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gozzer

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With more companies turning away from plastic drinking straws etc for environmental reasons, how long before plastic floats, feeders, nylon lines, etc, are banned?

I have many homemade floats using drinking straws of various diameters, some plain, some along with peacock quills, cork, and balsa. I made these mainly for specific situations/conditions, using what I considered the most suitable materials for the purpose. Would I have to bin them all, and try more natural materials? Would the use of cork, balsa, sarkandas reed, quills, etc, be commercially viable? Line is an even bigger problem, although with the number of moggies fertilising my garden, I could probably supply most of the north east with 'cat gut'. B)

 

John.

Angling is more than just catching fish, if it wasn't it would just be called 'catching'......... John

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Trouble is with 'natural' materials does it have a just as bad effect on the planet IE if porcupine quill becomes the number one material does this mean the porkupine species goes extinct trying to supply it ?,goose quill is sustainable it maybe a way of disposing of what was landfill .

I cant see floats becoming banned compared to straws the number is minute but i can see the law changing to forcing throw away plastic items being UV degradable (in months?) Which may have an effect on floats !

UV degradeable plastic isnt new i remember some plastic supermarket bags 40? Years ago (strange feel to the plastic not smooth at all) having this emblazoned on them and now we pay perhaps they can return if the cost is the same as the ordinary ones

That ofcourse would suit the manufacturer knowing full well he will be suppling those floats now forming mush on the surface of a pond

 

Mind you most bag type plastic and a great number of others do degrade leave a black bag lying in the sun and you will see ,but once in landfill it doesnt rot theres no sun!

As a kid me and my sister made lots of pocket money getting 3d back on bottles and ali cans do have a value but i think modern kids wouldnt get off their arses for a few bob extra money has little value if they think work is involved so i see a deposit scheme pointless so the only way to get rid of plastic is by law but how can you control the countries that supply it ?

 

You could ban plastic floats in the UK then see the government chuck millions to companies because they infringed some human right of a foreign company whining sales were down!

Edited by chesters1

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Many of the historical, 'natural' materials would not be environmentally sustainable for use in the amounts to cover Global angling needs. The use of bio degradable plastics would be limited by their suitability, and many are only 'bio degradable' in specific conditions.

https://www.environmentalleader.com/2018/02/biodegradable-plastics-yes-no/

 

 

 

 

When it comes to “sustainable packaging,” there’s no one-size-fits-all answer. It’s important for brand owners, food producers and manufacturers to consider very carefully what packaging format they use and to make an informed decision based on the reality of our current waste management infrastructure and level of public understanding, says Richard McKinlay, head of circular economy at resource recovery specialist Axion. “They also need to understand what actually happens to their materials at end-of-life and what their environmental impact could be.”

Specifically, are biodegradable plastics better for the environment? It’s a complicated issue. “Plastic materials that at end-of-life can completely break down naturally and disappear harmlessly may sound like the ideal answer. People hear terms such as ‘biodegradable’, ‘bio-plastic’ and ‘compostable’ and assume that these plastics are more ‘environmentally-friendly,’” he says. “However, the reality is not so simple.”

The main issue, he says, is a lack of understanding of the nature of compostable or biodegradable plastics and what bio-plastics are, particularly in terms of their specific applications and the specialist treatment process needed to deal with these materials.

Bioplastics are made using renewable feedstocks rather than being derived directly from oil. Bioplastics can be used in the production of conventional polymers that can be recycled, such as recycled PET, or biodegradable polymers such as PLA.

While it may seem obvious that selecting a bioplastic is the most sustainable option – there is a clear benefit from not depleting a non-renewable source – many petrochemicals are a by-product of the oil refining process. “While we still live in an economy that is so heavily reliant on oil, it may be better to make use of its by-products rather than let them go to waste,” McKinlay says. “Bio-plastics are not free of environmental impact, and the carbon emissions associated with growing crops and converting these into the required chemicals needs to be taken into account.”

