Data, in support of institutional and individual behaviour change regarding marine litter African Waste Academy's Webinar Series 25/06/2019 Fiona Preston-Whyte and Dr Adil Bakir Photo from: https://www.thesouthafrican.com/news/kzn-floods-plastic-pollution-durban- photos-march-2019/ 2019-03-12 Durban Green Corridor / Photo: Sifiso Mngoma
Monitoring of macro and meso-plastics as scientific evidence African Waste Academy's Webinar Series 25/06/2019 Fiona Preston-Whyte
United Kingdom Solomon Islands Belize Vanuatu
United Kingdom Solomon Belize Islands Vanuatu South Africa
Ocean Conservancy International Coastal Clean Up
Ocean Conservancy International Coastal Clean Up
Great British Beach Clean
Items Number collected Top 20 Polystyrene pieces 0-2,5cm 1646 Plastic pieces 0-2,5cm 1594 Beach litter items Glass broken 1463 Vanuatu Top 10 Plastic pieces 2,5-50cm 1248 found in Vanuatu Crisp/sweet packets 906 Cigarette butts 467 - The sum of the top 10 Caps/lids 372 String and cord (diameter less than 1cm) 362 items accounts for the 77% Polystyrene pieces 2,5-50cm 351 of the total items collected Food containers (including fast food containers) 231 and the top 20 items for the 88%. Other plastic 192 Lolly sticks 189 Foam sponge - Foam insulation & packing (whole and remnants) 171 - The most common items Vanuatu 11-20 are plastic and polystyrene Drinks (bottles, containers and drums) 149 pieces 0.5-2.5cm. These Other paper items 140 Drinks cans 114 fragments represent 29% cutlery/trays 96 of all items collected. Other wood < 50cm 80 Cardboard 74 Other metal pieces < 50cm 74
Item Number collected Top 20 Foam sponge - Foam cups, food packs and trays 2160 Solomon Islands Top 10 Drinks (bottles, containers and drums) 759 Beach litter items Polystyrene pieces 0-2.5cm 530 Drinks cans 412 found in Solomon Cigarette butts 362 Crisp/sweet packets and lolly sticks 328 Island Polystyrene pieces 2.5-50cm 317 Caps/lids 274 - The sum of the top 10 items Item Number collected Glass broken 265 accounts for the 67% of the total Ice lolly plastic containers 246 items collected and the top 20 Foam sponge - Foam insulation & packing 187 items for the 84%. Solomon Islands Items 11-20 Plastic pieces 2.5cm-50cm 179 Plastic pieces 0-2.5cm 163 - The most common items are Straws 160 foam sponge from food Plastic cutlery 141 packaging and plastic drinks Plastic bottle labels 136 containers. Food containers (including fast food containers) 131 Other plastic 127 String and cord (diameter less than 1cm) 116 Burnt plastic 115
Item Number collected Top 20 Plastic pieces 0-2/5cm 3575 Plastic pieces 2/5-50cm 1923 litter items found in Glass broken 1240 Belize Top 10 Bottle caps 1143 Belize Caps/lids 1054 Crisp/sweet packets 633 Plastic Bags ( e.g. Shopping) 472 Drinking plastic pouch** 389 - The sum of the top 10 items Item Number collected Drinks (bottles/containers/drums) 350 accounts for the 70% of the total Foam sponge (Foam cups/ food packs and trays) 2.5-50cm** 347 items collected and the top 20 items for the 86%. Plastic Cups 335 Other paper items 300 Polystyrene pieces 2/5-50cm* 298 - The most common items are Belize Items 11-20 Packets/bladders/aluminium foil 295 pieces of plastics and glass, metal Straws* 266 bottle caps and plastic caps/lids Polystyrene pieces 0-2/5cm* 250 Cigarette butts 237 Cutlery/trays 236 Other plastic* 210 Foam sponge (Foam cups/ food packs and trays) 0-2.5cm** 189
What changes can be made to reduce beach litter? Cigarette Glass bottle butts fragments and plastic bottles Improved Improve collection careless throw systems, away container behaviour with deposit return outreach schemes campaigns
What changes can be made to reduce beach litter? Plastic drinks Metal lids pouches Incentives, Ice lolly sticks, support of metal lolly pop sticks recycling Behavior change or alternatives (e.g. Improve careless throw seaweed based away behaviour with water pouches) outreach campaigns, (reduce) alternatives
What changes can be made to reduce beach litter? Plastic cutlery Small plastic and straws and polystyrene fragments Local burning and dumping in waterways Refuse or bring your own Regional cooperation reusable straw and or cutlery collaboration (reduce) to tackle the source of the marine litter pollution together
