Plastic: A Problem of Global Proportions

Welcome to the International Plastics Task Force, a diverse and committed network of activists, waste management specialists and Non Governmental Organizations world wide. As the plastic industry grows there has been a correlating increase in toxic pollution (both to the environment and to humans) and corporate control over governing bodies intended to protect citizens and the environment from harm. Meanwhile, as plastic wastes become more prolific, less and less effort is being made to document the negative effects of new resin types. We feel that there is an increasing need for activists, ecologists, non-profit organizations and waste management experts to come together in order to share information on plastic waste on an international scale. Plastic has become an environmental problem of global scale, and this group is intended to initiate dialogue and action on these issues. As plastic is non-biodegradable, toxic and not recyclable in the true sense of the word, the need for an international coalition against plastic waste is paramount.

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Searches may be the best way to navigate this website due to the unusual volume of information. This website is intended to serve as a resource for information on some of the more controversial aspects of the plastics industry: toxicity, the creation of mass volumes of waste materials, excessive energy consumption, and the debate on alternative materials. You will find numerous studies, reports, media releases and articles on plastyics. Many background articles on plastics technology have been included for use by activists.

While plastics are yet to be considered a significant disposal problem in much of the first world (largely because these materials are landfilled--out of sight, out of mind), organizations in the global south have demonstrated considerable concern in regards to the detrimental effects of plastic products, notably the terminal waste generated by their disposal. Direct disposal (littering or dumping)and incineration (burning) of these wastes is a common practice in the global south. Each is harmful to the health of people and the environment. For example, dumping in rivers, streams and even urban drainage systems pollutes water courses and causes flooding. When these waters are unsanitary, they carry disease into the household. The burning of plastics encourages airborne pollution, the majority of which is extremely toxic and can cause a host of health problems (cancer, asthma, etc.). Although landfilling and recycling programs "vanish" the waste problem, each has considerably negative consequences: landfills leak and often contaminate the ground water with toxic liquids and residues. The recycling of plastic is often accomplished by exporting waste materials to Asian countries where recycling facilities are often likened to "sweatshops" where by laborers prepaid little for dangerous work. The increased push for unfettered trade and neo-liberal policy has scudded in intensifying these problems.

This Website hosts numerous links to articles, fact sheets, reports, and commentary by activists throughout the globe. There is a vast amount of information plastic waste, "recycling" incineration, toxicity, and even alternatives. We encourage you to freely brouse the website for information regarding the problem of plastics. It is our hope that by sharing this information with NGO's, Civil-Society Organizations, and activists, that the truth about the plastic menace will be told.

The International Plastics Task Force would like to greatly acknowledge mindfully.org (www.mindfully.org) for the numerous scientific studies supplied on their website. Many of the links offered on the IPTF page will take you to mindfully.org.