--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: This plastic doesn't go away by itself…" description: "\"This plastic doesn't go away by itself, and to just let hundreds of thousands of tons of plastic be out there to be fragmented into these small and dan..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/116/boyan-slat-8602_dangerous_this-plastic-doesn-t-go-away-by-itself-a_1638261.jpg" --- # This plastic doesn't go away by itself, and to just let… ![“This plastic doesn't go away by itself, and to just let hundreds of thousands of tons of plastic be out there to be fragmented into these small and dangerous microplastics to me seems like an unacceptable scenario.” quote by Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/116/boyan-slat-8602_dangerous_this-plastic-doesn-t-go-away-by-itself-a_1638261.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/116/boyan-slat-8602_dangerous_this-plastic-doesn-t-go-away-by-itself-a_1638261.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/116/boyan-slat-8602_dangerous_this-plastic-doesn-t-go-away-by-itself-a_1638261.jpg) > “This plastic doesn't go away by itself, and to just let hundreds of thousands of tons of plastic be out there to be fragmented into these small and dangerous microplastics to me seems like an unacceptable scenario.” [Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Leaving plastic to degrade into microplastics is unacceptable; proactive removal is essential. **In simple terms:** Plastic waste must be actively removed. Key Takeaway Act to stop plastic pollution now. Themes environment pollution technology Mood urgent determined Type activist scientific When to use this quote - coastal cleanup - policy advocacy - education campaigns - product design Key Concepts sustainability innovation ecosystem health Questions to Reflect On - What actions can you take to reduce plastic waste? - How can societies support large‑scale cleanup? A Different Perspective Removing existing plastic is costly and complex. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dangerous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dangerous/) [Dangerous Microplastics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dangerous-microplastics-545145/) [Go](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/go/) [Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like/) [Microplastics Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/microplastics-like-545148/) [Plastic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plastic/) [Plastic Fragmented](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plastic-fragmented-545146/) [Small](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/small/) [Tons Plastic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tons-plastic-545147/) ## Related quotes > [We're starting with the North Pacific gyre simply because it is the largest accumulation of plastic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyan-slat/we-re-starting-with-the-north-pacific-gyre-simply-because-it-is-the/) [Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) > [Everyone said to me: 'Oh there's nothing you can do about plastic once it gets into the oceans,' and I wondered whether that was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyan-slat/everyone-said-to-me-oh-there-s-nothing-you-can-do-about-plastic-once/) [Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) > [What humans aren't good at is trying to consume less, to consume less plastic, to not be lazy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyan-slat/what-humans-aren-t-good-at-is-trying-to-consume-less-to-consume-less/) [Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) > [The worst is yet to come, because all the plastic that is already out there is going to become more hazardous if we don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyan-slat/the-worst-is-yet-to-come-because-all-the-plastic-that-is-already-out/) [Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) > [The way the clean-up system works is that we let the plastic come to us, using the ocean currents in our advantage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyan-slat/the-way-the-clean-up-system-works-is-that-we-let-the-plastic-come-to/) [Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) > [It's nice there is a cleanup system, but if it doesn't collect any plastic, it's not very useful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyan-slat/it-s-nice-there-is-a-cleanup-system-but-if-it-doesn-t-collect-any/) [Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) > [Look at climate change. That's a bigger problem than plastic, but we can't all focus on that and forget about plastic - that isn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyan-slat/look-at-climate-change-that-s-a-bigger-problem-than-plastic-but-we/) [Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) > [For 60 years man has been putting plastic into the ocean. And from that day onward we're also taking it back out again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyan-slat/for-60-years-man-has-been-putting-plastic-into-the-ocean-and-from/) [Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) > [Sometimes with people I know, they're playing the hunky action guy and there's resistance to them coming out because it's so connected to straight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cumming/sometimes-with-people-i-know-they-re-playing-the-hunky-action-guy-and/) [Alan Cumming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cumming/) > [Statuettes of drunken sailors, velvet pictures of island maidens, plastic seashell lamps made in Taiwan. What contempt the people who think up souvenirs have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-johnson/statuettes-of-drunken-sailors-velvet-pictures-of-island-maidens/) [Diane Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-johnson/) > [Star Trek' is the McDonald's of science fiction; it's fast food storytelling. Every problem is like every other problem. They all get solved in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gerrold/star-trek-is-the-mcdonald-s-of-science-fiction-it-s-fast-food/) [David Gerrold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gerrold/) > [Ugster vinyl pumps, Partridge Family records, plastic daisy jewelry, old postcards. . . . It's a magpie Christmas market.