A Rising Tide of Ocean Debris and What We Can Do About It

During the 2008 International Coastal Cleanup in September, nearly 400,000 volunteers picked up an astounding 6.8 million pounds of trash, trash that has a major impact on ocean health. Toxic materials enter the food chain, sharp items injure beachgoers, and accident-causing debris snarls boat propellers. Trash weakens economies, sapping precious dollars from tourism and our seafood industries. And it harms individual species as well as entire ecosystems, like coral reefs, that are essential for the survival of marine life.

The Marine Debris Index is the only state-by-state, country-by-country measure of trash in our waterways and ocean. During the 2008 Cleanup, volunteers collected 11,077 diapers in the Philippines, 19,504 fishing nets in the United Kingdom, and 1,362,741 cigarette butts in the US. That's the kind of information that helps planners at the local, regional, national, and international levels tackle marine debris effectively.

All readily fall from human hands, and can be easily contained if people dispose of them carefully.

Animals choke or become poisoned when they eat trash, and drown when they become entangled in bags, ropes, and old fishing gear. The majority of entangled animals found during the Cleanup were bound up by old fishing line. The loss of wildlife affects not only the beauty and health of the planet, but also countless local economies based on the bounty of the sea.

Marine debris is yet another stress on an ocean already facing transformation due to global climate change in the guise of rising sea levels, warming water, and changing ocean chemistry. As marine organisms and ecosystems struggle to adapt to climate change, we can improve their resilience and help to give them a fighting chance by eliminating the stresses caused by human impacts like trash in the ocean.

No longer are conservation coalitions drawn just from the roles of government, foundations, and nongovernmental organizations. Citizens and especially corporations are demanding change as never before. The mandate for corporate sustainability is being driven directly from the boardroom, and progressive corporations are key to success. We must look for new and broader opportunities to pull them into solution scenarios.

For instance, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Schnitzer Steel Hawaii Corporation, Covanta Energy, and other public and private organizations all support the "Nets-to-Energy" program in Hawaii, which collects and burns lost fishing gear to get it out of the ocean and turn it into electricity. The program has been replicated in New England, where every ton of gear collected provides enough electricity to heat a home for 25 days.

The Keep America Beautiful Cigarette Litter Prevention Program, supported by funding from Philip Morris USA, an Altria Company, encourages smokers to change their behaviors and properly dispose of cigarette butts, cigar tips, and packaging - items that commonly wind up in the ocean now. And the Disney Vero Beach Resort in Florida stopped using plastic drinking straws (a top item found during the state's Cleanups) to make beaches safer for nesting sea turtles and other wildlife.

Understanding the sources and impacts of marine debris is integral to finding solutions that work on a permanent basis. While data from volunteer events like the Cleanup are helpful, they represent only a snapshot of the debris problem. We need science-based solutions, and therefore more funding for scientific research that can help us focus our attention on areas of greatest vulnerability and target types of marine debris that are proving most harmful. Research can also help us identify debris-reduction techniques that provide solutions for the long term.

The concept of going green starts with living blue - making daily decisions with the ocean's health in mind. Behavioral changes like choosing products that use less packaging or taking reusable bags to the grocery store are critical to keeping trash out of the ocean. Just one small step repeated by everyone can make a world of difference for ocean habitats and wildlife ranging from the largest whales to the smallest sea snails.

Consider recycling. As much as we hear about it, not nearly enough people have dedicated themselves to sorting their recyclables. A significant portion of trash picked up on beaches during the Cleanup could have been kept out of waterways and the ocean through recycling. The EPA says the United States generates the equivalent of 4.5 pounds of solid waste per person per day, yet we recycle just 33.4 percent of it. The EPA also estimates that Americans use more than 90 billion plastic bags a year, with just a fraction reaching recycling facilities. Many bags end up in the ocean as marine debris. When Ireland levied a fee on each plastic bag used by consumers, single-use disposal bag consumption dropped by more than 90 percent.

Especially effective in encouraging recycling and waste reduction are "pay-as-you-throw" trash pick-up programs that charge based on the amount of trash thrown away. People are motivated to reduce what they put out for collection at the curb when their wallets are directly impacted. As of 2006, more than 7,000 communities in 47 states have instituted pay-as-you-throw programs; a number of these communities have a recycling rate of 60 percent, as compared to just over 30 percent from non-pay-as-you-throw communities. The system has economic rewards as well: In Fort Worth, Texas, 92 percent of residents pay less for garbage disposal than they did under the old system. The city also cut its waste management costs by 25 percent.

Then there is the old-fashioned solution - use less stuff. People must be made aware of just how much waste material - all of it potential marine debris - we create in the wake of our daily existence. Simply learning to cut back on the amount of synthetic packaging we use by refusing that plastic bag at the grocery store or the foam sandwich carton at the take-out counter can greatly reduce the sheer amount of stuff in our world.

Human ingenuity is an incredible thing. It has already led to some of the breakthroughs we need to reduce dangerous marine litter. The ITW Hi-Cone company has not only reduced the amount of plastic used in their six-pack holders by 30 percent, but in the 1970s developed a photodegradable version; the rings float on the water, and within days sunlight reduces their strength by up to 75 percent so that if an animal gets entangled, it can break away. Depending on the season and intensity of the UV sunlight, within weeks these rings will become completely brittle and crumble in a strong wind or upon contact. It took time, but by 1988 they were used throughout the United States, and worldwide by 1990. More recently, innovations like new bottle designs that use less material than traditional shapes have entered the scene.

Biodegradable plastics under development include those made from soy and corn. Polylactic acid (PLA) can be processed on existing plastics equipment, which is certainly attractive to industries with billions invested in infrastructure. These plastics biodegrade in water and soil, and compost readily. Currently, bioplastics cost more and may have physical characteristics that don't quite match those of synthetics, but better versions that are stronger, more durable, and more versatile are under development. Where new technologies seem too expensive on first glance, we must weigh aspects like price against hidden costs like waste management, dead and injured animals, and greenhouse gas emissions.

The ocean is the engine that drives climate, and must be included in all work to lessen climate change impacts. The reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is not enough to protect the ocean; we need to reduce other human-caused stressors like marine debris, so ocean life has a better chance of adapting to climate change. People want to do the right thing, and policy, a powerful embodiment of public will, is an important tool for success. Let your elected officials know you want them to support legislation that will protect our ocean for the long term. Encourage legislators to put in place efforts to reduce marine debris. From hometown regulations on waste management to international laws on ocean dumping, the ocean needs protection.

Citizens can actively support climate change policies that protect the ocean. Government, for its part, must lead with policy changes that include strategies to minimize the negative impacts climate change has on the ocean. See www.oceanconservancy.org/climatechange for more information.

Events like the Cleanup really do make a difference, whether making the local beach or coastline free of debris or raising awareness and empowering employees or individuals to take action and support a healthier, more resilient ocean. For more information and to sign up as a volunteer for the next International Coastal Cleanup on September 19, 2009, visit www.coastalcleanup.org.