It’ s coming soon, most probably on August 2016. Jeremy Rowsell, a British pilot, will fly more than 3,000 miles from San Francisco to Alaska in the pioneering ‘On Wings of Waste‘ flight, which will use recycled plastic waste as aviation fuel.
According Edie.net, Rowsell was inspired to embark on the project after seeing devastating plastic pollution while flying over the Pacific Ocean, and the adventurer now aims to use the innovative journey as an awareness-raising tool to fight the problems of plastic waste and climate change. “The purpose of this journey is to showcase the potential of this revolutionary invention, by doing something that has never been done before,” Rowsell said. “I had heard of the pacific garbage patch, but until I stepped foot on the islands myself, I didn’t realise how big the issue was. I believe that the problem can be resolved within a generation by changing attitudes and giving plastic value rather than treating it in a disposable fashion.Plastic-to-oil technology is one of these solutions. The fuel itself is also more efficient and cleaner, and can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 70%.” You can contribute to Rowsell’s croudfunding campaign at Indiegogo.
Although it is still early enough to see if the effort will be successful and if it will generate something beyond awareness, such efforts highlight the importance of bold thinking and the potential of technologies to resolve, at least partially, the huge problems that are created by the continuously expanded use of plastics. A recent Mc Arthur Foundation report has revealed that in 2050 oceans will contain more plastics than fishes and that applying circular economy principles to plastic packaging could save up to $120bn for the global economy. Let’s hope that the scientific evidence already available and much more the one that will soon arrive will change our perception for the plastics and they will create innovation waves that will reshape recycling and waste management