KT for good: We are drowning in an ocean of plastics

Plastics are hurting our sea turtles and killing our whales, along with a host of other marine animals.

Trillions of plastics are swimming in our oceans right now - five trillion pieces, to be exact, according to some estimates. They are taking over our seas so much so that if we don't stop throwing plastics away, there would be more plastic than fish in our waters by 2050.

And the worst part is: Plastics are hurting our sea turtles and killing our whales, along with a host of other marine animals.

The latest example of what marine pollution can do happened just this month in the Philippines. A dead whale was washed ashore and when experts examined it, they found 40kg of plastic bags - including rice sacks and shopping bags - inside its stomach.

In a Facebook post, a museum said the animal was filled with "the most plastic we have ever seen in a whale".

The use of throwaway plastic is a particular problem in some Southeast Asian countries. Five Asian nations - China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand - accounted for up to 60 per cent of the plastic waste that ends up in oceans, according to a 2015 report by environmental campaigner Ocean Conservancy and the McKinsey Center for Business and Environment.

In June last year, a pilot whale died in Thailand after swallowing 80 plastic bags. Its death came shortly after a report for the UK government revealed that the level of plastic in the ocean could triple in a decade, unless steps are taken to address the problem.

Some 90 per cent of the ocean plastic pollution from rivers enters through 10 major river systems in Africa and Asia. The vast majority of the debris is less than five millimetres in size ­­- and that's because plastics break down into smaller pieces over time. Despite what you may have heard, it never gets broken down completely.

Taking action

To keep plastics out of the economy, ocean companies and organisations based in and outside the UAE are involving their employees in discussions and events that aimed to tackle the issue of marine litter, including plastics, microplastics, discarded fishing gear, and other types of marine waste.

Tech firm Dell is creating the first 'commercial-scale, ocean-bound plastics supply chain' in the world. The firm processes plastics collected from beaches, waterways and coastal areas and uses them as part of a new packaging system for its XPS 13 2-in-1 laptop globally. This pilot project will start by keeping 16,000 pounds of plastics out of the ocean.

Dell employees on almost every continent also organise 'Shore Up' events, where they collect plastics and other litter from local beaches, waterways and other areas. One of the firm's 2020 Legacy of Good goals is to ensure that 100 per cent of their product packaging is sourced from sustainable materials. Also, the firm has made a pledge to the United Nations that it will increase its annual use of ocean plastics 10 times by 2025.

Dubai-based Companies For Good (CFG), on the other hand, helps businesses do good for the planet through team activities.Their most popular activities involve collecting plastics to keep our land and our oceans clean, thus saving animals and avoiding environmental pollution.

In addition to the beach clean-up, CFG does a wadi clean-up and a kayak expedition to gather plastic trash from mangroves.

Just last week, CFG organised a clean-up that saw a group of 100 employees from Estée Lauder Companies gather at the Ghantoot nature reserve. They walked around the beach for an hour to collect as much waste as they could. The result was a shocking 1,256kg of waste cleared from the beach.

"This is a huge achievement that will save the lives of many fish and other animals that live in the reserve, on top of leaving our beaches safe and pristine. We aim to remove 20,000kg of plastic waste by 2020," said Marc Ruiviejo Cirera, founder and CEO, CFG.

Jamie Charlesworth, general manager of the Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo, said: "Together, we need to create awareness and address the serious issues with the tide of pollution entering our ocean. At Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo, we run studies and conservation programmes for marine habitats and animals and encourage daily recycling practices."

saman@khaleejtimes.com

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