PLASTICS
WHY WE NEED TO PAY ATTENTION! Plastic Pollution Working Group
As you may be aware last year, in conjunction with the EA, the Association formed a Plastic Pollution Working Group that evolved a response plan to plastic pollution and marine debris on the coastline and inland waters that was trialled successfully and is now deployable. The response plan was designed to respond to marine litter on different types of shorelines using debris recovery techniques ranging from vacuum recovery to mechanical or manual collection. These incidents are generally small in quantity often <500kg but their impact can be considerable. Strandline spread can be over several miles of coastline. It is important to recover it quickly before the opportunity to do so is lost as the impact of plastic in the marine environment is well understood. Responders can be reached through www.isasaccreditation.org and are based nationwide and will have a shoreline module as part of that MCA Oil Spill Response certification or will be able to apply for accreditation module Category 9 Shoreline Plastic Pollution and Marine Debris Recovery through ISAS. Our initial work highlighted that we could respond well. However it was clear that there is much more that needs to be done. During this period the MV X-Press Pearl fire and complete loss of the vessel and its containers occurred in Sri Lanka. Several containers including plastic nurdles within them. As one journalist wrote – one container millions of problems. From this incident so much learning has resulted, not least the impact that
Early stage trials of trommels and suction equipment May 2021 (PPWG) such significant uncontrolled loss of nurdles can cause. We have covered the lost of the MV X-Press Pearl in the last two issues of Spill Alert and there is more in this issue.
every day for a year or A football stadium filled with plastic every day.
So why must plastic be raised as a major issue. Today, there is no place on Earth immune to this problem. A majority of the litter and debris that covers our beaches comes from storm drains and sewers, as well as from shorelines and recreational activities such as picnicking and beachgoing. Abandoned or discarded fishing gear is also a major problem because this trash can entangle, injure, maim, and drown marine wildlife and damage property It is a large and growing problem. Estimated as 23 million metric tons of plastic waste per year – which excludes ocean and disaster debris.
Just one of so many ‘garbage patches’ that surround our coast but are a whole different sacle in size on the ocean (Photo 96616710 / Garbage © Ethan Daniels | Dreamstime.com) The issue is the rising tonnage of plastic in the seas. The growth of plastic production is outpacing the world’s ability to keep up with collecting it.
But….. National Geographic forecast 22 growing to 58 million tons of plastic waste per year – BUT this INCLUDES commitments from governments and industry……..and we know just how reliable they are to be fulfilled. If we do not change behaviour and if pledges made by governments are not honoured then 99 million tons of uncontrolled plastic waste would end up in the environment by 2030. Members of ITOPF on site in Sri Lanka sampling on an beach impacted by the loss of nurdles from MV X-Press Pearl (ITOPF)
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To visualize this: A rubbish truck tipping a load of plastic into the ocean every minute
Thousands of plastic bottles clogging up seaside locations, along with cans, glass and crisp packets, with 3,298 pieces picked up for every kilometre cleaned, though this is falling due to NGO action and beach clean ups the source is growing! (Photo 113339782 / Beach Garbage © Hanohiki | Dreamstime.com)
