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By choosing HP you can help break down the plastic beast.

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DRAG
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01 Eyes
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02 Mouth
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03 Brain
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04 Legs
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05 Skin
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06 Stomach
01 Eyes 1 of 6
The beast can target even the smallest ocean creature. The beast attacks small ocean creatures by breaking down into nanoparticles1. Don’t let the word ‘nano’ fool you, these tiny particles pose a massive threat to the entire food-chain. Nanoparticles can pass through biological barriers like skin, accumulate in organs and even affect the behaviour of organisms1. In fact, one study found that the penetration of nanoplastic resulted in fish eating and swimming slower, making them extremely vulnerable to predators1. 1 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. 2018. Brain damage and behavioural disorders in fish induced by plastic nanoparticles delivered through the food chain. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5597631/. [Accessed 12 September 2018].
fish eating plastic
02 Mouth 2 of 6
The beast's sharp teeth inflict a slow and tragic death. When our marine life die from plastic, it is sadly never quick nor painless. Once the beast’s teeth are locked in, entanglement is often followed by deep wounds, infection and even starvation2 across a huge spectrum of ocean life. In one case, a sei whale had a stomach injury inflicted by a broken piece of a DVD case3. Its tragic death was both drawn out and agonising. Sadly, this is a common tale for many of our beautiful marine life. 2 SpringerLink. 2018. Deleterious Effects of Litter on Marine Life | SpringerLink. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-16510-3_4. [Accessed 12 September 2018].
3 National Geographic News. 2018. How a DVD Case Killed a Whale. https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2015/01/150107-sea-trash-whales-dolphins-marine-mammals/. [Accessed 12 September 2018].
turtle eating plastic
03 Brain 3 of 6
The beast can outsmart even the most intelligent marine life. Dolphins can harness echolocation. Sharks never sleep. Lobsters can live forever. However, our marine life are yet to develop defence mechanisms against plastic. This has meant they often mistake it for food4. In the last 20 years, the number of species who had either been entangled or have ingested plastic has doubled5 and will continue to grow, unless we work together to help break down the beast. 4 BMC Ecology. 2018. Mistaken identity? Visual similarities of marine debris to natural prey items of sea turtles | BMC Ecology | Full Text. https://bmcecol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1472-6785-14-14. [Accessed 12 September 2018].
5 SpringerLink. 2018. Deleterious Effects of Litter on Marine Life | SpringerLink. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-16510-3_4. [Accessed 12 September 2018].
sealion eating plastic
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The beast is always on the move. The beast’s journey through the ocean is both erratic and unpredictable. Buoyant plastic is moved by currents and winds, and by degrading down into tiny pieces that travel far and wide6. In some areas of the ocean, where currents flow in a circular motion, mass amounts of plastic waste are deposited. The largest of these areas has been coined the Great Pacific Garbage Patch which encompasses an astonishing area of 1.6 million km of plastic waste7. 6 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. 2018. Evidence that the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is rapidly accumulating plastic. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5864935/. [Accessed 12 September 2018].
7 Scientific Reports. 2018. Evidence that the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is rapidly accumulating plastic | Scientific Reports. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-22939-w. [Accessed 12 September 2018].
ocean filled with plastic
05 Skin 5 of 6
With a virtually indestructible exterior, the beast lives for thousands of years. Now that the beast has entered our ocean, it may take years to break down. With incredible durability, plastic has an estimated lifespan from anywhere to hundreds to thousands of years8. That’s greater than any living organism in our ocean. Worse still, prolonged exposure to sunlight can cause photo-degradation of plastics9. This creates microplastic and nanoplastic 1 which poses a serious threat across the entire marine ecosystem. 1 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. 2018. Brain damage and behavioural disorders in fish induced by plastic nanoparticles delivered through the food chain. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5597631/. [Accessed 12 September 2018].
8 International policies to reduce plastic marine pollution from single-use plastics (plastic bags and microbeads): A review - ScienceDirect. 2018. International policies to reduce plastic marine pollution from single-use plastics (plastic bags and microbeads): A review - ScienceDirect. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X17301650. [Accessed 12 September 2018].
9 Microplastics as contaminants in the marine environment: A review - ScienceDirect. 2018. Microplastics as contaminants in the marine environment: A review - ScienceDirect. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X11005133. [Accessed 12 September 2018].
bird stuck in plastic
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The beast’s appetite has no end. An estimated 100,000 marine life are wiped out every year by plastic10, but it doesn’t stop there. 90% of seabirds ingest this deadly debris with 100% estimated to consume plastic by 205011. And with reports now revealing that 10% of all plastic produced annually12, is ending up in our ocean, the problem is just getting bigger and bigger. 10 Facts and figures on marine pollution | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. 2018. Facts and figures on marine pollution | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. http://www.unesco.org/new/en/natural-sciences/ioc-oceans/focus-areas/rio-20-ocean/blueprint-for-the-future-we-want/marine-pollution/facts-and-figures-on-marine-pollution/. [Accessed 12 September 2018].
11 National Geographic News. 2018. Nearly Every Seabird on Earth Is Eating Plastic. https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/09/15092-plastic-seabirds-albatross-australia/. [Accessed 12 September 2018].
12 Scientific Reports. 2018. Brain damage and behavioural disorders in fish induced by plastic nanoparticles delivered through the food chain | Scientific Reports. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-10813-0. [Accessed 12 September 2018].
bird eating plastic
8.3 million plastic bottles recycled into ink and toner cartridges, and counting.

Through a closed-loop recycling process we create ink and toner cartridges using recycled plastics which could have otherwise ended up in our ocean. In Australia our cartridges can be recycled at no cost with the Cartridges 4 Planet Ark program. By choosing HP you help support us and our network of partners in building a better circular economy.

hp ink cartridge

Meet the beast

The beast is a representation of Australia’s scary and fast growing plastic problem, and the scale of waste HP and partners break down frequently. Made from 2,400 recycled plastic bottles, the beast weighs 200kg and stands a towering 4 meters high.

plastic beast
plastic beast

The beast made an appearance at both Sydney's Circular Quay and the Australian National Maritime Museum where it had a monster impact on over 17,000 people who visited the installation.

At the end of the beast’s life it will be broken down with 100% of the materials being recycled, closing the loop on this eye-opening activation.

By continuing to choose HP, you can help break down the thousands of other beasts that still lurk in our oceans.

Make the switch

HP cartridges are designed with the planet in mind. By choosing an HP printer and recycling your Original HP Ink and Toner cartridges, you can help reduce your footprint on the planet, without compromising on quality.

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dolphin

Our Partners

HP is a founding member of Cartridges 4 Planet Ark , an innovative recycling program that provides Australians with a free, easy and environmentally-accredited way to recycle their used HP ink and toner cartridges. Together we’ve recycled over 10 million cartridges in Australia alone.

As part of building a strong circular economy, HP partners with Close the Loop, together recovering materials for incorporation into our closed loop materials stream where HP ink and toner cartridges are broken down and turned into road surfaces, pens and other useful products.

How you can help break down the beast

Recycle your used cartridges here