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debris littering our ocean waters. Over the years, Moore and his crew have regu-
larly traveled to the Great Paciic Garbage Patch to pull out and catalog tons of
loating plastic waste, most of it in the form of tiny particles.
Most plastics that wind up loating in our oceans won't ever biodegrade—
they're here to stay. Over time, the ocean's movements break loating plastic
garbage into tiny pieces—the plastic “confetti” described by Moore—that are
invisible in satellite photos but deadly to the marine ecosystem. The gigantic
loating plastic garbage islands in our oceans continue to grow each year,
disrupting marine life, choking birds and seals and leaching toxic byproducts
into the ecosystem.
Moore reports that the amount of plastic confetti captured by ishing nets
outweighs that of zooplankton, the ocean's food base, by a factor of six to one.
In addition to tiny plastic fragments, his nets also pull in more recognizable
everyday plastic objects such as disposable lighters, plastic ishing nets, plastic
handles, children's toys and of course, plastic bottles.
Today, the production of 3D printed plastic parts is miniscule in volume
compared to the tidal wave of plastic goods mass produced in factories. If
placed next to the Great Paciic Garbage Patch, the amount of 3D printed
plastic garbage would be tiny, a child's shoe next to a football ield. Yet, like
any other plastic object, whether it be custom-made or mass manufactured,
most 3D printed products that reach the end of their lifecycle will be tossed
into the garbage can.
3D printing pioneer and outspoken visionary Joris Peels points out that if
we continue to consume and discard products at our current global rate of con-
sumption, we will choke to death in our own waste. In a blog article entitled
“3D Printing vs. Mass Production: A More Beautiful Landill,” he wrote, “My
fear is that eventually mass production could lead to mass extinction . . . I really
believe we're headed to the path to extinction . . . Like the Easter Islanders
we're also going to cut down the last tree.”
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Plastic is environmentally devastating. Yet plastic has also been a great
democratic equalizer, enabling nearly everyone to own household items that
used to be reserved for the rich. Plastic objects are found in nearly every aspect
of our lives, from mundane plastic toys to lifesaving lightweight plastic tubes
used to give blood transfusions.