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesca-lia-block/ugster-vinyl-pumps-partridge-family-records-plastic-daisy-jewelry-old/) [Francesca Lia Block](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesca-lia-block/) > [It doesn't matter to me where Barack Obama goes. If he wants to go to Hawaii because it's his home state, fine! Hunky-dory. Plastic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/it-doesn-t-matter-to-me-where-barack-obama-goes-if-he-wants-to-go-to/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [I wouldn't want to play a normal princess who always walks around in nice dresses. I never had a connection to it when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-stewart/i-wouldn-t-want-to-play-a-normal-princess-who-always-walks-around-in/) [Kristen Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-stewart/) > [When I was 3, my parents strapped on a pair of Playskool plastic roller skates to my feet, and that's where the story begins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-celski/when-i-was-3-my-parents-strapped-on-a-pair-of-playskool-plastic/) [J. R. Celski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-celski/) ## More by Boyan Slat > [Musk is very inspiring to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyan-slat/musk-is-very-inspiring-to-me/) [Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) > [I think humanity can do more than one thing at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyan-slat/i-think-humanity-can-do-more-than-one-thing-at-the-same-time/) [Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) > [Whenever you start working on something, you have to go about it with the underlying assumption that this puzzle has a solution, right? If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyan-slat/whenever-you-start-working-on-something-you-have-to-go-about-it-with/) [Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) > [For 60 years man has been putting plastic into the ocean. And from that day onward we're also taking it back out again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyan-slat/for-60-years-man-has-been-putting-plastic-into-the-ocean-and-from/) [Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) > [We started solely concentrating on cleaning up the Garbage Patch because we felt it was the most neglected part of the spectrum of solutions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyan-slat/we-started-solely-concentrating-on-cleaning-up-the-garbage-patch/) [Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) > [We use a curtain, so we don't use a net, so there's nothing sea life can get entangled with. And also, the system moves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyan-slat/we-use-a-curtain-so-we-don-t-use-a-net-so-there-s-nothing-sea-life/) [Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) > [When ideas are confronted with reality, there will always be surprises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyan-slat/when-ideas-are-confronted-with-reality-there-will-always-be-surprises/) [Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) > [When I started there was this consensus that you could never clean this up, that the problem is way too big, the ocean is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyan-slat/when-i-started-there-was-this-consensus-that-you-could-never-clean/) [Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) > [I think people overestimate the risk of high-risk projects.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyan-slat/i-think-people-overestimate-the-risk-of-high-risk-projects/) [Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) > [The legacy, the waste, is mostly in international waters that are sort of in no man's land and thus considered to be no one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyan-slat/the-legacy-the-waste-is-mostly-in-international-waters-that-are-sort/) [Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) > [I do enjoy being at the ocean, like most people, but not so much being on the ocean.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyan-slat/i-do-enjoy-being-at-the-ocean-like-most-people-but-not-so-much-being/) [Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) > [It's important to stay humble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyan-slat/it-s-important-to-stay-humble/) [Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) > [It's never really fun to be in the public spotlight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyan-slat/it-s-never-really-fun-to-be-in-the-public-spotlight/) [Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) > [I would never be able to work on a photo-sharing app or 'Internet startup XYZ.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyan-slat/i-would-never-be-able-to-work-on-a-photo-sharing-app-or-internet/) [Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) > [Look at climate change. That's a bigger problem than plastic, but we can't all focus on that and forget about plastic - that isn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyan-slat/look-at-climate-change-that-s-a-bigger-problem-than-plastic-but-we/) [Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) [Explore all 79 Boyan Slat quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) ## More Dangerous quotes > [So the fool, as distinct from the scoundrel, is completely self- satisfied; in fact, he can easily become dangerous, as it does not take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/so-the-fool-as-distinct-from-the-scoundrel-is-completely-self/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [Every one