award-winning environmental documentary Bag It at locations across Sydney, Newcastle, Byron Bay and the Central Coast throughout May and June 2011.
Bag It follows “everyman” Jeb Berrier as he tries to make sense of our dependence on plastic bags. Although his quest starts out small, Jeb soon learns that the problem extends past landfills to oceans, rivers and ultimately human health.
The average American uses about 500 plastic bags each year, for about twelve minutes each. This single-use mentality has led to the formation of a floating island of plastic debris in the Pacific Ocean more than twice the size of Texas.
The film explores these issues and identifies how our daily reliance on plastic threatens not only waterways and marine life, but human health, too. Two of the most common plastic additives are endocrine disruptors, which have been shown to link to cancer, diabetes, autism, attention deficit disorder, obesity and infertility.
The screenings of the new documentary aim to raise awareness of marine debris and will act as fundraisers for Tim, who in July this year will sail from Hawaii to Vancouver to research plastic pollution in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Tim will join Algalita Marine Research Foundation, a California-based organisation founded by Charles Moore, the man credited with discovering the Garbage Patch in 1997.
Reportedly twice the size of France and growing exponentially, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch has been compared to a monstrous floating plastic soup and is threatening to become one of the great ecological disasters of our time. It’s here where ocean currents from Asia, North America and Pacific nations converge, bringing with them tonnes of debris and creating a swirling vortex of plastic rubbish that is rumoured to double in size every ten years.
Tim is required to fundraise US$10,000 for his position on the research voyage. He hopes to raise more for additional costs including flights, equipment and the production of an awareness documentary. Using an online fundraising campaign portal Tim has already raised more than AU$4000 in just 30 days. He is also seeking corporate sponsorship.
‘Take 3’ is a non-profit organisation formed in 2009 that asks visitors to beaches and waterways to simply take three pieces of plastic rubbish with them when they leave, a small gesture that can greatly reduce the amount of marine debris in the oceans.
“We developed ‘Take 3’ to give people an easy opportunity to give back to the environment by reducing plastic pollution in our oceans. It’s so easy to ‘Take 3’; it doesn’t take time, money or any real effort. This documentary puts humans’ dependence on plastic in the spotlight and empowers people to stand up and say, “You know what, I don’t want to live a life plastic”, it’s a great film!” Tim said.
***
Media Release
Taronga Zoo Awards $50, 000 Green Grant to ‘Take 3’.
Take 3 – A Clean Beach Initiative awarded the Inaugural Taronga Conservation Society Green Grant to take their simple message to the world.
On April 14th, 2011, the passionate members of ‘Take 3’ gathered at Taronga Zoo to hear an announcement that would change the future of the small grassroots organisation. From 209 applications from each Australian State and Territory, ‘Take 3’ was selected as the winner of the inaugural Green Grant.
“I’m ecstatic; all of the members are just buzzing with joy!” Tim Silverwood, co-founder and Vice-President of ‘Take 3’ said. “To have the support of an organisation so committed to conserving wildlife around the world as Taronga is just so humbling. Each of the seven ‘Take 3’ board members has committed so much time, all voluntarily, to developing and spreading our message. This really feels like a welcome reward.”
The Taronga Green Grant sought to reward an idea with a simple, powerful message that had global appeal and an ability to make a real difference to the environment. ‘Take 3’ and their message to reduce marine debris entering the ocean and waterways had all the right criteria.
Taronga’s Research and Conservation Manager, Dr. Rebecca Spindler said, “We’re delighted announce the award and to congratulate Take 3 for coming up with such a great way to harness Australia’s passion for the beach and to get rid of what these wonderful people call ‘the silent assassin’ – marine debris.”
“Their concept is exactly what we wanted to encourage, creating an incredible, simple, catchy way to get rubbish off our beaches, keep it out of the water and stop it killing wildlife. Another great thing about it is that once you get in the habit you can apply this anywhere.”
The ‘Take 3’ message is simple, take three pieces of rubbish when you leave the beach and you’ve made a difference. The simple idea was spawned after President, Amanda Marechal visited Hawaii on a surfing holiday. “Having been a surfer for the past 20 years I’d been aware of the marine debris issue but it was until I saw an in-flight movie on the way to Hawaii highlighting the enormity of the problems of plastics in our ocean that I decided I had to do something. It sent my heart racing and my mind into overdrive. I knew I could no longer keep my head in the sand and say ‘isn’t that terrible’ I thought if everyone just took three pieces of rubbish maybe it could make a difference”
Reporting back to good friend and marine ecologist, Roberta Dixon-Valk, the two discussed her idea and how they could market it to the community. And the rest, they say, is history. “Every molecule of plastic ever made is still somewhere in the environment and some 100 million tonnes of it are floating in the oceans. Plastic particles in our oceans are killing approximately 1 million seabirds and 100,000 marine mammals each year – and these are only the marine wildlife deaths we know about.”
Take 3 aims to expand their message in Australia and the world with the generous support of Taronga and the reward of $50K. They aim to build on existing partnerships that will see the message target the wider community of beach users including surfers, fishermen, recreational boaters, surf life savers and all those living on the coastline of Australia.
“The issue of marine debris really does affect everyone”, Tim said. “Eighty percent of the marine debris in the ocean is reported to come from land, it starts out as just another piece of litter but then is washed, rolled or blown into our waterways and eventually the sea. The ocean is downhill from everywhere.”
Once in the ocean marine debris has a disastrous impact on marine life through ingestion and entanglement. The plastic that floats is known to travel large distances and gather in vast, continent sized whirlpools such as the highly publicised Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
Reportedly twice the size of France and growing exponentially, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch has been compared to a monstrous floating plastic soup and is threatening to become one of the great ecological disasters of our time. It’s here where ocean currents from Asia, North America and many Pacific nations converge, bringing with them tonnes of debris and creating a swirling vortex of plastic rubbish that is rumoured to double in size every ten years.
In July 2011, Tim Silverwood will join researchers from around the world on a three-week sailing expedition to the heart of the gyre. Throughout the voyage the team will undertake a range of studies to assess the burgeoning size of the ecological disaster and its impact on marine life.
The research voyage is being conducted by Algalita Marine Research Foundation, a California-based organisation founded by Charles Moore, the man credited with discovering the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in 1997. Algalita recently published results showing 35 percent of lanternfish caught in the North Pacific Ocean contain plastic[1] and, more alarmingly, that in some samples tiny plastic particles outnumber naturally occurring zooplankton forty-eight times to one.
Tiny plastic particles resulting from the breakdown of larger plastic items are being found in small fish such as lanternfish, a staple diet of species including tuna and mahi mahi. This may have a devastating effect on the food chain and ultimately human health.
“Once plastic enters the food chain through the smallest fish, the toxins can potentially remain there until they end up on our dinner plate,” Tim said. “Globally, humans rely on fish as a primary source of protein so the issue of plastic pollution really does affect everyone.”
***
[1] Los Angeles Times, http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-fish-plastic-20110311,0,6588047.story
