A recent study by the Californian government determined that cost of preventing plastic litter from entering the ocean is as high as USD428 million per year.

Activities that contribute to the cost include street sweeping, storm drain maintenance and beach clean ups.

Some people think that littering is a way to create jobs but in fact it wastes millions which could be productively spent on stimulating industry.

The study found that one of the biggest culprits is single-use plastic packaging and recommended increased recycling as one of the most important ways to curb the problem.

In South Africa, there are organisations in place to promote greater recycling of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), vinyls and other plastics. But these organisations need help and support from citizens to mitigate the problem.

And the problem is massive. According to The National Resources Defence Council’s website as much as 80% of the litter cluttering our oceans is generated on land.

This has serious impacts on the economy but also the environment. Seabirds, seals, dolphins, penguins and other sea life are eating plastic pollution, which can cause choking, intestinal blockages, starvation and other deadly harm.

Trash islands

Carelessness with plastics has led to the formation of The Trash Vortex, an artificial island the size of Texas made up entirely of swirling plastics, plankton, dead fish and other slow degrading garbage in the North Pacific Ocean.

According to Greenpeace’s estimates, about “100 million tonnes of plastic are produced each year, of which about 10 million tonnes ends up in our oceans”. That figure is worryingly high but there are measures which can be taken to curb marine plastics pollution.

What you can do

• Use only recyclable plastics. Look on the labels of store-bought product packaging to see if it is recyclable. Also, reusing a shopping bag from home can make a huge difference. Buying products in already recycled packaging also helps.
• Recycle. In some parts of the world that means washing and separating plastic litter and taking it to the local recycling depot. Other municipalities have street-side pick-up schemes where citizens are lucky enough to handle all that drudge work for them. Either way, it’s important to get those plastics to the recyclers.
• Trash audits. Individuals, businesses and governments have a responsibility to monitor how much trash they produce. For large business there are companies who do this for a fee which is well worth it considering many of the corporate social investment benefits and tax incentives these firms can advise on. On an individual scale, just making a conscious effort to minimise your waste to landfill is a massive step in the right direction.
• Beach and river clean-ups. South Africa’s National Water Week is just around the corner which will take place next year from h18 to 24 March. Numerous organisations will be holding river and ocean clean ups to mark the event. (Watch this space for opportunities to participate.
• Donate and support. There are many organisations dedicated to keeping our local oceans clean, these include but are not limited to PETCO, POLYCO, Greenpeace and even the guys who help sort at the local recycling depot.