"A Black Hole (Of Non-Recyclable Plastic)" by Stacie Bird

Description of Work:   Medium and Materials Used: Trays, take-out containers and other non-recyclable black plasticwareOther: epoxy, hanging wire, nut/bolt, spray paint Dimensions: 20 x 20 Artist Statement:  Black plastic makes up 15% of all plastic recyclables (largely single-use food containers). The vast majority is not recycled because the technology used by recycling facilities to sort plastics cannot “see” the color black. These facilities use an infrared light to sort the plastics by color and as carbon black absorbs infrared light, they do not get sorted for recycling. As a result of this failure, most black plastic items end up in our landfills, incinerators, or littered in our environment after just a single use. Black plastics are also more likely to contain unregulated amounts of toxic chemicals including heavy metals and flame retardants which can leach into food and pose a hazard to human health.  Although existing safety regulations limit the amounts of these che