Marine litter
The subject of
marine litter pollution repeatedly flickered through the media but so far we have not yet changed very much. Apparently there is still a need for information to change our behaviors. Per year about 6.5 million tons of trash flush into our oceans. 80 % of the
waste in the sea comes from activities on land and consists of plastic!
According
to Algalita in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, the largest and most investigated garbage patch of the world the ratio of plastic to zooplankton is
6:1,
at
concentrated
places even 60:1, tendency rising!
Plastic is such a diverse
and frequently used material that it is difficult to handle it ! There is plastic that decays very
quickly and other that takes up to 400 years (some researchers even claim more than 1000 years!) !
So-called PBTs (persistent, bioaccumulated and toxic substances) are released from synthetic plastics and are stored, attached to decomposing plastic pieces in the ocean.
The consequences for man and nature are unpredictable!
A fascinating fact :
It costs 4000 USD to recycle 1 ton of plastic bags.
The value of the products produced
is 32 USD!
So, re-use instead of throw away !
Sources of marine debris
- Slow decay of plastic - no decomposition but photodegradation
- Accidents and natural disasters
- Fishing
- Our culture of consumption
- tire wear from vehicles and aireplanes
- Disposable behavior; Single use items
- Microplastics in cosmetics
- Syntetic fibers in clothes
- Littering mentality
- Resources are too cheap - no real costs
- Planned obsolesence
Solutions
LET's CLOSE THE CYCLE
- 3R: reduce reuse recycle - Jack Johnson's Song
- 5R: + repair, repurpose
Symptom control
- Marine Cleaning: The ocean cleanup by Boyan Slat
- Beach cleanups
- Take 3, on the beach, lake or anywhere else take 3 pieces trash and you make a difference!
Long term approach
- Resource based Economy: Venus Project and Zietgeistmovement watch the movies here
- Closed material cycles: Cradle to Cradle
- Decroissance: Economic and social concept of "degrowth" - more info
A really awesome Idea is preciousplastic.com.
Machines to process plastic , homemade, can be installed anywhere, easy and simply cool, check out their homepage!
Research - Politics
COUP supports the PROYECTO MICROTROFIC - we collect data on washed-up plastic pellets both on the beach and offshore and provide it to science.
We urge both politicians and the business community to actively initiate a rethink of our common business concept for the benefit of the planet and humanity! We're ready for it, and YOU? #bethechangeyouwanttoSEA
Here you find a lot more of very interesting projects and ideas
You will find more informations on our Youtube and vimeo Channel