The most important thing to understand is there is no such thing as "away"
when it comes to plastics.
When people say "Oh just throw it away", where precisely is "away"?
Just because it's no longer in our home, in our work place or in our car does
not mean its "away" it just means we no longer have to view on a daily basis
and its somewhere else on this planet.
Out of sight out of mind, and not our problem!
Well remember we've only had plastic since the 1950's and it is anticipated that it lasts for at least 400 years, a lot of scientists now estimate that age at more like 1000.(MCS) New Scientist) (UNEP)
Meaning it's all still here, and this amount is growing at an alarming rate.
The Plastic Plague:
written by R. Hosking
On this page I've tried my best to give you a good starter lesson/grounding
in the differing ways plastic is affecting our environment both on land and
out at sea.
I've set the information out on three levels using the amount of your time it's
going to take to watch/read as my guide. If you have more time or want more
detail just move on a level.
(If at any point you begin to wonder how you can help please scroll down and
look at the suggestions made at the bottom)
Level One:
First off for the time-poor amongst you there are two short very informative
films to watch. They are only a few minutes long, and all I hope is that before
you leave this page you can at least just take a look at the first one.
This film is only 7 minutes long it's from the Algalita Marine Research Foundation,
a fantastic organization that is a leading light in documenting plastic marine
pollution. So please, turn up the sound sit back for a moment and thank you
so much for taking the time.
If you are having trouble watching this film, log
onto the web page directly: weblink
Just to note this film was made in 2001, from studies made in 1999. In 2007 Charles Moore repeated
his manta troll studies, and found that plastic particles in his large test area
had increased five-fold in less than a decade.
His organization and other scientific marine groups through their own studies
now believe that plastic is currently increasing in the worlds oceans by roughly 100% every three years. However that increase is growing each year and the timescale to 100% is shortening. (Greenpeace Ocean Defenders) (NOAA) (Ebbesmeyer)
This film was directed, and Produced by Petica Watson in 2007.
website
Once again thank you for taking the time to watch.
Level Two:
For those of you with a bit more time on your hands. Here are some easy to understand
stats and figures, or pub facts as some people call them. Also if you wish, please click on any of the photo's. Each photo is a link to more information.
General plastic info
Plastic production uses 8% of all the world's oil production. (waste online) At the current
rate the world produces 200 million tons of plastic a year. Less the 3.5% is
recycled. (Algalita) (Greenpeace Ocean defenders)
Or in other words, 96 % of all the worlds plastic is not recycled. (Greenpace ocean defenders) (Algalita)
The world plastic production is increasing at 3.5% per year. This means every
twenty years the amount of plastic we produce doubles. (mindyfully.org) (eurotradeinfo)
The world produces over 200 million tonnes plastic annually. Around half of this is used for disposable items of packaging that are discarded within a year. This debris is accumulating in landfill and the problem is growing. (Thompson).
Excess packaging is not just bad for the environment its bad for your pocket,
In studies carried out in 2007 it has been established that excess packaging costs
the average UK family about GBP470 a year. (London.gov.uk) (BBCNews)
The UK 2.8 million tonnes of plastic waste in the UK each year, this figure is rising by 2% each year.(newport.gov.uk)
website
The dawn of the plastic era was in 1950s. This was when we first started to
use plastic for consumer goods on a mass scale. What a lot of people don't know
is plastics do not biodegrade, they photo degrade, breaking down into smaller
and smaller toxic bits contaminating soil, waterways, oceans and entering the
food web when ingested by animals. Scientists estimate each plastic item could
last in the environment anywhere between 400 to 1000 years.(New Scientist) (UNEP)
In short, think of it this way since the 1950's almost every piece of plastic
that we have ever made, used and thrown away is still here on this planet in
one form or another, whether its in our homes, in landfill or in the environment;
and it will be here for centuries to come.
Let me tell you a little about Plasticizers:
Plasticizers are a group of chemicals that are added to plastic resins during
the manufacturing process.
As a general rule plasticizers soften the final plastic product increasing its
flexibility.
However because these plasticizers are an additive and not actually part of
the plastics molecular structure its been established that traces of these chemicals
can leach out when they come into contact with a product - for example food
or drink.
It has also been established that some of these plasticizers are now known to be
carcinogens website and endocrine disruptorswebsite (epa.gov) (ecologycenter) (sciencelinks)
For more detailed look at endocrine disruptors, click here website
Take PVC for instance, which is commonly used to package foods and liquids,
ubiquitous in children's toys and teethers.
The World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer
(IARC) has recognized the chemical used to make PVC, vinyl chloride, is a known
human carcinogen.
