THE BEHAVIOR OF

'BIODEGRADABLE'
PLASTICS IN THE
MARINE
ENVIRONMENT
 THE COMPOSITION OF PLASTICS LITTER IN THE
OCEAN
• - Biodegradable plastic market is focussed on packaging, single-use
consumer products and horticultural applications.
• - The quantity and types of plastic entering the ocean is unknown, so the
quantity of biodegradable plastics entering the ocean is also unknown.
• - The exact quantities of different polymers in the marine environment will
depend on the nature of local and regional sources , long-distance
transport pathways, material properties and conditions experienced at
each location.
• - Sampling a mid-water depths and at or near the seabed is much more
resource intensive than sampling the sea surface or shoreline.
ITEMS THAT CAUSE POLLUTION !
 THE FATE OF BIODEGRADBLE PLASTICS IN
THE OCEAN
• Degradation processes
- Biodegradable plastics in the marine environment will behave quite differently than in a
terrestrial setting as the conditions required for rapid biodegradation are unlikely to occur.
- Plastics lying on the shoreline will be exposed to UV and oxidation and fragmentation
will occur.

• Interactions with species

- Toothed whales, sea turtles and seagulls are found to contain large quantities of plastic.
- It is thought that plastic items are mistaken for prey and when swallowed, block the gut
and cause starvation.
- The degree to which the presence of plastic causes the death of the specimen is difficult
to quantify but it does appear to have been a significant factor in many cases.
- Conditions within an organism may be very different from the ambient environment.
 • Biodegradable polymers and ghost fishing

- The feasibility of using biodegradable polymers in the design of fishing

gear to reduce the impact of 'ghost fishing'.
- The main advantage would be for pots that were not recovered, as the
efficacy of the biodegradable components, specifically designed to have a
limited life in the marine environment, would be expected to decline and
reduce the extent of continuing ghost fishing.
THIS IS OUR EARTH NOW !