Plastic Oceans: An Education

Fraser has partnered with Plastic Oceans Foundation, a charitable organisation that has worked since 2009 to educate people about the dangers of plastic pollution and how we can reduce our consumption and usage of it.

Plastic pollution is a serious threat to our oceans and environment. Although much of the world agrees that we must care for and help protect the environment, there are many misconceptions when it comes to the plastic problem. ‘Fake news’ is prominent in this arena and yet the facts are enough cause for concern and action already, there is no need to exaggerate.

1. Plastic defies nature

Plastic does not decompose, break down, or otherwise disappear—it was designed not to. There is no point in underestimating how long it might take a plastic water bottle or any other plastic item to disappear because, as far as we know, it won’t. Remember that plastic was only invented 150 years ago, and many different types of plastics are now on the market with chemical additives blended into their production processes to make them more durable, flexible, colorful, etc. So, let us be clear about this: plastic is indestructible.

In the ocean, plastic does not break down; it breaks up into smaller and smaller fragments, which adds to the insidious nature of the problem. Waterborne chemicals attach to its surface—they do not combine with the plastic but simply hitchhike on it until they find somewhere better to go. Once ingested by animals, these chemicals are easily transported from the gut to fatty storage tissues through the bloodstream. The more fragmented the plastic becomes, the more surface area is available for chemicals to attach to.

2. Recycling is the last resort

Forget the 3Rs—there is more to recommend before we come to the last one, recycling. Reduce, reuse, replace, rethink, and redesign are much better options because plastic cannot be recycled perpetually. Unlike aluminum, it loses quality with each round of recycling and will eventually end up as a black product that no producers want to use.

With respect to Hong Kong, the fact that China has not accepted plastic for recycling since December 2017 has probably come as a shock to the Hong Kong government and created a massive impact on Hong Kong’s use of single-use plastic items, particularly in packaging. This also underlines the need to remember that recycling is a last resort—it is barely an option in Hong Kong anymore.

Click here for tips on how you can start reducing your plastic consumption today. 

3. The Fallacy of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch

There is no floating "trash island" or "new continent" of plastic forming in the Pacific Ocean or any other ocean. The myth of a huge island of plastic, ten meters deep and "twice the size of Texas" or "three times the size of Spain," began when a yachtsman sailed through the Pacific and noticed floating plastic that increased as he reached the center. He told the press, and over the years, his story has been exaggerated many times. The myth continues to grow at the same rate as global plastic production. The yachtsman himself has retracted his statement, but unfortunately, the myth persists.

The problem with this myth is that if people believe there is no “giant island of plastic,” they may assume the issue has gone away. In reality, the truth is far more insidious and probably impossible to reverse. There are floating items, and observations of these certainly increase closer to the ocean centers. However, the real issue is microplastics—the result of years of exposure to sunlight, salt, and wave action—as plastic is slowly swept toward the center of the giant ocean current, or “gyre.” With microplastic fragments now the same size as plankton and mixed in with it, we know they are entering the marine food chain at the very base, making it nearly impossible to separate and collect them.

4. We are not anti-plastic

Plastic is a game-changing material: light, cheap, durable, and versatile. It has saved nature many times over. For example, think of furniture—how many forests might have been destroyed if wood were our only option for making chairs, tables, cabinets, etc.? Eyeglasses, combs, hair decorations, and tea caddies were once made from turtle shell. There are many examples of plastic replacing materials sourced from animals or plants that would have been destroyed for human use.

The problem lies with single-use plastic items. These are particularly prevalent in packaging and have been used gratuitously with no thought of where they go once thrown “away.” With plastic, there is no “away.”

5. Plastic has a two-way chemical transfer

The public may be aware of the transfer of chemicals from plastic food and beverage containers, especially following media coverage of BPA and its links to breast cancer. However (as the film clearly points out), BPA is just one “bad guy.” Hundreds of chemicals go into the plastic manufacturing process. Most are unregulated and include other harmful compounds. Chemicals leach more easily into fatty foods, such as meat and dairy products, and this process is often exacerbated when food or beverages are heated.

Plastic in the ocean attracts chemicals that have been there for decades, following runoff and effluents from agriculture and industry. These chemicals tend to be hydrophobic and find plastic very attractive. Studies show how quickly these chemicals attach to plastic from the day it enters the water (Rochman et al., 2012 – see Appendix 1).

6. Ocean clean-up techniques

One frequently asked question is: “Can we remove all the plastic already in the ocean?” The simple answer is no, for three main reasons:

• It is estimated that 70% of plastic entering the oceans sinks to the seafloor. With the average ocean depth being close to 4 km, the cost and logistics of retrieval are untenable.
• The quality of plastic that has been in the ocean for any length of time makes it unattractive and unprofitable for the recycling industry.
• Much of the plastic has broken into plankton-sized pieces and is mixed with plankton. Removing it would damage the food chain and deplete the source of much of the oxygen we breathe.

Examples:

• 6.1 – Using a floating oil boom device will not work. Plastic in the ocean is mostly tiny fragments mixed with plankton. Removing it would damage the food chain and compromise our main oxygen source (phytoplankton).
• 6.2 – Seabin
  The Seabin is designed for marinas and harbors to reduce floating waste. While effective in small areas, it cannot operate offshore and needs regular maintenance. Think of it as a floating trash bin.
• 6.3 – Beach Clean-Ups
  These raise awareness and prevent plastic from re-entering the ocean. However, in places like Hong Kong, collected waste often ends up in landfills, which are near capacity.
• 6.4 – Fishing for Litter Campaigns
  These voluntary initiatives are successful in Europe. Fishermen collect floating trash, often abandoned nets, and bring it ashore for recycling or conversion to fuel. Though not ideal, this addresses ghost nets.

7. Nano-plastics and fibres

The science of nano-plastics is in its infancy, but what we do know is alarming. Particles can become so small they are inhaled or cross membranes in the body. Research is ongoing.

Clothing fibers are now a recognized source of microplastics in the ocean. Solutions like filters, washing bags, and machine collection devices are being explored. However, these still leave fibers needing disposal, a challenge that remains unsolved.

8. Biodegradables and compostable plastics

The idea of designing plastic alternative products using plant-based material is excellent and very promising, however, we do need to consider these and how they are used because they come with their own disadvantages.

• There is currently no effective separation scheme nor a comprehensible way to distinguish between these products and actual plastic ones. If they are perceived to be plastic they may end up in the recycling stream where they will eventually decompose rendering the new ‘plastic’ product unusable.
• They are so well-made and efficient that for weeks they can act as plastic does and if eaten by wildlife can cause just as much damage before they decompose.
• Some ‘compostable’ products need to go to an industrial composter because they do not decompose without heat and oxygen and these are not available in a landfill site. Few cities have access to industrial composters and even when those are in situ, a workable collection and separation scheme needs to be in place.
• Some of the earlier ‘biodegradable’ products were simply made of plastic bound together with vegetable-based substances. These broke down but left plastic flakes and fragments to freely enter that natural environment so probably contributed to plastic entering the food chain.

Plant-based plastics definitely have a future but without and easy way to recognize, separate and sort them, their use as a solution is going to be limited.

9. Conclusion

Education and awareness are paramount in controlling our addiction to single-use plastic. This is key to stopping plastic pollution at its source and holding producers accountable for the end-of-life impact of their products.