A one-day Plastics Summit was held on September 25, 2017, in Tukwila WA, highlighting current knowledge of plastics, from microplastics in marine waters to plastics recycling challenges.
The goal of the Plastics Summit was to present technical, scientific, and up-to-date information about current issues, challenges and opportunities regarding plastics. The day brought together local and national scientific researchers, agency staff, industry reps, K-12 teachers, students, elected officials, and interested public in a cross-sector dialogue. The three themes of the day were Microplastics in Regional Waters, Plastics Composition/Contamination Issues, and Packaging.
The Planning Committee members were: Sego Jackson and Pat Kaufman, Seattle Public Utilities; Kris Beatty and Lisa Sepanski, King County; Alli Kingfisher, WA State Department of Ecology; Sydney Harris and Anya Savrasov, US Environmental Protection Agency; Hannah Johnson, HumanEco Design & Consulting; Marie Novak, Cascadia Consulting; Ashley Bolden, The Endocrine Disruption Exchange; and Heather Trim and Eva Dale, Zero Waste Washington.
Thank you to the sponsors of the Plastics Summit: Seattle Public Utilities, King County, Cascadia Consulting Group, the Washington State Recycling Association, and the Seattle Aquarium
Videos and PDFs of the presentations and discussions are below, or watch all the videos here.
Microplastics in Regional Waters
The Latest Global Conservation Imperative: Microplastic Pollution (keynote) – Peter Ross, Vancouver Aquarium.
PDF of PowerPoint presentation. Watch the video here
Microplastics in Salish Sea Marine Food Webs – Peter Hodum, University of Puget Sound along with Robyn Thomas and Patrick Wallin.
PDF of PowerPoint presentation. Watch the video here..
Microplastics in the Puget Sound: From 2008 to Present – Julie Masura, UW Tacoma and Center for Urban Waters.
PDF of PowerPoint presentation. Watch the video here..
Advancing Microplastic Laboratory Analysis – Andrew Spanjer, U.S. Geological Survey.
PDF of PowerPoint presentation. Video not available.
Microplastics in Regional Waters: Audience Discussion with Panel
Plastics Composition/Contamination Issues
Composting, Contamination and Collaboration – Susan Thoman, Compost Manufacturing Alliance.
PDF of PowerPoint presentation. Video not available.
Endocrine Disrupters in Plastics – Katie Pelch, The Endocrine Disruption Exchange
PDF of PowerPoint presentation. Watch the video here.
Development of Greener Plastics, Composites and Additives that Address Compostability, Recycling, and Consumer Needs – William Orts, USDA Research, Bioproducts.
PDF of PowerPoint presentation. Watch the video here.
Recycled Plastics: Additives and Applications, with a Focus Composite Decking – Karl Englund, Washington State University.
PDF of PowerPoint presentation. Watch the video here.
Preparing Plastics for Recycling – Dennis Denton, Denton Plastics, Inc.
PDF of PowerPoint presentation. Watch the video here.
Plastics Composition/Contamination: Audience Discussion with Panel
Packaging
Shaping Sustainable Packaging: Trends, Impacts and Opportunities (keynote) – Nina Goodrich, Sustainable Packaging Coalition and GreenBlue.
PDF of PowerPoint presentation. Watch the video here.
Sustainability, A Converter’s Perspective – David McLain, Printpack Inc.
PDF of PowerPoint presentation. Watch the video here.
Activities in Seattle and a Look at The New Plastics Economy Initiative – Sego Jackson, Seattle Public Utilities.
PDF of PowerPoint presentation. Watch the video here.
Packaging: Audience Discussion with Panel