However the European Union has only banned the use of DEHP (di-2-ethylhexyl
phthalate) in PVC, the most widely used plasticizer in PVC children's toys.
website(Environmental Research Foundation)
Other plasticizers such bisphenol A (BPA) - a known hormone disrupter that when
released into food and liquid acts like oestrogen - are still in use, but now being fazed out in the UK.
website and findings website
There are some very good papers and articles on plastic toxins here website
If this all sounds too much like heavy science and a bit boring, then please, if nothing else, watch this videolink. It's put in a way that's really simple to understand! videolink
Okay so let's focus our attention on the marine
environment.
About four-fifths of all marine litter comes from
land, swept by wind or washed by rain off highways and city streets, down streams
and rivers, and out to sea. Also some is intentionally fly-tipped off cliffs and dumped off beaches once again going into the sea.(Only 20% comes from boats, it's a common misplaced
blame to assume it's all from boats) (Algalita) (UNEP)
Nearly 90% of floating marine litter is plastic.
Since the dawn of the plastic era it is estimate that 5%
of all the world's post production plastic has entered the world's oceans.
That is just over 100 million tons of plastic. (Algalita) (Greenpeace Ocean Defenders)
In June 2006 United Nations Environmental Programme report estimated that there
are an average of
46,000 pieces of plastic debris floating on or near the surface
of every square mile of
ocean. However in the most concentrated areas this
figure was reported to be at over 1 million pieces. (UNEP)
Worldwide, at least 143 marine species are known
to have become entangled in marine debris (including almost all of the world's
species of sea turtles) and at least 177 marine species
(including 95% of all the worlds sea birds) have eaten plastic litter. (environment.gov.au 2004) (seabirds ref, Alterra/Save the North Sea/North Pacific University of Victoria BC,Canada)
Its estimated that over 10's of thousands of seabirds choke or
get tangled in plastic debris (including domestic waste and disused fishing gear) and about 100,000 seals, sea lions,
whales, dolphins, other marine mammals and sea turtles suffer the same fate,
although some scientists believe this figure to be much higher. (DNR) (Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission)
UK beaches have on average 2000 pieces of litter for every
kilometer. (MCS) However this average is only given to larger items. The number of plastic particles (small plastic pieces) on a beach in just one square foot can range from hundreds to thousands in some of the worst polluted area's. (Thompson) (Algalita)
Most importantly: People often ask, "What is the most concerning form of plastic marine debris?
Is it discarded fishing nets (ghost nets), is it plastic bags, is it six-pack rings?"
The truth is it's everything plastic in the ocean.
All plastic breaks down into particles.
It does not dissolve; it just breaks into tiny pieces and stays there.
At this size it is small enough to be ingested by every single organism in the world's oceans - animals as small as krill and salps (plankton feeders) right up to the great Blue Whale.
These particles known as oceanic microplastics are now so prolific in the oceans that they out-weigh plankton. In some large areas it is at a ratio of 30 to 1 (so 30 times more plastic than plankton) and the problem is growing fast.(Algalita) (Greenpeace Ocean Defenders) weblink
Oceanic microplastics mix with the plankton, and it's now known that a very heigh percentage of the worlds plankton feeders mistakenly inject it.(Algalita)
Scientists now nickname vast surface areas of the world's oceans as "Plastic soup". (Moore) (Ebbesmeyer)
So in short, all throwaway plastic is a real threat and causing huge damage to the marine environment, it's not just plastic bags.
At first sight, you'd be forgiven for thinking this was just a pretty
mosaic.
It's actually the stomach contents of one dead laysan albatross chick.
Note the toothbrush in the centre right of frame, this gives you an idea of the scale.(Thanks to Cynthia Vanderlip)
Click on the image and you will see what a Laysan chick looks like.
To give an example of how long plastic lasts in the ocean. In 2001 a piece of plastic found in an albatross stomach bore a serial number that was traced to a World War II seaplane shot down in 1944 (US Fish & Wildlife)
Latest Findings on the usual suspects, and hopefully by now you can see that plastic bags are just a tip of the problem....,
One thing I have personally noticed is it doesn't matter which beach in the world you walk along, when you find plastic marine debris all to often it's the same old usual suspects (objects).
The Ocean Conservancy has just published their report on debris collected on beaches around the USA.
Never before in the United States have conservationists, scientists, and policy-makers had a comprehensive and accurate assessment of the types and sources of debris that are impacting the coastal areas.
Ocean Conservancy released key findings from the National Marine Debris Monitoring Program, a five-year national study of trash in the ocean.
Ocean Conservancy's research was conducted under the direction of marine debris expert Seba Sheavly from 2001 to 2006 with the goal of setting a nationwide scientific baseline of the marine debris problem in the U.S.
The findings of the report mirror the findings of debris in European marine waters.
