【rÅ«mÄ« and the hermeneutics of eroticism】

Plastic bags,rūmī and the hermeneutics of eroticism straws, bottles, and toys clutter the world's oceans, from the depths of the Mariana Trench up to the frigid North Pole.

For most land dwellers, it's an invisible problem. We do our best to recycle, or use canvas shopping totes, then largely forget about the enormous piles of plastic garbage smothering the sea.

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

SEE ALSO: A 'conveyor belt' of plastic is polluting the Arctic Ocean

Environmental groups are devising creative ways to capture our attention, from video games to strawless restaurant campaigns.

We Are the Oceans' interactive game, launched this week, lets you "collect" pounds of virtual plastics. Play it here, or try it below on desktop:

The game stars a vaquita, a small porpoise from Mexico on the edge of extinction. Only about 30 vaquitas remain, making it the world's most rare marine mammal. After playing, users are encouraged to sign a pledge to commit to using less plastic in the real world.

"The Big Catch," empowered by Playmob and supported by the United Nations, is the first in a series of initiatives designed to change consumer behaviors.

"One of [our] goals is to show people the interconnectedness of the oceans with our everyday lives, and how the smallest lifestyle change can make a lasting impact towards protecting the future of our people and planet," Daisy Kendrick, founder and CEO of We Are The Oceans, said in a statement.

An estimated 19.4 billion pounds of plastic wind up in the ocean each year, a 2015 study found. The garbage is a choking hazard for birds and marine wildlife. It also spreads toxic chemicals up the food chain, from microscopic plankton all the way to humans.

Los Angeles kids, teachers, and volunteers form a massive shark to "Defend the Sea" from plastic. Credit: Lou Dematteis/Spectral Q via Getty Images

A separate anti-pollution project is focused on one plastic perpetrator in particular: drinking straws.

Strawless Ocean, an effort by the Lonely Whale Foundation, works with restaurants and coffee shops to help them ditch plastic straws and swap in paper substitutes. In the U.S. alone, Americans use around 500 million plastic straws every day, which, in worst-case scenarios, can end up lodged in the noses of turtles.

At Freehold, a hybrid work space-bar-venue in Brooklyn's Williamsburg neighborhood, plastic straws are nowhere in sight. If patrons want something to slurp with, they can request paper straws, which are made by the startup Aardvark — and, fortunately, don't immediately turn to mush.

Via Giphy

Brice Jones, a co-owner of Freehold, said the bar previously ran through 1.5 million plastic straws a year. Now, he expects to use about 700,000 paper straws a year, though it will cost an extra $3,000.

"We wanted to be at the forefront" of the strawless movement, he said from the bar on a recent afternoon. "We want to show other restauranteurs how to make it work."

Jones said Freehold is also looking at composting its food waste and recycling other plastic products. Emy Kane of Lonely Whale said going strawless could hopefully act as a "gateway" for reducing other types of plastics that wind up in the ocean.

Such efforts can't come soon enough.

Scientists recently discovered that fragments of plastic waste are even showing up regions as remote as the Arctic Circle.

---

Featured Video For You

---

Scientists have created edible water orbs that can help replace plastic bottles

---

• Life
• Entertainment
• Shopping
• Deals
• Digital Culture
• Social Good
• Science
• Tech

• VidCon 2025: Creators share their mistakes and lessons learned
• Does 'Sinners' have an end credits scene?
• Best coffee deal: Buy one, get 50% off select Starbucks coffee at Target
• Apple AirPods Pro 2 deal: Save $60 at the Best Buy Spring Sale
• Cibao FC vs. Guadalajara 2025 livestream: Watch Concacaf Champions Cup for free
• Asus VivoWatch 6 AERO measures blood pressure and ECG
• Best robot vacuum deal: Eufy Omni C20 robot vacuum and mop $300 off at Amazon
• Best Max deals and bundles: Best streaming deals in April 2025
• E3 2017 Trailer Roundup: Upcoming PC Games
• Grok now has a memory

• Stellar pregnancy announcement features a dog wearing glasses
• Bride perfectly trolls her groom in a ridiculous T
• Google Pixel 2 might make you ditch your real camera once and for all
• Facebook just hired a big shot to run its virtual reality division
• Yes, Kim Kardashian really did pierce her nails
• NYT Connections hints and answers for June 23: Tips to solve 'Connections' #743.
• This bag of chips can sense if you've been drinking and call you an Uber
• You can now point your phone at Japanese text and get an instant translation
• Teenage innovators are improving the bathroom selfie, one random object at a time
• Great white shark gracefully photobombs 10

• Many Indigenous communities still lack broadband internet. Here's why.
• NYT Connections Sports Edition hints and answers for April 17: Tips to solve Connections #206
• Android phones will now automatically reboot every 3 days
• Best Sony deal: Save $51.99 on Sony ULT WEAR headphones at Amazon
• Packers vs. Eagles 2025: How to watch NFL online
• Best gift card deal: Save 15% on a $100 Instacart gift card
• '28 Years Later' trailer is so intense you'll need a headache tablet
• Best OLED TV deal: Take $200 off the 2025 LG C5 at Best Buy
• Early Prime Day deals on self
• 'Mario Kart World' Nintendo Direct: 3 takeaways

• Best Amazon deal: Save 20% on floral and botanical Lego sets
• Best Sony deal: Sony’s WF
• Best TV deal: Save $30 on Amazon Fire TV 2
• Best free online courses from Harvard University
• Trump praises storm response as historic disaster unfolds in Houston
• 'Mario Kart World' Nintendo Direct: 3 takeaways
• '28 Years Later' trailer is so intense you'll need a headache tablet
• NYT mini crossword answers for April 17, 2025
• Packers vs. Eagles 2025: How to watch NFL online
• NYT Connections Sports Edition hints and answers for April 17: Tips to solve Connections #206