PLASTIC DEBRIS IN THE OCEAN FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs)
Presented By ED DLUGOSZ, PRESIDENT
NEW JERSEY FRIENDS OF CLEARWATER
STOP PLASTIC POLLUTION, NOW!
How Prevalent is Plas/c Pollu/on Even if you don’t remember the leading movie of 1967, The Graduate, you may remember the fatherly career advice of Mrs. Robinson’s husband had the second most famous quote in the movie, “Plas0cs!”.* Just take a look around your house, your office, the stores and offices you visit, cars, and everywhere to the extent that it has replaced natural or even metallic products. When the useful lifespan of that product is done, especially the disposable objects, if it’s not recycled it becomes a problem..
*The most famous, of course was “Are you trying to seduce me, Mrs Robinson?”
Where Does Plas/c Debris Originate? Marine debris can enter the ocean in a variety of ways: • From land, trash may be carried to the ocean in rivers or storm and sewage drains, swept from the beach by waves and surf, or blown offshore by winds, especially during heavy storms.
• Trash may also come from ships or offshore pla^orms, although dumping of plas_c at sea has been banned since 1988. In ‘88, the Jersey Shore saw syringes & medical waste wash up on shore from garbage barges.
• We don’t know how much marine debris enters the ocean, or whether most of it comes from land or from vessels at sea. These are very difficult ques_ons to answer because the sources are so widespread.
What Does Plas/c Debris Look Like? The majority of samples that are collected are small fragments less than 1 cm in size – no bigger than your smallest fingernail – with a mass less than 0.15 g, or about 1/10th the mass of a paper clip. In most cases it is impossible to know what kind of object the plas_c pieces came from. The most recognizable pieces are fragments of fishing line and nets, plas_c six packs, boiles, and industrial resin pellets (the “raw material” of consumer plas_c products) some_mes called POP (Persistent Organic Pollutants)
NASA Anima_on of World Wide Plas_c Vortexes
What Kind Of Plas/c Is It? Floa%ng Plas%cs: Physical proper_es of plas_c samples collected in the Atlan_c Ocean indicate the collected material is made of HDPE (high density polyethylene), LDPE (low density polyethylene), and PP (polypropylene), which are used to make common household items such as milk jugs, plas_c bags, and drinking straws. These materials have a density less than that of seawater, causing them to float on the sea surface.
What Kind Of Plas/c Is It? Unseen Plas%cs: We do not observe other commonly used plas_c types such as PET (polyethylene terephthalate), PVC (polyvinyl chloride) and PS (polystyrene solid). These plas_cs have been observed on U.S. east coast beaches, but the materials are denser than seawater and likely sink before reaching the open ocean. The proper_es of plas_cs appear to change during their _me at sea, possibly due to sun and sea exposure and to biological growth.
Where Are These "Garbage Patches”?
On every Ocean on Earth, the most famous of which is the Pacific Patch. Perhaps Plas_c Gyre is a beier phrase. Gyres are nothing more than the path of the oceans’ currents which have been around forever. Problem is the new, unnatural nature of plas_cs floa_ng in the sea.
NASA's Ocean Garbage Islands Simula_on High concentra_ons of plas_c debris have been observed in these “convergence zones” in the North Atlan_c and North Pacific Oceans, where currents driven by the wind converge or come together. No one has been able to accurately measure the full size of these accumula_on regions – not only are they are far offshore and very difficult to access, but boundaries may ship in _me due to the ever-‐changing ocean condi_ons and the varying (and not well-‐known) sources of debris.
Where Are These "Garbage Patches”? The term “garbage patch” is very misleading – there are no large islands of trash floa_ng in the open ocean. Most of the floa_ng marine debris is not even visible from the deck of a ship because it is so small. There are regions of the ocean where floa_ng debris (natural or man-‐made) accumulates due to the movement of ocean currents.
