Japan collects some 30,000 to 50,000 tons of marine plastics from its coastlines each year, while an estimated 150 million tons of polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, poly-this, and poly-that swirl almost infinitely around this big blue planet at the moment.
It’s difficult to fathom how, as figures suggest, Japan’s waters could carry 27 times the global average concentration of microplastics, but before anyone goes wavering denunciatory digits at any one nation-state, consider that Japan is an island surrounded by no shortage of neighbors with similar blood on their hands. At the epicenter of Japan’s marine-plastic pandemic is Cape Hado in Saga Prefecture, on Kyushu Island, not 200 miles from South Korea’s southern city of Busan, where the East China Sea, the Yellow Sea, and the Sea of Japan all converge.
And to that end, for goodness’ sake, at least Japan is collectively doing something about it.
The World Ocean Plastic Planning Center, or “PlaPla,” asserts that it is “the world’s first exhibition and experiential facility dedicated to educating the public about all aspects of marine plastic pollution, from research to collection and recycling,” writes Time Out Osaka with its cap doffed.
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The facility—and presumably the clean-up project—is a collaboration between the Saga Prefecture Museum, Japanese marine plastic researchers (at large), anonymous local stakeholders, and Japanese architectural firm Semba Corporation.
PlaPla’s exhibit features an interactive digital screen, an LED visualizer of global ocean currents, a documentary showcasing solution efforts from within and without Japan, and sundry wayward fishing gear including nets and floats as well as other marine plastics collected from Saga Prefecture’s shorelines offer pops of color throughout as upcycled art. The latter may be nothing new to the art world, admittedly, but a tried and true way to engage the bleeding hearts of the public, which of course captivates visitors long enough so that they may be presented with and hopefully inspired by what are termed “actionable solutions.”
Marine-plastic upcycling possibilities are endless: Sunglasses, skateboard wheels, Hyundai carpeting, footwear, and so on, have all been made from plastics predominantly retrieved from waterways and coastlines.
What’s more? Admission is free. Plastic, virgin or otherwise, contains multitudes. Per chance to dream.
Related: 110 Million Pounds Of Plastics Collected From World’s Oceans
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