We’ve all been there, trying to enjoy the summer, running into the sea, something touches your leg, is it seaweed, no? Eww! Its plastic.
In all seriousness, the plight of plastic waste across our beaches is catastrophic for our marine environments, as well as our health. The effects of microplastics in particular being increasingly studied by scientists and found to have adverse effects for not only the environment but also human health. One recent study researched how microplastics work their way through the food chain: ‘Fishery products are an important source of microplastics in the human diet. Once ingested, microplastics reach the gastrointestinal tract and can be absorbed causing oxidative stress, cytotoxicity, and translocation to other tissues.’[1]
Plastic waste can get into our water in a multitude of ways: littering, wastewater, runoff and maritime activities. A lot of this is from industrial action, of particular concern is a type of microplastic called nurdles, small plastic beads that a melted down to make larger plastic items.
We talked to Claire Trotman from the Marine Conservation society who says ‘The number of [plastic] items is over 100 for a 100 metre stretch of beach.’ According to the Marine Conservation Society: 11 million tonnes of plastics enter our ocean every year and 1.5 million tonnes of that is made up of microplastics, and this number is still rising. But there is still good news on the horizon, there’s been a 55% drop in plastic bags on UK beaches since the 5p charge was introduced in 2011.
Technologies can help, the non-profit The Ocean CleanUp has been developing ‘Interceptor’ technologies to prevent plastic waste from rivers reaching the sea. Closer to home, the Marine Conservation Society says that simply adding washing machine filters can help reduce the amount of plastic microfibers into wastewater by up to 90%. Claire herself expresses the importance of simple beach cleans for removing plastic ‘They remove unsightly litter, but also importantly prevents plastic getting in the ocean where it causes damage to marine wildlife.’
Image By The Ocean CleanUp: One of the Interceptors at work in Bangkok, Thailand
We asked ‘Action Nan’ Aka Pat Smith founder of Final Straw Cornwall, beach clean connoisseur, and activist for her number one piece of advice ‘Join a local beach clean or litter pick group! They are posted @cleancornwall.org … Get out there and do something about it!’ Part of her reasoning is distinctly Cornish ‘There is no doubt that being lucky enough to live close to the sea has a profound influence on me.’ But even living away from the coast there’s still plenty you can do: Marine Conservation Society recommends keeping a tally of all the single-use plastics you throw away over a week and cutting down on that waste in the future. You can replace things like produce bags or clingfilm with reusable alternatives like food wraps or paper bags. ‘Giving up plastic straws is the easy first rung on the ladder’ Says Action Nan.
‘I do get overwhelmed by things such as the beaches in Bali but I live in hope!’ Us too Pat, us too.
[1] Alberghini, Leonardo, et al. “Microplastics in Fish and Fishery Products and Risks for Human Health: A Review.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 20, no. 1, 31 Dec. 2022, p. 789, https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20010789.
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