knows that the exercise of military power is forever dangerous to civil rights; and we have had recent instances of violences that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-adams/every-one-knows-that-the-exercise-of-military-power-is-forever/) [Samuel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-adams/) > [ Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit. My three \[great teachers\] did not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/teaching-might-even-be-the-greatest-of-the-arts-since-the-medium-is/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [We're not very dangerous animals; we don't have a horn like a rhino or quills like a porcupine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/we-re-not-very-dangerous-animals-we-don-t-have-a-horn-like-a-rhino-or/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) > [“It is dangerous to lock oneself away and lose track of what is happening outside.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hardinge/it-is-dangerous-to-lock-oneself-away-and-lose-track-of-what-is/) [Frances Hardinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hardinge/) > [Its extremely dangerous to compare anyone else to Shakespeare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-spacey/its-extremely-dangerous-to-compare-anyone-else-to-shakespeare/) [Kevin Spacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-spacey/) > [In my youth-team days, I was always a left-winger who would stay close to the byline and put crosses in the box, so I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arjen-robben/in-my-youth-team-days-i-was-always-a-left-winger-who-would-stay-close/) [Arjen Robben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arjen-robben/) > [The temptations of God were always more dangerous for mankind than those of Satan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-temptations-of-god-were-always-more-dangerous-for-mankind-than/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [When you start talking about elections being rigged, you're pushing people beyond democratic governance. And it's a very, very dangerous thing to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/when-you-start-talking-about-elections-being-rigged-you-re-pushing/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [The Patriot Act is certainly a concern; all of those things are dangerous. I think more important than me preaching is that we as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-clooney/the-patriot-act-is-certainly-a-concern-all-of-those-things-are/) [George Clooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-clooney/) > [Die gefährlichste Weltanschauung ist die Weltanschauung derer, die die Welt nie angeschaut haben. (The most dangerous worldview is the worldview of those who have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-von-humboldt/die-gef-hrlichste-weltanschauung-ist-die-weltanschauung-derer-die-die/) [Alexander von Humboldt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-von-humboldt/) > [The most dangerous creature here would have to be me. So maybe I'm just scared of my own shadow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-most-dangerous-creature-here-would-have-to-be-me-so-maybe-i-m/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [The more people that learn about you, even if you're an underdog, then you can come under fire a lot and the more attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-way/the-more-people-that-learn-about-you-even-if-you-re-an-underdog-then/) [Gerard Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-way/) > [Anyone who maintains absolute standards of good and evil is dangerous. As dangerous as a maniac with a loaded revolver.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/anyone-who-maintains-absolute-standards-of-good-and-evil-is-dangerous/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [The proliferation of right-to-carry laws throughout the states has drawn plaintive complaints from the criminal element. They feel that it makes their profession too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-cooper/the-proliferation-of-right-to-carry-laws-throughout-the-states-has/) [Jeff Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-cooper/) [Browse all 6,450 Dangerous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dangerous/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "This plastic doesn't go away by itself, and to just let hundreds of thousands of tons of plastic be out there to be fragmented into these small and dangerous microplastics to me seems like an unacceptable scenario.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Boyan Slat" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyan-slat/this-plastic-doesn-t-go-away-by-itself-and-to-just-let-hundreds-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Dangerous" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyan-slat/this-plastic-doesn-t-go-away-by-itself-and-to-just-let-hundreds-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/116/boyan-slat-8602_dangerous_this-plastic-doesn-t-go-away-by-itself-a_1638261.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/116/boyan-slat-8602_dangerous_this-plastic-doesn-t-go-away-by-itself-a_1638261.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/116/boyan-slat-8602_dangerous_this-plastic-doesn-t-go-away-by-itself-a_1638261.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“This plastic doesn't go away by itself, and to just let hundreds of thousands of tons of plastic be out…” — Boyan Slat", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Boyan Slat", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "This plastic doesn't go away by...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyan-slat/this-plastic-doesn-t-go-away-by-itself-and-to-just-let-hundreds-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyan-slat/this-plastic-doesn-t-go-away-by-itself-and-to-just-let-hundreds-of/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```