Where does plastic end up?
We are told that every piece of plastic that has ever been produced is still in existence, but if it never goes away where does plastic end up?
Plastics gets everywhere, but a large quantity of it ends up in the ocean and on beaches around the world.
The missing plastic problem
The amount of plastic known to be floating in the oceans doesn’t match the amount of plastic we know goes into the oceans. So where is it?
There are four possibilities:
- we may overestimate what goes into the ocean, measurements aren’t precise
- Ultraviolet light and waves may break large pieces of plastic down into microplastics which are eaten or absorbed into sediments
- Microplastics sink into deep-sea sediments. Measurements show there are many more microplastics than originally thought that exist in this way
- Plastics in the ocean may break down slower than thought and is instead washed ashore or buried in the shorelines
Source: Our World In Data
The biggest beach clean in the world
We’re sure you have seen photos in the news and on social media of beaches in other countries and the impact of plastic litter.
One man in India decided to clean up Versova beach and the transformation is amazing. As a result of his work and dedication, turtles have started breeding there again.
Look at this video from BrightVibes to see the change he has made
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch
Not all plastic gets washed up on to the beaches. There are 5 areas in the oceans of the world where plastic accumulates and this is the largest of them.
The Great Pacific Garbage patch (GPGP) covers an area of the ocean that is three times the size of France!
This article has some more information about it and a picture so you can see what the floating island of litter looks like.
There is a project to clean up the GPGP, the brainchild of Boyan Slat who saw a problem and came up with a solution. The Ocean Cleanup is now underway to remove the litter from the GPGP, with an aim to clean up 90% of ocean plastic pollution.
How does this affect me?
The issues mentioned above are nowhere close to home, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t affect you.
Did you know that in 2019, over 6800 pieces of litter were removed from the local beaches by just one person? There are many people who pick up litter locally so imagine what the total would be if everyone counted!
The local beaches are clean by comparison to other countries and even other areas in the UK. That is still a lot of rubbish and a lot of it is easily preventable.
What can I do?
Don’t leave things behind when you go to the beach
Make changes to your habits to stop using single-use plastics
Pick up at least 3 pieces of plastic “3POP” every time you go out
Support and shout about people who are making a difference
Be an ocean hero and help make a difference in the world.