Polystyrene - Reduce & Improve correct disposal
Foil and film packaging, ice lolly tubes & plastic beer labels – improved collection systems, non plastic alternatives
Flip Flops & Snorkels - Guidance for tourists and locals
The importance of complementary data
Top ten items in waste
Top ten items in waste Nappy recycling/ compostable nappies Reusable nappies Municipal composting CDL with Recyclecorp Expand existing and PRIF hub plastic legislation
Plastic bags
Containers
Top ten items in waste PET Bottles 4.4% Bags 6.6% Paper 7% Glass 7.5% Organic 52.4% Organic 75.8% Hygiene 9.5%
Plastic bags
Oth ther er Suggestions – Solid olid Waste e Management • Separation of waste streams needed particular with organics and then other recyclables. • Collection and transport systems need improving and extending – reduce waste burning and toxic side effects. • Extend recycling schemes for cans and glass. • Introduce recycling/deposit return of plastic bottles. • Already great initiatives underway – supporting them
Monitoring of microplastics in environmental samples as scientific evidence for policy making African Waste Academy's Webinar Series 25/06/2019 Dr Adil Bakir
Overview • Microplastics, what’s all the fuss about? • Where do they all go? • Monitoring of microplastics: where and why? • One method fits all? • Science guiding policy or policy guiding science? Photos: 1.oceanservice.noaa.gov 2.environmentaljournal.online 3.whoi.edu
Microplastics: What's all the fuss about?
Can microplastics cause "harm"? • Despite an "explosion" in research on microplastics, a lot of knowledge gaps remain • Lack of a risk assessment for microplastics in the freshwater and marine environment is making prioritization of research drivers difficult Dris et al. (2016) • Everaert et al. (2016) Shortcomings in data necessary for risk assessments due to: • Lack of standardization and difficulties in comparison between studies • Laboratory simulations often based on unrealistic environmental concentrations with lower particle sizes than the ones sampled and monitored in the aquatic environment ( See discussion Topic 2: Plastic pollution: are we looking at the right size? ) • Gap in monitoring data Koelmans et al. (2016) • How to deal with uncertainties?
Microplastics: Where do they all go? Over 80% of the plastic entering the marine environment is coming from land- based sources [1] [1] https://www.eunomia.co.uk/marine-plastics-we-should-fight-them-on-the-beaches/
Monitoring of microplastics: where and why? • Understanding the source, pathways and fate of microplastics to the marine environment • Understanding the environmental distribution • Understanding the impacts of plastics and microplastics • Understanding Economic impacts of plastic pollution • Behavioral change
Monitoring of microplastics: where and why? • Baseline data for the abundance and properties of microplastics for the identification of "hot spots" of contamination • Long-term monitoring to investigate any short to long-term impacts of best practices and new regulations • Example of the UK and Cefas with 25 years’ worth of plastic trawled from the bottom of the sea to examine litter trends in the waters surrounding the UK. • Observation of a reduction of plastic bags found on the seabed following a reduction in use in plastic bags due to the plastic bag levy (Maes et al., 2018). ➢ Surface and water ➢ Sediment samples ➢ Biota column
Monitoring of microplastics: One method fits all? Non-destructive techniques Moderately destructive techniques Destructive techniques Micro Fourier Transform Infrared Pyrolysis GC/MS Spectroscopy Fluorescence tagging of polymers using Nile red Micro _Raman spectroscopy
Monitoring of microplastics: One method fits all?
Monitoring of microplastics: One method fits all?
Monitoring of microplastics: One method fits all?
Should science guide policy or policy guide science? • Scientific evidence plays an important role in the policy making process • Well-informed and effective policy does require robust and reliable scientific evidence • Scientific evidence is peer reviewed and quality controlled • How to take action when evidence is lacking ?
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