Click to download.

Press release:
UNEP Head Calls for World-Wide Ban on Pointless Thin Film Plastic Bags

“Washington DC/Nairobi, 8 June 2009 – From discarded fishing gear to plastic bags to cigarette butts, a growing tide of marine litter is harming oceans and beaches worldwide, says a new report.

The report, the first-ever attempt to take stock of the marine litter situation in the 12 major regional seas around the world, was launched on World Oceans Day by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and Ocean Conservancy.

Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director, said:

“Marine litter is symptomatic of a wider malaise: namely the wasteful use and persistent poor management of natural resources. The plastic bags, bottles and other debris piling up in the oceans and seas could be dramatically reduced by improved waste reduction, waste management and recycling initiatives”.

“Some of the litter, like thin film single use plastic bags which choke marine life, should be banned or phased-out rapidly everywhere-there is simply zero justification for manufacturing them anymore, anywhere. Other waste can be cut by boosting public awareness, and proposing an array of economic incentives and smart market mechanisms that tip the balance in favor of recycling, reducing or re-use rather than dumping into the sea,” he said.

The report’s findings indicate that despite several international, regional and national efforts to reverse marine pollution, alarming quantities of rubbish thrown out to sea continue to endanger people’s safety and health, entrap wildlife, damage nautical equipment and deface coastal areas around the world.

“This report is a reminder that carelessness and indifference is proving deadly for our oceans and its inhabitants,” says Philippe Cousteau, CEO of EarthEcho International and Ocean Conservancy board member. “Offered here are more than mere facts and figures. The time for action is now, and true change will require taking a bold and courageous stand. There are solutions that everyone, everywhere in the world, can adopt to make a positive difference for our water planet.”

Plastics and cigarettes top the “Top Ten” of marine debris

Plastic – especially plastic bags and PET bottles – is the most pervasive type of marine litter around the world, accounting for over 80 per cent of all rubbish collected in several of the regional seas assessed.

Plastic debris is accumulating in terrestrial and marine environments worldwide, slowly breaking down into tinier and tinier pieces that can be consumed by the smallest marine life at the base of the food web. Plastics collect toxic compounds that then can get into the bodies of organisms that eat the plastic. Global plastic production is now estimated at 225 million tons per year.

Plastics can be mistaken as food by numerous animals, including marine mammals, birds, fish and turtles. Sea turtles in particular may confuse floating plastic bags with jellyfish, one of their favorite treats.

A five-year survey of fulmars found in the North Sea region found that 95 percent of these seabirds contained plastic in their stomachs. Studies of the Northeast Atlantic plankton have found plastic in samples dating back to the 1960s, with a significant increase in abundance in time.

Smoking-related activities also receive top rankings when it comes to sources of marine litter. Cigarette filters, tobacco packets and cigar tips make up 40 per cent of all marine litter in the Mediterranean, while in Ecuador smoking-related rubbish accounted for over half of the total coastal litter ‘catch’ in 2005.

“The ocean is our life support system – it provides much of the oxygen we breathe, the food we eat and climate we need to survive – yet trash continues to threaten its health,” said Vikki Spruill President and CEO of Ocean Conservancy. “The impact of marine debris is clear and dramatic; dead and injured wildlife, littered beaches that discourage tourism and choked ocean ecosystems. Marine debris is one of the most widespread pollution threats facing our ocean and it is completely preventable.”

“The Jane Goodall Institute Singapore presents “A Vision for Hope”, a daylong celebration of how personal action can be a substantial and positive force for making the world around us better.” – webpage

ICCS will be discussed there in two workshop sessions.

“Nurturing the International Coastal Cleanup Singapore (ICCS) programme – how a small group of volunteers manage the largest and longest running environmental programme in Singapore,”

By N. Sivasothi.

Abstract - The International Coastal Cleanup is a marine debris data-gathering exercise which has been conducted in Singapore for almost two decades. A growing interest in the environment has seen a surge in participation from about 2,000 to 3,000 annually, and a growing corporate component.

The small group of volunteers that coordinate the programme (the ICCS Otters) coped with the immense strain by maintaining a zen-like philosophy of sustainable management. Critical in managing the larger numbers were web2.0 tools, and there was a greater demand for start-up assistance unlike the past. We had to battle misinformation and prevent groups from reducing the event to a mindless cleanup that derived few lessons for daily life.

Besides the philosophy of the group that has nurtured this long-term programme, I will discuss the various factors including the web2.0 tools and old school methods that enabled this programme to grow from year to year.

About the speaker – N. Sivasothi has contributed to research, education and conservation in Singapore for some two decades since he first joined the National University of Singapore. Though very practical, he is a passionate and engaging speaker and a web2.0 advocate. All this while, he has run various nature, environment and heritage programmes for the public with the help of a small but merry band of dedicated volunteers from The Habitat Group and since 1999, the Raffles Museum Toddycats.

Click for a link to the larger image.

A lovely poster that illustrates the threat of marine trash by Agència Catalana de l'Aigua and Generalitat de Catalunya, Departament de Medi Ambient | Habitatge. Via twitter: @aramc via @TEDchris.

This is apparently a 2005 “Campaign for the Government of Catalunya to keep the Mediterranean sea clean.” Link

Posted via email from International Coastal Cleanup Singapore

The marine research and education community have released a Draft Blue Plan to invite feedback from the public before submission to the government in a month’s time.

