“Plastics in the marine environment have become a major concern because of their persistence at sea, and adverse consequences to marine life and potentially human health. Implementing mitigation strategies requires an understanding and quantification of marine plastic sources, taking spatial and temporal variability into account. Here we present a global model of plastic inputs from rivers into oceans based on waste management, population density and hydrological information. Our model is calibrated against measurements available in the literature.

We estimate that between 1.15 and 2.41 million tonnes of plastic waste currently enters the ocean every year from rivers, with over 74% of emissions occurring between May and October. The top 20 polluting rivers, mostly located in Asia, account for 67% of the global total. The findings of this study provide baseline data for ocean plastic mass balance exercises, and assist in prioritizing future plastic debris monitoring and mitigation strategies.”

See the whole article here: https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms15611

We collect plastic and other waste on 6 days a week on Negros Island, Philippines. Areas of operation are beaches, estuaries and mangrove forests, as most plastic enters the oceans via rivers and beaches.

By doing this, we prevent plastic from entering the oceans in the first place and turning into microplastics. In addition, we don’t need expensive technology and involve local people.

By the way: In the meantime, evidence of microplastics has even been found in the Arctic and in human blood.

Wir sammeln an 6 Tagen die Woche auf der Insel Negros, Philippinen. Einsatzgebiete sind Strände, Flussmündungen und Mangrovenwälder, da das meiste Plastik über Flüsse und Strände in die Ozeane gelangt.

Wir verhindern damit, dass Plastik überhaupt die Ozeane erreicht und zu Mikroplastik werden kann. Außerdem brauchen wir keine teure Technologie und beteiligen die Menschen vor Ort.

By the way: Inzwischen wurde sogar schon in der Arktis und in menschlichem Blut der Nachweis von Mikroplastik erbracht.