Tag: plastic debris

The Ocean Cleanup, based in the Netherlands, has launched a containment boom to be tested in the North Sea. The boom, which is 100 m long, is designed, produced and delivered by DESMI.

Every year 6.4 million tons of plastic are dumped into the ocean. 100,000 marine life die each year from plastic entanglement. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a collection of marine debris in the North Pacific Ocean.

The results of European Cleanup Day 2016 in Greece, which was coordinated by HELMEPA showed that cigarette butts and plastics are at the top of the list of litter items polluting our natural environment.

Eunomia has created an infographic which brings together some of the key findings from its recent research on the sources of marine plastics and includes a new estimate of annual global emissions of primary microplastics.

The founders of Seabin Pty Ltd have developed the "Seabin" a collector of floating waste in the fight against plastic pollution at its source. The Seabin Project aims to fight against water pollution by means of innovative technologies and educational activities for businesses, communities and individuals including the children.

A new report by the World Economic Forum forecasts that there would be more plastic than fish in the oceans by 2050. Entitled "The New Plastics Economy: Rethinking the future of plastics," the report contains statistics about the amount of plastic polluting the ocean.

 Ocean Conservancy recently released a study that notes that five countries - China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand - account for nearly three-fifths of the estimated annual input of plastic into the global ocean, due to these nations' inadequate waste disposal and collection systems.The study concludes that by implementing fundamental waste management systems in the five nations, the amount of plastic entering the global ocean could be cut by 45%. At a glanceAt least 80 percent of ocean plastic comes from land-based sources, but the actual number is probably much higher.Three-fourths of land-sourced ocean plastic comes from uncollected waste or litter, while the remainder comes from gaps in the collection system itself.Low-residual-value plastic waste is more likely to leak than high-value plastic.Collected and uncollected plastic waste enters the ocean from five physical locationsImported end-of-life plastic contributes to the waste stream in China but is not a significant contributor in the Philippines.Treat waste by using gasification or incineration with energy recoveryIn the short term (by 2020), improving collection infrastructure and plugging postcollection gaps reduce annual leakage by nearly 50 percent.In the medium term (by 2025), the development of commercially viable waste treatment can reduce annual leakage by an additional 16 percent, ...

Unveiling of The Vortex Project, an unprecedented partner campaign to clean the oceans of plastic debris and transform it into fashion, and its first collaboration, G-Star's RAW for the Oceans,' a long-term partnership between denim brand G-Star RAW and Bionic Yarn to turn ocean plastic into denim

A team of researchers from Plymouth University and the University of Exeter in the UK published last week a research on microplastic entitled as ''Mircoplastic Moves Pollutants and Additives to Worms Reducing Functions Linked to Health and Biodiversity'' . The research reveals that microplastics may transfer toxins such as those that make up flame retardants into the guts of lugworms.

Experts review the growing problems caused by micro-plastics International experts have met in London to review the growing problems in the marine environment caused by micro-plastics - tiny pieces of plastic or fibres which may act as a pathway for persistent, bio-accumulating and toxic substances entering the food chain.The experts form a key working group (WG-40) under the Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection (GESAMP), an advisory body that advises the United Nations (UN) system on the scientific aspects of marine environmental protection. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) is the Administrative Secretariat of GESAMP, which has, to date, produced more than 85 reports, including numerous in-depth technical studies contributing to the assessment on the state of the global marine environment.The working group, which was meeting for its second session (from 23 to 25 July), completed a draft assessment report, covering the inputs of plastics and micro-plastics into the ocean, from land- and sea-based human activities; the mechanisms and rates of particle degradation and fragmentation; the processes controlling particle transport and accumulation; the interaction of micro-plastics with organisms, and potential physical and chemical impacts; and public perceptions about marine litter in general and micro-plastics in ...