Drowning in litter

BY ASAESJA YOUNG

JUNE 16, 2017

(https://i1.wp.com/blogs.csiro.au/ecos/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2017/06/Resource-high-res.png?
ssl=1)

Ocean pollution choking parts of Port Moresby. ©Sustainable Coastlines

It’s no secret that our oceans and waterways are drowning in waste, a by-product of the world’s economic
growth.

To date, the best estimates, reported in Science (http://science.sciencemag.org/content/347/6223/768) in

2015, suggest that about 8 million metric tonnes of plastic go into the oceans each year – around 16 shopping
bags for each metre of global coastline (excluding Antarctica).

More than 690 marine species are reported to be a ected by this litter, with seabirds and turtles arguably two of
the groups most vulnerable.

Tube-nosed seabirds like shearwaters, petrels and albatrosses are thought to be attracted to the smell of the
plastic (http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/2/11/e1600395.full), which once in the water and with
radiation from the sun, starts to smell like their food.

Turtles also mistake plastic for food and it’s believed that as many as a third of turtles have eaten plastic,
mistaking it for jelly sh.

It’s not just wildlife that are a ected. In developing countries where waste and storm water infrastructure aren’t
advanced, rubbish – particularly plastic bags and other thin, lm-like plastics – can choke gutters and drains,
resulting in signi cant ooding events, damaging homes and disrupting local communities.

The oceans’ problem is the world’s problem

There is now consensus world-wide that the issue needs immediate attention. In February, CSIRO’s Denise
Hardesty presented in Germany at the world’s rst G20 meeting on marine pollution. Plastic pollution was also
the o cial theme for World Oceans Day 2017 on June 8 and the rst target set at the UN’s Ocean Conference in
New York the same week was to:

“By 2025, prevent and signi cantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities,
including marine debris and nutrient pollution.”

Largest marine pollution project

Until now, researchers and policy makers have relied on marine debris estimates based on 2010 World Bank
data.

A new project, Global ows of plastic from land to sea ,  (https://www.csiro.au/en/News/News-

releases/2017/Worlds-largest-marine-pollution-project)aims to address the problem by bringing together
some of the world’s top 20 polluters, including China, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Vietnam and the United States, and
other countries including Australia, South Korea and Taiwan.

This project for the rst time will gather data country by country to quantify exactly how much litter is entering
the oceans.

Leading the research is marine ecologist Dr Hardesty.

“This is a problem that is absolutely solvable and we’re already seeing some countries make signi cant
improvements,” says Dr Hardesty.

“By coordinating our approach we’ll be able to achieve some quick wins and know where to set our sights for
longer-term goals.”

CSIRO’s marine debris team specialises in looking at how people, wind, the shape of the land and storm water
moves rubbish from land out into the ocean.

“We know that almost all litter started o in someone’s hand, and from there it nds its way from land to the
ocean, where it breaks up into smaller pieces,” says Dr Hardesty.

“By looking at how the litter makes its way into the ocean, we’ll be able to work with countries to implement
interventions and solutions that are underpinned by science.

“We’ll make the data available to participating groups and countries, so they can report what’s happening at the
local level and compare this to other countries around the world.”

Dr Hardesty and her team are keen to work with as many countries as possible.

“Working with in-country organisations already doing important work will be key to the project’s success,” she
says.

The project is a collaboration between CSIRO, Oak Foundation and Schmidt Marine Technology.

Find out more about our marine debris research (https://www.csiro.au/en/Research/OandA/Areas/Marine-

resources-and-industries/Marine-debris).

Leave a Reply
We love hearing from you, but we have a few guidelines. (https://blogs.csiro.au/ecos/comments-policy/) Your email address will not
be published. Required elds are marked with *

Comment
We love hearing from you, but we have a few guidelines. (https://blogs.csiro.au/ecos/comments-policy/)

Your name *

Your Name (No Keywords)

Your email *

your-real-email@example.com

Website

http://your-site-name.com

Post Comment

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Notify me of new posts by email.

Copyright of Ecos is the property of CSIRO Publishing and its content may not be copied or
emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written
permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.