Global Garbage Newsletter for November 20, 2014 Marine litter (marine debris) and plastic pollution *** plasticsnews/article/20141112/OPINION01/141119975/science-should-drive-marine-litter-action Science should drive marine litter action By Steve Toloken STAFF REPORTER / ASIA BUREAU CHIEF Published: November 12, 2014 11:31 am ET Updated: November 12, 2014 3:14 pm ET When it comes to how to fight ocean pollution, the plastics industry always likes to say that it wants sound science to guide government policy. But when it comes to marine litter and plastic bottles, the good science may not be on the industry’s side. A comprehensive study released in September by Australia’s national science agency argues that bottles bills are a “very successful’’ strategy for fighting marine litter — a point that the plastic industry’s lobbyists are probably not happy to see. The 364-page report from Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization analyzed beach litter data from all over Australia and compared it with the state of South Australia, which is the only state government there with a bottle bill system. What they found was that in the beaches of the state of South Australia, one in 10 items recovered in cleanups were beverage containers. Elsewhere in Australia, where there are no container deposits, bottles made up between 20 and 30 percent of the litter on beaches. “South Australia’s container deposit scheme … appears to be very successful, reducing the number of beverage containers, the dominant plastic item in the environment, by a factor of three,” CSIRO said. “We found that beverage containers make up a significantly smaller fraction of litter in cleanups from South Australia, in comparison with the other states.” The lead author of the report, Denise Hardesty, expanded on the point in an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corp. *** csiro.au/marine-debris Tackling marine debris CSIRO is leading a three-year, world-leading survey of marine debris in Australian waters to help protect ecosystems and wildlife. csiro.au/~/media/CSIROau/Divisions/CSIRO%20Marine%20%20Atmospheric%20Research/Marine-debris/Marine%20Debris%20Project%20Final%20Report%202014.pdf Hardesty, BD, C Wilcox, TJ Lawson, M Lansdell and T van der Velde (2014). Understanding the effects of marine debris on wildlife. A Final report to Earthwatch Australia. csiro.au/~/media/CSIROau/Divisions/CSIRO%20Marine%20%20Atmospheric%20Research/Marine-debris/Marine%20Debris%20Project%20Exec%20summary.pdf csiro.au/~/media/CSIROau/Divisions/CSIRO%20Marine%20%20Atmospheric%20Research/Marine-debris/Marine%20Debris%20Project%20No%20appendices.pdf csiro.au/~/media/CSIROau/Divisions/CSIRO%20Marine%20%20Atmospheric%20Research/Marine-debris/MarineDebris4ppFactsheet.pdf *** marinedebrissolutions/Main-Menu/Global-Response/Global-Plastics-Take-Action Global Plastics and Plastic Product Producers Take Action on Marine Litter Progress Report – 2014: The Declaration of the Global Plastics Associations for Solutions on Marine Litter In March 2011, leaders from plastics associations across the globe signed a declaration to combat marine litter. The Declaration of the Global Plastics Associations for Solutions on Marine Litter (Global Declaration) represented a public commitment by a global industry to tackle a global problem: plastic litter in the marine environment. This Progress Report provides an update on that commitment. As part of their overarching contribution to providing sustainable solutions, representatives of plastics organizations from around the globe have released a “Declaration for Solutions on Marine Litter.” The declaration was announced at the 5th International Marine Debris Conference in Honolulu. As of January 2012, 54 world plastic organizations in 33 countries signed the pledge, which describes steps that the industries will take, and suggests approaches and platforms for global cooperation and future partnerships. plastics.americanchemistry/Education-Resources/Publications/Progress-Report-2014.pdf marinedebrissolutions/Declaration *** americanchemistry/Media/PressReleasesTranscripts/ACC-news-releases/Plastics-Makers-Litter-and-Marine-Debris-Are-Solid-Waste-Management-Problems.html Plastics Makers: Litter and Marine Debris Are Solid Waste Management Problems Contact: Jennifer Killinger (202) 249-6619 Email: jennifer_killinger@americanchemistry WASHINGTON (February 15, 2013) – On February 14, 2013, the journal Nature published a commentary calling for plastic waste to be classified as hazardous. The American Chemistry Council (ACC) issued the following statement, which may be attributed to Steve Russell, vice president of plastics: “America’s plastics makers agree that litter doesn’t belong in our oceans, waterways or any part of our natural environment. And, the global plastics industry has organized to combat the problem, sponsoring research and working in public-private partnerships. But the suggestions by the commenters in the journal Nature are neither justified nor helpful. We agree that marine debris deserves serious attention; but it also deserves serious debate. The suggestion to classify plastic as hazardous waste does not reach that mark. The plastic products we use every day—from milk jugs, to food packaging and medical devices—are composed of stable, long-chain polymers. Plastics used in food contact and medical device applications are evaluated for safety by governments around the world. And the plastics identified by the authors as ‘higher priorities’ are used in durable applications (pipes, siding, roofing, refrigerators) which are not generally littered or found in the ocean. *** nature/nature/journal/v494/n7436/full/494169a.html Policy: Classify plastic waste as hazardous Chelsea M. Rochman, Mark Anthony Browne, Benjamin S. Halpern, Brian T. Hentschel, Eunha Hoh, Hrissi K. Karapanagioti, Lorena M. Rios-Mendoza, Hideshige Takada, Swee Teh & Richard C. Thompson Nature 494, 169–171 (14 February 2013) doi:10.1038/494169a Published online 13 February 2013 *** To be removed from the Mailing List, send an email to [email protected] with the subject REMOVE. To send information to be divulged on the Mailing List, send an email to [email protected] with the subject NEWS. To add some colleague to the Mailing List, send an email to [email protected] with the subject ADD. 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Posted on: Thu, 20 Nov 2014 16:28:42 +0000
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