Environmental Concerns
Since the late 1970s, six pack rings have been cited as a particularly dangerous form of marine litter. Marine wildlife have been found entangled in the rings and unable to free themselves, sometimes strangling to death. The instruction to cut apart the rings before disposal has been a popular one from environmentalists, promoted as a simple way that consumers can help alleviate the problem.
However, six-pack rings are a relatively minor contributor to marine litter and wildlife fatalities. Fishing gear and other plastic wastes are a larger problem. Six pack carrier rings are made to photo-degrade within 90 days of being littered—most less than 30 days. This is in accordance with the U.S. Federal regulation for testing plastic photo-degradation, which is 40 CFR Ch. I (7–1–03 Edition)PART 238.
Read more about this topic: Six Pack Rings
Famous quotes containing the word concerns:
“History in the making is a very uncertain thing. It might be better to wait till the South American republic has got through with its twenty-fifth revolution before reading much about it. When it is over, some one whose business it is, will be sure to give you in a digested form all that it concerns you to know, and save you trouble, confusion, and time. If you will follow this plan, you will be surprised to find how new and fresh your interest in what you read will become.”
—Anna C. Brackett (1836–1911)