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MARINE POLLUTION AWARENESS
Source: Algalita
Only humans make products that nature can't digest
Marine litter is a global concern, affecting all the oceans of the world. Every year, millions and millions of tons of litter end up in the ocean world wide, turning it into the world's biggest landfill and thus posing environmental, economic, health and aesthetic problems.
Sadly, the persistence of marine litter is the result from poor practices of solid waste management, lack of infrastructure and a lack of awareness of the public at large about the consequences of their actions.
The aim is that properties and quantities of marine litter do not cause harm to the coastal and marine environment.
Sources and pressures
Main sources of marine litter come from
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The European Framework
Environment is a key component of the Integrated Maritime Policy (IMP) and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), adopted in 2008.
The main goal of the MSFD is to achieve "Good Environmental Status" (GES) of all marine waters of the European Union by 2020: The decision under Article 9 (3) MSFD on criteria of good environmental status addresses marine litter in descriptor 10 and aims at achieving that "Properties and quantities of marine litter do not cause harm to the coastal and marine environment".
The success of the MSFD depends largely on the effective integration of marine environmental concerns in EU legislation and policies. The MSFD aims to achieve this by providing a long-term policy view of the seas and enhanced cooperation in marine regions and internationally.
Marine Litter High-Level Preparatory Meeting - Stakeholders to tackle solutions for marine litter
The Environment Directorate General of the European Commission organised stakeholder meetings on 22 September 2011 and 30 November 2011 to explore common solutions to the problem of marine litter. The meeting with interested parties follows a speech of Environment Commissioner Janez Potočnik on the protection of the Mediterranean, in which he called for partnerships with all stakeholders, starting with industry, to further investigate what can be done at European level to encourage voluntary agreements with and within industry to reduce marine litter. Participants were invited to brainstorm on stakeholder involvement in the coordination of initiatives already under development and to propose new ideas. Emphasis was put on a non-legislative approach. The summary of actions that result from the brainstorming sessions will constitute the basis for a high-level conference, due to take place in May 2012.
Meeting summary - 22 September 2011
Meeting summary - 30 November 2011 (document will follow)
Clean up the Med! Commissioner Potočnik visits Athens
Commissioners Janez Potočnik and Maria Damanaki went on a joint visit to Athens between 7 and 8 April to raise awareness about the actions of the European Commission at this stage to address marine litter. During his stay, Mr Potočnik spoke to the National Parliament and the General Assembly of the European Youth Parliament where he reiterated the increasingly serious threat marine litter poses to the marine environment. He also met with the Members of the Greek Government, several NGOs active in the field of environment and visited a waste water treatment facility.
Commission Workshop on Marine Litter (Brussels, 8 November 2010)
The presence of marine litter in our oceans is becoming a global concern that requires action. Adequate measures are needed to address the pressure of litter in the marine environment both at sea and on land whereby public awareness plays an important role.
Following an answer by environment Commissioner Janez Potočnik to Parliamentary question of Caroline Lucas and Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy (E-0825/10 and E-0104/10), the Commission organised a workshop on marine litter in Brussels on 8 November 2010.
The workshop brought together the main players in the field of marine litter, such as policy-makers, NGOs, the science community and the (plastic) industry. In a result-oriented and open discussion, we took stock of the state of the marine environment with regard to marine litter, including the so-called plastic soup, the latest scientific insights of its (potential) effects and explored possible solutions.
- Agenda
- Summary Report
- Live webrecording available here:
- Presentations (zip file ~530Mb)
- Flyer on Marine Litter - read it now!
Facts & Figures
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Marine litter can cause serious economic damage:
losses for coastal communities, tourism, shipping, fishing
Plastic litter
All the plastic that ends up in the environment will stay there forever
We like this video a lot - imaginative and with a clear message: Plastic state of mind !
Commission to analyse possible action against use of plastic bags
Austria, supported by a large number of member states, invited the Commission to analyse possible regulatory action against the use of plastic bags, given the highly negative impact on the environment of the mass of single-use plastic bags put into circulation annually within the EU (estimated at 800 000 tons; 6864/11).
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Plastic never biodegrades, but with the sunlight it splits into ever and ever smaller pieces ("photodegradation"), bits that are still plastic. The pieces get so small, that in the end they are ingested by over 180 known marine species, being mistaken for food and thus entering the food chain and ending up on your plate! Research at the University of Plymouth has shown that plastic debris is fragmenting in the environment and that microscopic pieces of common polymers (micro plastics) are now present on shorelines and in the water column throughout the North East Atlantic. Pieces as small as 2µm have been reported and the abundance of such fragments has increased significantly over the last 40 years. |
| The plastics' oil base in the fragments attracts other floating chemicals in the ocean like persistent organic pollutants (POP). The POPs concentrate on the fragments up to a million times ambient levels in sea water itself and so the plastic fragments become poison pills. |  |
The Garbage Patch - Plastic Soup
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) is a layer of rubbish in the Pacific Ocean which has been growing since the 1950s. It is the result of whirling currents, pulling trash from the world's oceans and floating between California and Hawaii. It is the world's largest landfill: according to estimates it has pulled 3.5 million tons of trash and spans 3.43 million km2, or the size of Europe. The EU has one at its frontdoor: the Atlantic Garbage Patch.
Check out how the GPGP forms here, see the map of garbage.
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Marine water samples contain 6 times more plastic than plankton, i.e. out of 7 kilo, 6 kilos of plastic vs. 1 kilo of plankton (source: Algalita) |
Plastic Beaches
Plastic Beach in Hawaii
(source: Algalita) |
As plastic breaks into ever and ever smaller pieces, these microscopic bits of plastic not only litter the beach, it is - like fine bits of sand -becoming the beach: - 5000 bits of plastic per m³ of sand on average "U.K. researchers in Plymouth and Southampton, England, found that microscopic fragments of nylon, polyester, and seven other types of plastic are widespread in sediments around British shores." (source: National Geographic) The effects of plastic bits entering the body should not be underestimated. |
Cleaning up the oceans is one option, it is however not the most efficient method in removing and preventing marine litter. You could compare it to seaming the sand in the desert and this is simply something that no county could afford. The solution is to tackle the problem at its source.
What YOU can do:
| REcycle | Don't use disposable plastics, sort your waste |
| REuse | Use canvas or re-usable grocery bags, make compost |
| REduce | Choose glass bottles (glass can be eternally, 100% recycled) |
| REfuse | Drink tap water |
| REpair | Repair your broken objects or re-design them for a second life |
| REdesign | Use products with natural ingredients |
CHANGE! The throw-away society can no longer be contained
Want to help?
Beach clean ups help by preventing litter entering the ocean. They are regularly organised, even on your holiday destination or in your neighbourhood. Want to join one? Check-in here at Ocean Conservancy.
Stakeholders / Useful links
- 5th International Marine Debris Conference (Honolulu, 20-25 March 2011)
See some life examples for yourself and check out these links:
- "What's an ocean garbage patch" (Discovery news)
- The Great Pacific Garbage Patch (Good Morning America)
Questions? Please contact us.