WAR ON PLASTIC (May 2009 version)

Plastics are killing us, they are killing our animals and polluting our environment. Sales and the dollar
have become more important than care for
the environment and public health.
A stop has to be put to it.
Come and join me.

donmatthews7@gmail.com

Northern Californians Against Plastic
“Plastics as toxic trash is barely an issue with health advocates, environmentalists and even those looking towards a post-petroleum world. Instead “recycling” and “bioplastics” distract people from keeping plastics out of their lives. As the evidence of our trashed oceans and damage to human health mounts plastic can no longer be conveniently ignored. The days of naive trust and denial need to be put behind us and a war on plastic declared now” (Jan Lundberg, activist and campaigner against plastic and society’s dependence on petroleum http://www.culturechange.org/)

Recycling is a no-fix solution. Elimination at the source is the only solution
“Recycling is simply delaying the passage of plastic to landfill. Like nuclear waste we are never rid of it. Recycling simply eases our conscience and gives us an excuse to go out and buy more plastic to perpetuate our plastic-dependent lifestyle. Problem is, we can never get rid of the stuff. All the plastic that’s ever been produced is still with us, and always will be. Elimination of plastics at the source and from our life is the only solution” (Don Matthews, activist, educator, gardener )

Drowning in plastic. Living in a toxic world
“Chemical companies are literally getting away with murder. Profit trumps over public health – the industry continues to peddle poisons with little accountability while resisting any attempt to regulate their industry” (Wayne Ellwood New Internationalist Sep 2008)

More bad news about bottled water
New research analyzing mineral water held in bottles made from polyethylene teraphthalate (PETE, PET) raises questions about whether contaminants might leach from PET into water where they mimic estrogen’s effect. (Naomi Lubick Environmental Science and Technology April 8 2009)

Sea of plastic
“Plastic debris causes the deaths of more than a million seabirds yearly as well as 100,000 marine mammals” (Charles Moore, marine pollution researcher, Algalita Marine Research Foundation, California)

Firms stop sales of hard plastic baby bottles
“Bending to growing public and legal pressure that began in San Francisco, California, 6 major companies have agreed to stop selling hard plastic (polycarbonate) baby bottles containing bisphenol A, an industrial chemical suspected of harming human development. Philips, who make Avent bottles made the decision to stop shipping polycarbonate bottles to retailers in the US because the company values its relationship with its customers and there is a “current confusion about the use of bisphenol A in infant feeding products” said Shannon Jenest, a spokesperson for Avent. The company will continue to sell polycarbonate baby bottles elsewhere in the world she said. Nalgene, a leader in sales of portable drinking water bottles, discontinued its polycarbonate lines last year” (Jane Kay Environment writer San Francisco Chronicle March 6 2009)

(bisphenol A mimics hormonal activity of estrogen and can alter the normal working of genes. It is able to cause cancer at concentrations as low as 0.1 parts per billion. It was originally produced as a synthetic estrogen. Avent baby bottles made by the Philips group are still imported and sold in Australia. (What about our Australian babies? Don Matthews)

Plastics on the run in San Francisco, the nation’s antipetroleum capital
“The more you learn about plastics the more scary and disgusting they clearly become. I am passionately opposed to seeing more people plasticized and killed or deformed. Their children may take the brunt of this needless and ubiquitous exposure to powerful little-understood poisons, so it is not as if plastics are a fine and dandy choice according to ones whims and consumer code” (Jan Lundberg Culture Change March 2007)

Plastics industry conspiracy
There has been a plastics industry conspiracy to keep the health consequences quiet. “The PVC industry has known about the carcinogenicity of VCM (a component of polyvinyl chloride) since about 1970” (Paul Goetllich “PVC: a health hazard from production through disposal”)


THIS IS ONLY THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG. UNDERNEATH ALL THIS ARE THE CORRUPT AND SELFISH PETROCHEMICAL COMPANIES WHO ARE EXPLOITING US FOR PROFIT AND TO HELL WITH THE ENVIRONMENT AND THE DAMAGE THEY CAUSE TO HUMAN AND ANIMAL LfFE


Don Matthews has an honours degree in organic chemistry (the chemistry behind plastics) and was about to enter the plastics industry but fortunately got sidetracked into chemistry education and ended up developing and administering individualised self-paced learning courses for senior chemistry in TAFE. He has done a complete turnabout on plastics, realised the error of his ways and overnight has turned into an activist and declared all-out war on plastics in his fair country. Two campaigns South Australians Against Plastic and the overall Australian Campaign Against Plastic (http://australiancampaignagainstplastic.blogspot.com) are under construction and being prepared for launch from his Adelaide-based studio. The Great Australian Polytank Debate campaign is already alive and kicking (http://thegreataustralianpolytankdebate.blogspot.com/). Don has teamed up with leading American activist and ‘partner in crime’ Jan Lundberg. Reports coming out of Don’s heavily-bunkered studio in a secret Adelaide location say he is in a ‘war conference’ and gathering comrades-in-arms from around the globe. We wait with baited breath for the first rockets to be launched. Test firings have already been conducted across Australia suggesting don is fine-tuning his arsonel of weaponry unheard of, whatever that means?

Jan Lundberg is America’s leading activist and campaigner against plastic and society’s dependence on petroleum. He is an ex oil analyst and advised the oil industry and US government on oil policies. Jan and Don are tarred with the same brush so it will be interesting to see what comes out of Don’s studio in sunny Adelaide. Stay tuned Australia.

Charles Moore is a marine plastic pollution researcher who brought to the world’s attention in 2008 the sea of garbage floating in the North Pacific gyre. He established the Algalita Marine Research Foundation in California and is continuing research in this area.

Australian Campaign Against Plastic (ACAP)
Australian Poly Tank Concerned Individuals Group (APTCIG)