Plastic and the ghost.
The sea is awash with rubbish, pictures of beautiful isolated islands even the Arctic and Antarctic with litter are everywhere. The figures are staggering, you have to be completely disconnected from the world to have not had the message in some format. We need to rethink our use of plastic-based materials. If we do not the consequences are not just inconvenient they are food chain devastating; we sit at the top of this.
Most people think of plastic as the products they use at home, but in the ocean, a significant amount of rubbish comes from the fishing industry. This 'lost' fishing gear continues to catch creatures as they become entangled in nets and ropes so it is called Ghost Gear.
Most people think of plastic as the products they use at home, but in the ocean, a significant amount of rubbish comes from the fishing industry. This 'lost' fishing gear continues to catch creatures as they become entangled in nets and ropes so it is called Ghost Gear.
So we know the problem but what can you do?
Domestic plastic is created to fulfil a purpose, it often has a short life. A bottle is a good example, use it and bin it. Most of us recycle but as investigations have shown this is not the solution. A significant amount of our waste is shipped to other countries and there is dumped, we have no idea if it will ever be recycled. The solution then is to consider do you need to buy something in plastic?
There are many products that have to use plastic but equally many that do not, it is used for convenience. Shampoo, liquid soap (shower gel), disposable razors, shopping bags, these are all products that had a non-plastic predecessor. These are still suitable and available but no longer fashionable. It is simple to switch back to more eco-friendly alternatives without great effort.
Some products cannot be recycled, their fate is landfill, these include black or brown plastic trays often found on food products, mushrooms and meat etc. Simply shop around and buy a clear plastic tray product. Others such as take away cups are mixed materials so take your own mug and if the shop won't fill it go elsewhere.
Some products simply have so little value in our lives that they are not needed, we can stop using them. Straws, water, and energy drink bottles, plastic cutlery and drink stirrers, individually wrapped and prepared fruit and snacks. An orange comes in a skin it does not need a new plastic one, water comes from a tap, filter it and use a multi-use bottle. Energy comes from solid food, it worked for millions of years you do not need the latest brand pushed product.
These are simple do it today measures, you can go further, shop in plastic-free shops, take containers and bags for your fish, meat and veg and change your supermarket so you can use these. Buy wooden toys, download music, software and video never buy it in plastic cases (CD, DVD). Look at what you are buying and find alternatives or simply remove it from your life. Use basic pure ingredients and cook, not just meals but your snacks and cakes and biscuits. Many things will still come in plastic but overall you will reduce the amount you buy, processed foods inevitably are plastic covered, so do your health and the planet a favour ditch them.
Going plastic free is extremely hard, it isn't even required. All we need to do is think, do I need this, is there a better way to do it?
Domestic plastic is created to fulfil a purpose, it often has a short life. A bottle is a good example, use it and bin it. Most of us recycle but as investigations have shown this is not the solution. A significant amount of our waste is shipped to other countries and there is dumped, we have no idea if it will ever be recycled. The solution then is to consider do you need to buy something in plastic?
There are many products that have to use plastic but equally many that do not, it is used for convenience. Shampoo, liquid soap (shower gel), disposable razors, shopping bags, these are all products that had a non-plastic predecessor. These are still suitable and available but no longer fashionable. It is simple to switch back to more eco-friendly alternatives without great effort.
Some products cannot be recycled, their fate is landfill, these include black or brown plastic trays often found on food products, mushrooms and meat etc. Simply shop around and buy a clear plastic tray product. Others such as take away cups are mixed materials so take your own mug and if the shop won't fill it go elsewhere.
Some products simply have so little value in our lives that they are not needed, we can stop using them. Straws, water, and energy drink bottles, plastic cutlery and drink stirrers, individually wrapped and prepared fruit and snacks. An orange comes in a skin it does not need a new plastic one, water comes from a tap, filter it and use a multi-use bottle. Energy comes from solid food, it worked for millions of years you do not need the latest brand pushed product.
These are simple do it today measures, you can go further, shop in plastic-free shops, take containers and bags for your fish, meat and veg and change your supermarket so you can use these. Buy wooden toys, download music, software and video never buy it in plastic cases (CD, DVD). Look at what you are buying and find alternatives or simply remove it from your life. Use basic pure ingredients and cook, not just meals but your snacks and cakes and biscuits. Many things will still come in plastic but overall you will reduce the amount you buy, processed foods inevitably are plastic covered, so do your health and the planet a favour ditch them.
Going plastic free is extremely hard, it isn't even required. All we need to do is think, do I need this, is there a better way to do it?
The ghost that haunts us.
Fishing plastic is a far bigger issue than the headlines reveal, nets, ropes and trays, anyone who beach cleans will know this. Some areas in the SW can have 70% of all rubbish proven as fishing related. If you live by the coast you can join a beach clean or just do it yourself like the thousands of others around the world. The problem though is huge, not only do nets and ropes wash in weighing over 100kg they are littering the seabed, snagged on wracks and require specialist divers to retrieve.
The solutions to the ghost are political, many boats are forced to perform the equivalent of fly-tipping at sea due to a lack of port facilities or high charges for waste landed. At present, there is no law against this, no structure to ensure they are supported, no single policy. We have choices to make, is fishing really justified, should we vote with our cash and stop buying it?
The fishing industry needs investment, it needs rules and regulations, we need to change the technology and change the way we fish. Only your vote and selection of local MP's can influence this. Fishing has sustained human populations for thousands of years if we invested in it the way we do agriculture many of the problems could be resolved. This is certainly one area where Brexit gives us the power to act, it releases us from constraints. Ironically though as we leave the EU they have woken up and are seeking to end the dumping of equipment at sea. We can only hope the UK will follow this lead.
Fishing plastic is a far bigger issue than the headlines reveal, nets, ropes and trays, anyone who beach cleans will know this. Some areas in the SW can have 70% of all rubbish proven as fishing related. If you live by the coast you can join a beach clean or just do it yourself like the thousands of others around the world. The problem though is huge, not only do nets and ropes wash in weighing over 100kg they are littering the seabed, snagged on wracks and require specialist divers to retrieve.
The solutions to the ghost are political, many boats are forced to perform the equivalent of fly-tipping at sea due to a lack of port facilities or high charges for waste landed. At present, there is no law against this, no structure to ensure they are supported, no single policy. We have choices to make, is fishing really justified, should we vote with our cash and stop buying it?
The fishing industry needs investment, it needs rules and regulations, we need to change the technology and change the way we fish. Only your vote and selection of local MP's can influence this. Fishing has sustained human populations for thousands of years if we invested in it the way we do agriculture many of the problems could be resolved. This is certainly one area where Brexit gives us the power to act, it releases us from constraints. Ironically though as we leave the EU they have woken up and are seeking to end the dumping of equipment at sea. We can only hope the UK will follow this lead.