So, Who Puts the Plastic in the Sea?

It’s a sad fact. Plastic waste in the oceans is killing wildlife – in vast numbers.  To say it’s not eco-friendly is an understatement.

So, where does all this waste come from?  Is it from people littering?

Yes, especially litter on beaches because it generally gets washed straight out to sea.

But there are other causes – here are the main ones:

• Commercial fishing – lost or abandoned nets, and also food wrappers and assorted litter – very few commercial fishing boats bring their detritus home with them – they leave their waste and plastic in the sea.
• Personal / private fishers – tangled fishing line, snagged lures, plastic packaging from fishing gear, sometimes a pile of garbage from their overnight stay.  These are dumped in lakes and rivers which eventually make their way to the sea.
• Passenger cruise ships – a typical 3,000-passenger ship produces over eight tons of solid waste per week, much of which is dumped into the sea.  Some of it is organic, but there’s plenty of plastic in there too.
• The world’s navies make a significant contribution, throwing literally thousands of plastic containers overboard every day, along with their other litter (although some navies are changing their ways). Navies put as LOT of plastic in the sea.

Is it only water-based activities that contribute so massively to this huge amount of plastic rubbish in our oceans?  Definitely not.

Many scientists and observers believe that up to 80 % of plastic in the sea was initially discarded on land.   There is considerable debate on this figure, and indeed it is difficult to prove conclusively either way.  (The garbage doesn’t always have ID tags!). What does seem certain, however, is that a large percentage of our ocean’s waste comes from the land.

How?

• The wind blows plastic rubbish out of littered streets and landfills, and out of lorries and trains on their way to landfills.  It gets into rivers, streams and storm drains and then rides the tides and currents out to sea.
• Run-off from fertilizers and pesticides ends up in the ocean, as do micro-pellets from abrasive cleaners.
• Land-based floods and storms wash debris such as broken houses into the sea.  And heavily polluted rivers exit into the oceans too.

So, where do YOU come into all of this?

If you don’t litter, and if you’re not a commercial fisher, or a member of a navy, you’re not contributing directly to the problem.

But, there wouldn’t be so much plastic produced if we, the consumers, didn’t demand it (manufacturers don’t produce things they can’t sell).

• When we buy products and food from overseas, they come to us via ships or planes. Those ships and planes need to dispose of their rubbish.
• By buying disposable goods instead of re-usable, and by buying the latest gadgets and clothes all the time, we’re creating demand for more “stuff” to be manufactured, and so there’s more waste. And more plastic in the sea.
• Plus the chances are pretty high that you’re contributing plastic waste to landfill.  I do. Yes, I minimise my plastic use, and try to recycle what I have, but not all plastic waste is recycle-able.

My plastic waste sits in a landfill – if it hasn’t been blown away by the wind on its way there – and doesn’t degrade.  Same with yours.

As individuals, we can’t stop people littering, nor can we stop navies putting plastic in the sea. But we can certainly Reduce our demand for stuff, and for items in plastic packaging. It’s supply and demand.

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Related:  An interesting Video  Also: Can we survive without plastic?  And a fun video with actor Jeremy Irons

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