Plastic bags account for over ten percent of the debris found on US beaches. Plastic bottles account for 21% of all marine debris. Plastic straws are the most prolific debris item on US beaches amounting to 27.5% of all marine debris.
The Ocean Conservancy has just published their report on debris collected on beaches around the USA. The full report and sections of the report can be downloaded from: Very Useful Read!
Here is a basic table of their findings.
The Ocean Conservancy also co-ordinated International Coastal Cleanup (ICC), which involves over 70 countries worldwide in an annual litter survey and clean-up. The ICC provides a level balanced 'snapshot' of the amounts and sources of litter found on beaches around the world. Further information is available at website!
Marine plastic works much like a sponge and collects other hydrophobic chemicals
(these are chemicals that don't mix well with water) that have entered the marine
environment through use and disposal over the years. The group name for these
chemicals is POP's (persistent organic pollutants) chemicals
that take decades to breakdown, such as chlordane, PCB, DDT, and DDE
to name a few, but heavy metals such as mercury, zinc and lead are also known
to attach themselves to marine plastic. (Tokyo University) (Algalita)
So what is the big deal?
Many of these nasties ( that are used as pesticides, insecticides, fire-retardants and herbicides) have now been outright banned in
several countries including the UK because they are dangerous human health hazards, however
they are still prevalent in the marine environment.
Scientists now know that the persistent organic pollutants (POP's) that have arisen in the environment from sources can attach to the surface area of plastic in the marine environment.
website
Studies have shown that animals in the marine environment are ingesting increasing amounts of plastic. A major research priority is to establish whether, upon ingestion, these plastics might transfer chemicals to the food chain.
If this proves to be the case, we may have even more cause for concern as the process of bio-accumulation has the potential to increase the concentration of persistent pollutants along the food chain.
You may remember how the toxic effects of the pesticide DDT were so heavily felt by birds, like the peregrine falcon, at the top of the food chain. Well, it's worth noting that human beings are at the top of the marine chain.. (Thompson)
One again if all this science talk of persistent organic pollutants in the marine environment is bit much to take in, then please listen to this radio interview from Dr Roger Payne and his team.
( You only have to listen to the first 2.45 mins to get the message, but listen to the end and you'll understand more!) Radio Interview
Roger is one of the world's leading experts on whale behaviour.
His team Ocean Alliance , carried out a 5 year global study of the pollution levels in Sperm Whales.
To understand the importance of their findings the only thing you need to know, is that Sperm Whales can be found in all the world's oceans. They feed in deep open ocean. So the last place on the planet you would expect to find pollution and POP's. (Kerr, Ocean Alliance)
Lastly and by no means least lets not forget
the dear old plastic bag.
That averages out somewhere between 290-300 plastic bags used per person per year in the UK (Parliament.UK) (londoncouncils.gov.uk)
Or another way at looking at it is we could be using upto one million bags per minute.
On average we use each plastic bag for approximately 12 -20 minutes before disposing. (Depending on which study you read)
Some reports estimate that plastic bags can take over 400 years to degrade. (Parliament.NSW.gov.AU) (BBC news)
An estimated 17 billion plastic bags are given away annually by United Kingdom supermarkets-enough plastic to cover an area the size of London, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle and west Yorkshire combined. Note: this estimate don't state all retraders only supermarkets. (Parliament.UK) (London.gov.uk)
Over the period 1994 - 2006, MCS Beachwatch litter surveys have recorded
averages of between 29 - 46 bags per km surveyed. Since 1994 the average density of plastic bags found during Beachwatch has increased by 31.8% from 29.2 items/km to 38.5 items/km (MCS)
In 1995, high numbers of plastic bags (more than 70% of total litter) were reported in dredge samples from the continental shelf along the French and Spanish Atlantic Coast (Galgani et al, 1995). During a survey of floating marine debris conducted in the South East Pacific plastic bags far outnumbered other items at 47.6% of all items. (UNEP/GPA).
In the marine environment plastic bag litter is lethal, killing many species - including
sea birds, whales, dolphins, seals, seal lions and turtles every year. (Planet Ark) (NSW.GOV.AU)
Plastic bags can be mistaken for food and consumed by a wide range of marine species. Ingestion of litter such as plastic bags can cause physical damage and mechanical blockage of the oesophagus and digestive system, resulting in a false sensation of fullness or satiation, as the litter may remain in the stomach. This can lead to internal infections, starvation and death.
(MCS) (environment.gov.au) (plasticdebris.org)
These bags are a particular hazard to species such as sea turtles, toothed whales and albatross that consume jellyfish or squid, as these prey species resemble plastic bags when floating in the water column. (MSC) (UNEP) (Albatross research from DLNR 2007)
Plastic bags have been recorded as a cause of entanglement in marine animals. Entanglement can restrict movement, leading to starvation, drowning or suffocation. (MSC) (UNEP)
Once an animals dies from either entanglement or plastic ingestion, their bodies decompose and the plastic is released back into the environment where it can kill again. (MCS)(Planet Ark) (NOAA)
This image above shows the harsh reality of plastic in the marine environment.