See details in Habitatnews

Hen writes in her Earth Sun and Sea blog about the St. John's Island cleanup that was conducted recently which we featured in the previous post

She reported something quite unpleasant – instead of bringing trash to the mainland for proper disposal, a contractor has dumped the trash in the mangroves of St. John's Island and burnt it there – away from the public eye. Since this cleanup crew stumbled on the find, I hope they inform NEA!

Posted via email from International Coastal Cleanup Singapore

I'm at the Singapore Botanic Gardens Function Room with the "Fellowship of the Reef" – a motley bunch who are putting together a constructive feedback document about the marine environment. It is process that has its roots in the Marine Roundtable I & II.

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from International Coastal Cleanup Singapore

On 5th April 2009, the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research was engaged by Deutsche Bank to organise a coastal cleanup activity at St. John’s island.

In due with the program, a guided walk was conducted to let the participants understand more about the coastal and mangrove fauna and flora that can be found on this island. Here is Ron, one of the guide and team leader showing them the sea hibiscus plant. 

The 38 enthusiastic participants wasted no time when the cleanup starts. Even though the area covered are just two small patches of mangrove and beach, lots of rubbish were found trapped among the roots and mud. 

One even managed to find a huge Styrofoam block out of the vegetation. 

After the cleanup, the trash bags were weighed and recorded. Thanks to the hard work of the participants, they managed to collected about 200 kg of rubbish with a total of around 800 items in just a short hour!

A tiring day out in the scorching sun. Nevertheless, everyone was in high spirits knowing that they have contributed their bit to the environment.

By Teo Siyang, Education and Research Officer, Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, NUS.

Posted via email from International Coastal Cleanup Singapore

Ocean Conservancy released the international results earlier this month entitiled, “A Rising Tide of Ocean Debris and What We Can Do About It.”

Click the image to download these report:

• 2009 Full Report
• Executive Summary
• Marine Debris Index
• Additional Charts and Tables

“Each year, Ocean Conservancy provides a compelling global snapshot of marine debris collected on one day at thousands of sites all over the world during the International Coastal Cleanup held the third Saturday of each September.

This year’s report, A Rising Tide of Ocean Debris and What We Can Do About It, presents data recorded by nearly 400,000 volunteers in 104 countries and locations and 42 US states at the 23rd annual Cleanup.

Key findings include:

• A tidal wave of ocean debris is a major pollution problem of the 21st century
• Of the 43 items tracked during the Cleanup, the top three items of trash found in 2008 were cigarette butts, plastic bags, and food wrappers/containers.
• Marine debris kills. Every year, thousands of marine mammals, sea turtles, seabirds, and other animals are sickened, injured, or killed because of trash in the ocean.
• Marine debris degrades ocean health and compromises the ocean’s ability to adapt to climate change.

The detailed time-table for ICCS Otters is posted on its own page.

Registration

• 01 Apr 2009: Invitation letters to 2008 organisers and email to ICCS list
• 09 Apr 2009 – 15 May 2009: Registration through webpage

Education programme

• Sat 04 Jul 2009: 8am – 12pm: ICCS Organizer Workshop/recce
• Sat 05 Sep 2009: 8am – 12pm: ICCS Site Buddy Briefing

International Coastal Cleanup

• Sat 12 Sep 2009: 8am – 12pm: ICCS Mangroves (Tides: 8am – 11am: 1.7m – 1.7m)
• Sat 19 Sep 2009 : 8am – 12pm: ICCS Beach (Tides: 8am – 10am: 1.3m – 3.0m)

Amy Choong from Republic Polytechnic was asking me about plastic recycling in Singapore and I mentioned this email from Wong Yueat Tin, one of the ICCS Otters, from 2006. I reproduce it here and hope I can persuade her to do an update soon.

We were then looking into the feasibility of recycling out the plastics from our beach cleanups, some of which does come out pretty clean.

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Wong Yueat Tin
Date: Wed, Aug 30, 2006 at 12:13 PM
Subject: Visit to KK Asia Plastic Recycling Factory
To: otterman

We will KIV the plastics recycling for our coastal cleanups, but here’s some relevant and interesting notes.

Huaqin and I went to KK Asia Plastic Recycling Factory (now under SembEnviro) yesterday to discuss the possibility of recycling plastics collected during our coastal cleanups. Since the factory washes the plastics it receives prior to processing them and that same water used is recycled, plastic items we bring to the factory must be free of sand. So we should either set aside only relatively clean plastics during the cleanup or we can set aside plastics and clean them after collection and before sending them to the factory.

Photos of the visit are posted on flickr.

The factory collects all sorts of plastics – according to Mr Anthony Mark Chong, plastics of the same family can be processed together (eg. HDPE and LDPE). The plastic bottles are washed and sheared into flakes, and can be made into pellets. Pellets are sold to Australia and processed to make irrigation pipes.

Plastic bottles are also processed into tubular form in China, which can then be stretched into polyester and made into clothes.

Styrofoam is compressed into brick form which is a material found in the interior of our disposable cutlery. A layer of prime plastic coats the disposable cutlery. So do not bite into them!

Plastic bags (films) are processed into pellets which can then be recycled into black trash bags. These recycled trashbags are sold at a cheaper rate (15 cents per piece) than virgin material (unlike paper).