 

 

More thoughts from McKinlay:

  • “Compostable” and “biodegradable” are more or less synonymous terms and mean that the material will completely break down under certain conditions. The key to understanding any potential benefit is to know whether the polymer will easily break down, say in a home compost heap, or if it has to be treated in an industrial composting facility.
  • Many plastics that are described as biodegradable or compostable have to be collected and separated from the rest of the plastic waste and be sent to a purpose-designed industrial composting facility where they can be broken down successfully. These facilities exist for food waste, but ensuring that compostable packaging reaches them can be challenging.
  • Consumer confusion over what materials can and can’t be recycled is another big issue. Is this plastic water bottle made from a biodegradable plastic or “conventional” plastic, like PET? Does it go in the recycling bin or with the food waste collection?
  • Currently, throughout the UK there is a good collection and recycling infrastructure for PET bottles and this can be accessed by most people through curbside collections. But the infrastructure for food waste collections is not as well-established. For water bottles made from biodegradable plastic to be correctly recycled, a public communication campaign would be required so that people understand that biodegradable plastic should go in with food waste, and more food waste collection facilities in public places would be needed.
  • Some packaging such as that made from starch, will readily breakdown in a less controlled environment. However it is not possible to switch completely to these type of materials because they are not suitable for all applications. For example, kitchen/food recycling caddy liners are starch-based and will degrade in a home composting system. However this material would not be suitable for use in packaging as it would quickly start to break down when wet.“Ultimately it has to be down to infrastructure investment, public education and behavioural changes,” McKinlay says. “Plastics are an inherent part of our lives and not ‘all bad.’ Their responsible use and disposal/recycling should be a top priority.”

John.

Angling is more than just catching fish, if it wasn't it would just be called 'catching'......... John

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Gozzer,

 

I would think your floats are safe in our lifetime. However, the URL I have put in this post should be of interest to us all.

 

If I were to point out one FACT it would be that more plastic articles have been produced in the first 10 years of this century than all of the last century.

 

http://rstb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/364/1526 - enjoy

 

As for plastics in fishing line, they have to GO. Especially the line used in long nets. However, while I identify with the conclusion they are beyond harmful, I have no suggestion for their replacement.

 

Somewhere, although I can't put my finger on it at the moment, there is an angling article on "line bump". It actually belonged in this thread. It concluded something like this. The smaller the diameter the more harmful the fishing line. Not just fish, but a rather holistic environmental impact.

 

Phone

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Hi Phone, it's slightly different over this side of the 'pond'. When something is deemed to be detrimental to the environment, and it's also used in angling, then we seem to go to the top of the blame list, regardless of any other uses. It was all anglers to blame for miles of line on the bank, even though the samples I saw were all roughly the same bs. and nice and shiny like it had just been bought! We took most of the blame with the lead shot debacle, and pre-empted a forced ban by banning it ourselves.

 

The floats I mean are just glorified straws anyway like in the link,

https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=crystal+fishing+floats&qpvt=crystal+fishing+floats&FORM=IGRE

 

I wouldn't be surprised to see certain parties (antis), trying to stick another knife in angling over this.

 

John.

Angling is more than just catching fish, if it wasn't it would just be called 'catching'......... John

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Gozzer,

 

The "antis" look for any port in a storm. After my previous post I read a couple of those articles. Looks like another of your perennial scapegoats, NHS, is pretty heavily on the proverbial hook. Never gave it much thought but the medical industry with all their bags, bits and bobs are also in a nightmare of a quandry. Except for the antis, I think sport fishing,at least fresh water sport fishing is reasonably safe. Of course, we to have new immigrants who's cultural values differ from ours. No stopping it I guess.

 

Phone

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Steve,

 

I only wish .50% of anglers would even put old line in the bin. Not recently, but somewhere in the recesses of my brain I remember the numbers on line recycled vs line purchased. Admittedly this was about the time American anglers were being introduced to the problem, maybe 70's early 80's. I believe sporting anglers, as opposed to catch and keep are actually doing a pretty good job. Not always the anglers problem. They just happen to be the end of the line.

 

Researchers find plastic trash in a variety of species tested at California docks. 64 fish bought from local fishers at the docks of California’s Pillar Point Harbor and Half Moon Bay fish markets south of San Francisco and 35 percent of the fish tested in California—including oysters, Pacific anchovies, chinook salmon, striped bass, and other dinner-plate mainstays. In California, only 20 percent of debris was identified as plastic trash. The remaining material, roughly 15 percent, found in fish bellies came from clothing fibers. Speaks well of our waste management in our coastal states doesn't it?

Our penchant for synthetics in clothing is a major culprit. Washing machines send tons and tons of synthetic fiber into the oceans on their 600 year journey to decay.

 

Phone

Edited by Phone
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Gozzer,

 

Before it slips my mind (it like a sieve these days) I wanted to offer you the "best" plastics article I've EVER seen. Guess you would need a library but the June issue of National Geographic (American version if they are different?). Plastics are the feature article in the June issue. Some truly amazing "facts" I would have never believed. I will say, fishing line used by sport fishermen was NOT mentioned as a major problem.

Anyway, I've met my self imposed obligation passing the information along. It is worth some effort to read IMO

 

Phone

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