(I'm so sorry about the blood and guts in this image, but I felt you should see this so you really get a handle on the damage we are doing!)
A Minke Whale washed up dead on the Normandy coast.
Cause of death? - The animals' stomach was full of plastic bags, and throwaway plastic packaging.
Some of the bags could be identified as coming from British high street shops.(MCS)
Notice on this page I've talked about the deaths of marine animals as estimates.
Scientists and marine vets are in agreement that it is very hard to put an exact figure on how many animals die as a result of plastic pollution as they are only able to record the animals that wash ashore or strand.
However what they do know is that beached animals make up only a tiny fraction of the animals that die out at sea. (OlryDLNR) (Brainard,NOAA) (Klavitter,USFWS)
All quite depressing and what can be done?
Well you may think like many there is not much point in banning plastic bags
in the West if developing nations continue to use them. Take heart a lot of
nations have already either completely banned them, or discouraged their use
through tax levies or made it that you have to buy them at the checkout. This
list is growing fast:
Level Three
For those of you who want to learn more and are here for the duration, I've hunted around to find you some of the best online video's for you to watch.
Message in the waves, weblink
Plastic Pollution in Our Oceans, a little slide show to test you (aimed at under
16's) weblink
Finally if your thirst for knowledge has not been quenched on this page then
please look at the links page. I've tried to find the most informative sites
for you to log onto.
I'll leave you with this sobering thought.
Anyone born before the 1940's will belong to the very last generation to remember walking a beach and not seeing plastic marine debris.
Anyone born after the 1950's and for at least the next 450 years into the future will have to put up with our generation's ever growing plastic marine pollution and the huge damage it's causing. (Moore)
Now in my humble opinion I hardly think that is fair and I want to try to help limit that damage, I really hope you agree?
How you can help, make a start straight away. First, if we are going to try to curb this pollution then we have to start with
ourselves and the way we as individuals live our day to day lives. I know you've
probably heard this all before but have a little faith and by just making the
smallest changes you can make an impact and a difference. It's the old environmental
mantra "be part of the solution, not the problem"
Take Action
This link has some useful tips and steps you can make, which are not going to
hamper your busy lives and which anyone can do where ever you are. weblink
Or
If that's not enough, and you are game then check out what those girls at the
The Women's Institute say. The WI are no longer all teacakes and coffee mornings,
they have turned radical and we love them for it. They have a fab anti-packaging
campaign.
Go the WI! website
Or
If you live near the coast and want to get hands on
You can sign up to adopt and clean a local beach with our dear friends at the
MCS (Marine Conservation Society) website
Or
While you're down on the beach why not take part in a global study.
Learn about mermaid's tears (plastic pellets) and help an international team
of scientists plot toxic ocean pollutants.
website
Or
Become a volunteer rescue worker with those great guys at the BDMLR (British
Divers Marine Life Rescue) And no you don't have to be a driver or a vet, just
someone who cares. website
Or
Get involved with those dear cheeky rascals down in Cornwall, SAS (Surfers against
Sewage) and no once again you don't need to be a Surfer nor Cornish and they
do far far more then just monitor sewage levels. website
All these guys above are brilliant in what they do.
Lastly.....
Take the plunge and make your community plastic
bag free, here are the how to's, the FAQ's and a simple guide to follow. How to Become Plastic Bag Free
The following people have checked the stats and figures on this page.
They wish to state that to the best of their knowledge the information listed on this page is correct.
(The only part that has not been checked is the list of countries that have banned/reduced their use of plastic bags. However if you would like to double check this list yourself then please feel free)
Researcher Charles Moore. Founder of the Algalita Marine Research Foundation.
Works in partnership with United Nations Environmental Program and NOAA marine debris program.
Dr Richard Thompson.
Programme Leader BSc Marine Biology, School of Biological Sciences University of Plymouth.
Dr Sue Kinsey - Head Officer of the Marine Conservation society UK Beach Watch/ Adopt a Beach programmes.
Andy Cummings BSc, - Head of marine litter team and education,
Surfers against sewage.
To finish and just before I sign off on a more cheery note, here's a funny from our dear friends across
the pond over at Heal the Bay, Santa Monica California.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this page and I leave you with
this famous Quote, that has definitely now become the Modbury motto.
"No-one made a greater mistake
than he who did nothing
because he could do so little." -Edmund Burke
Just because it's no longer in our home, in our work place or in our car does
not mean its "away" it just means we no longer have to view on a daily basis
and its somewhere else on this planet.
