Page 53 - BBC Wildlife Volume 36 #06

AGENDA OPINION

Mark Carwardine’s

ATAGLANCE...

I
30 P L AST I C N T H E O C E A N S

WHAT’S ALL THE are frequently mistaken for Waitrose plans to remove all
FUSS ABOUT? food and eaten, causing disposable coffee cups from
Cheap, durable, lightweight turtles, seabirds and its shops by this autumn
and malleable, plastic has many other animals to (saving more than 52
revolutionised almost every choke or, ultimately, million cups a year).
aspect of our lives. But it has starve. Microplastics
come at a staggering cost. are known to IS IT REALLY
Some 335 million tonnes of affect reproductive THAT EASY?
plastic is produced every year success and growth No. Plastic recycling is
– and at least 8 million tonnes rates, and are likely a complex and energy-
of it enters the world’s oceans. to impact other demanding process –
It is already the commonest biological functions. there are more than 50
Plastics that don’t
marine pollutant and recent Another concern is that biodegrade can different types of plastic to
estimates suggest, in terms chemical toxins attach to choke, entangle sort – and many products
of weight, oceans will contain microplastic particles and and poison sea life. are virtually impossible to
more plastic than fish by 2050. enter the food chain when recycle. Single-use plastic bags
they are ingested. The risk all clog up the sorting machines,
WHERE DOES THE PLASTIC to people remains unknown, for example, and plastic-lined
COME FROM? but there are warning signs: IN THE UK coffee cups cannot be recycled
There are two main sources. it’s been estimated that an ` ALONE WE by normal systems. Also,
First, there are large items average European seafood THROW AWAY much of our plastic was being
such as bottles, drinking consumer ingests 11,000 shipped to China, but it has
straws and bags. In the UK plastic particles a year. 38.5M PLASTIC now stopped accepting foreign
alone we throw away 38.5 BOTTLES, waste. Another problem is that
million plastic bottles (about SO WHAT’S BEING DONE? plastic-free isn’t always more
half are recycled), nearly 7 We need to produce less NEARLY 7M environmentally friendly –
million disposable coffee plastic, reuse what we have, DISPOSABLE glass is much heavier and
cups and 22 million plastic and recycle what’s left – requires more energy to
straws every day. Second, there rather than using it once COFFEE CUPS transport, for instance, while
are so-called microplastics and throwing it away. After AND 22M replacing petrochemical-made
– ranging from microscopic decades of inaction many plastics with degradable
particles to bits the size of a countries are finally taking PLASTIC STRAWS bioplastics (made from corn
sesame seed – which simply notice. In 2015, President EVERY DAY.” starch or wood, for instance)
wash down drains into rivers Obama signed the Microbead- requires a vast amount of
and seas. Microplastics are Free Waters Act, banning agricultural land. Meanwhile,
formed when larger items plastic microbeads in cosmetic oil companies have recently
break down, or they are and personal care products. poured £130bn into new
manufactured as ‘microbeads’ In the UK, there are proposals plastic production facilities –
for use in everything from for a deposit scheme for and will fight attempts to
toothpaste and make-up to plastic bottles and banning reduce plastic use. Most
detergents and cleaners. plastic straws, and there is MARK CARWARDINE importantly, Europe and the
The use of microplastics has even talk of a ‘plastic tax’. is a frustrated and USA account for only 2% of
increased 20-fold in the past Such endeavours can work: frank conservationist. the 8 million tonnes of plastics
Every month he
50 years, and is expected to the 5p charge on plastic bags, demystifies some of the entering the oceans every year;
introduced in Wales in 2011,
double again over the next 20.
the real challenge lies in Asia,
most important issues
Pierre Huguet/Biosphoto/FLPA WHAT HARM DOES in 2015, has been credited wildlife and assesses + FIND OUT MORE
a ecting the world’s
which accounts for 82%.

Scotland in 2014 and England
the organisations
that protect it.
with vastly reducing plastic
IT CAUSE?
bag use, by 85% in the latter
We’re not entirely sure,
O Would you like to
Plastic Challenge: www.
comment? Email
because this is a relatively new
alone. Some companies are
mcsuk.org/plastic-challenge
wildlifeletters@
field of study. Larger items
June 2018 acting independently, too: immediate.co.uk BBC Wildlife 53