How Is Ocean Plas/c Debris Measured? The most common way to measure floa_ng plas_c in the ocean is to collect it using very fine-‐meshed nets towed at the ocean surface from a ship, sort by type, and count it. To collect data for research projects by towing a plankton net at the surface several _mes a day to collect biological organisms, as well as plas_c and any other floa_ng debris. Sor_ng through the net contents to hand-‐pick, count, and preserve all plas_c samples collected during the tow. Since 1986 more than 6100 plankton net tows have been conducted in the Atlan_c Ocean and Caribbean Sea
How Is Ocean Plas/c Debris Measured? Interna/onal Pellet Watch (IPW) of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)
Global monitoring of POPs by using beached plasKc resin pellets. I PW is a volunteer-‐based global monitoring program designed to monitor the pollu_on status of the oceans. Since its launch in 2005, ~ 80 groups and individuals from ~ 50 countries have been par_cipa_ng in this project to cover ~ 200 loca_ons around the world. We focus on persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as PCBs and organochlorine pes_cides. Because of their bioaccumula_ve nature and adverse effects on marine organisms and humans, POPs are regulated by an interna_onal treaty (i.e., Stockholm Conven_on) PlasKc PolluKon. IPW is based on the fact that POPs are accumulated in resin pellets (plas_c raw material) from the surrounding seawater by a factor of millions. Similar accumula_on occurs with broken plas_c fragments in the ocean. Pellets are surrogates for all marine plas_cs. IPW reveals the magnitude and spa_al variability of POPs in marine plas_cs for risk assessment. IPW has demonstrated that marine plas_cs transport POPs in marine environments, even to remote areas. Studies related to IPW also demonstrated the transfer of POPs from ingested plas_cs to the _ssues of biota that mistakenly consume marine plas_cs
Does It Affect Marine & Other Organisms? Plas_cs are present in every major ocean basin, concentrated in regions that should be pris_ne environments far from sources of pollu_on on land. Plas_c debris can threaten marine organisms through entanglement, especially by large debris such as derelict fishing gear, and by inges_on in organisms ranging in size from zooplankton to fish and larger animals such as sea turtles and seabirds. Addi_onally, plas_cs create a habitat for microorganisms and other species and can transport poten_ally invasive species to new regions of the ocean. Plas_cs are known to carry organic toxins such as PCBs, PBDEs, and PAHs, and may be responsible for the transfer these and other chemicals to marine organisms.
What happens to the plas/c? We don’t know how long plas_c remains in the ocean. Most plas_cs become briile when exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light and break down into smaller and smaller pieces, some_mes referred to as “microplas_cs”. No one knows just how small these pieces become – they are very difficult to measure once they are small enough to pass through the nets typically used to collect them. Current research suggests that most commonly used plas_cs will never fully degrade in the ocean. Because most of the plas_c in the ocean is in very small fragments there is no prac_cal way to clean it up. One would have to filter enormous amounts of water to collect a rela_vely small mass of plas_c – in a typical net tow that filters about 120,000 gallons of water, the plas_c pieces collected would fit in the palm of your hand. In addi_on, using nets would also remove a “by-‐catch” of microscopic plankton and other organisms that are important to the ocean ecosystem. This could end up causing more harm than good.
What Can Industry Do, Now?
INDUSTRIAL RECYCLING PROCESS
STOP PLASTIC POLLUTION, NOW!
What Can People Do? • REDUCE the amount of plas_c trash you produce, especially products like bags, cups, straws, packaging, & containers
• Choose items you can REUSE over disposable products
• RECYCLE items instead of disposing of them
• REPURPOSE to create new products.
STOP PLASTIC POLLUTION, NOW!
• REDUCE: Work with your local Environmental Commission & Green Team to enact resolu_ons and ordinances to reduce plas_c trash in your community and state
• RECYCLE: Be aware of the des_na_on of your single stream recycling
• REPURPOSE: Seek out new tech (e.g., biodegradable plas_c-‐like utensils) & programs (TREK) for repurposing
What Is Being Done To Address Marine Debris In The U.S. And Around The World?
Informa_on provided by the NOAA Marine Debris Program Marine debris is a global problem that is being tackled by organiza_ons at local, na_onal, and interna_onal levels through scien_fic research and educa_onal programs. Scien_fic research is needed to answer even the most basic ques_ons about marine debris – Where is it? How much is there? What kind of material is it? Where does it ul_mately end up? And public educa_on is the best way to prevent debris from entering the ocean now and in the future. The NOAA Marine Debris Program has supported more than 140 projects to address marine debris across the U.S. (hip://marinedebris.noaa.gov/projects/welcome.html), while many other organiza_ons are working to raise awareness, clean up marine debris on beaches and in the ocean, and reduce the input of debris into the oceans through “Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle” campaigns.