Here’s a prototype of the Polyformer. Image: Reiten Cheng
Plastics, ecologically speaking, have gotten a pretty bad reputation over the years, often quite deservedly so.
Nonprofit ocean conservation organization Oceana reports that two garbage trucks worth of plastic enters the world’s oceans every minute. That’s 33 billion pounds of plastic entering oceans every year. Mapping service Arcgis has charting data that shows there are five major patches of plastic-covered ocean covering 20 million square kilometers (7.72 million square miles). That’s enough plastic to blanket Alaska, Texas, California, Montana, and New Mexico (The United States’ five largest states by area).
The US Environmental Protection Agency reports that the US generated 35.7 million tons (roughly the weight of 17.8 million Tesla Model 3 vehicles) worth of plastic. Overall, only 8.7% of the plastic produced is…
