SoHo museum examines impact of plastics on oceans

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NY) - Increasingly, people across the globe are becoming more and more aware of society’s reliance on plastics and their environmental impact.

That environmental impact is being highlighted at the Museum of Plastic, a week-long pop-up in SoHo which opens next week. 

The museum is run by the non-profit group Lonely Whale, which was behind the “Stop Sucking” campaign against plastic straws. Now, they’re turning their focus to plastic water bottles. 

“We use 500 billion single-use plastic bottles every single year, and less than 30 percent of those are recycled,” said Dune Ives, Executive Director of Lonely Whale.

The museum features plastic alternatives, artwork showcasing the money behind the bottled water industry and a video projection of what the ocean will look like in 2050 if changes are not made.

The museum also shows what a plastic-free ocean could look like.

“When we take steps necessary to be a solution, we can have an ocean free from plastic pollution. That’s what we want people to experience here,” Ives said.

The exhibit is open to the public June 8-12 in SoHo.