The ocean is so vast that it’s hard to imagine that we humans can do anything to damage it. But today there are over seven billion people living on earth. The demand for food and the pervasive use of single-use plastic is taking its toll on the ocean.
Of course plastic is not the only thing damaging our oceans but it’s by far the worst offender. Experts estimate that some eight million metric tonnes of plastic waste enter our oceans annually. Some micro-plastics — bits of plastic that are less than five millimetres long — also find their way to the sea and these end up getting ingested by fish and other marine animals.
Experts say if things don’t change there will be more plastic than fish by 2050. This isn’t inevitable. A change in public opinion about single-use plastic and various initiatives and technologies are trying to repair the harm done thus far and turn the tide on plastics in the ocean. Here are some of the most promising solutions.
APPS
Marine Debris Tracker (www.marinedebris.engr.uga.edu) is an app developed by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the University of Georgia. It allows people to report when they see marine debris or litter along the coastlines or waterways.
Clean Swell (oceanconservancy.org/trash-free-seas/international-coastal-cleanup/cleanswell) lets you track your individual clean-up progress, compare it with others’ and helps the Ocean Conservancy — a global movement to keep the oceans trash free — track what items find their way onto beaches. Plus, you can share your efforts via social to encourage others to help to do their part too.
SEABIN
Seabin, as its name implies is literally a floating rubbish bin designed to help keep ports and marina clean. The device moves up and down with the range of tide, collecting all floating rubbish along the way. Water is sucked in from the surface and passes through a catch bag inside the Seabin, with a submersible water pump capable of displacing 25.000 litres per hour, plugged directly into either a 110V or 220V outlet. The water is then pumped back into the marina leaving litter and debris trapped in the catch bag. Seabin can catch an estimated 3.9kg of floating debris per day or 1.4 tonnes per year (depending on weather and debris volumes) including micro plastics down to 2mm small.
THE OCEAN CLEANUP
The Ocean Cleanup’s technology aims to tackle the so-called “Great Pacific Garbage Patch”, a huge accumulation of plastic (roughly twice the size of Texas) floating between Hawaii and California. The technique used is a 600-metre floating pipe, carried by the ocean waves, which captures plastic along the way. It’s supposed to be able to collect up to five tonnes of ocean plastic per month.
Because most of the current flows underneath, and plastic tends to floats at the top, this technology prevents fish and other marine species from getting caught. The organisation’s ambitious goal is to remove 90 per cent of the ocean’s plastic by 2040.
EDIBLE PACKAGING
Around 40 per cent of plastic manufactured is single-use packaging, some of which eventually find its way to the ocean. Several companies are working on creating edible packaging instead.
Skipping Rocks Lab is an innovative sustainable packaging start-up pioneering the use of natural materials extracted from seaweed to create packaging with low environmental impact. The company’s goal is to create waste-free alternatives to plastic bottles, cups, plates and so on.
Its first product, Ooho, is a spherical flexible packaging that can also be used for liquids including water, soft drinks, spirits and cosmetics. According to the company, its proprietary material is actually cheaper than plastic. The Ooho material degrades in a natural environment in six weeks and is edible.
Evoware makes eco-friendly, biodegradable and edible food packaging using seaweed as the raw material. Its products have a two-year shelf life, even without any preservatives, and are high in fibre, vitamins and minerals. They can be customised to give a specific taste, colour and brand logo. They are also printable and heat sealable. Its edible-grade products include food wraps (burger wrap, sandwiches, bread, etc), coffee sachets and dry seasoning sachets.
GLOBAL MOVEMENT
The New Plastics Economy is a global initiative involving over 250 companies that aims to build a plastics system that doesn’t harm the environment. It brings together key stakeholders to rethink and redesign the future of plastics, starting with packaging. According to its vision, in a new plastics economy, plastic never becomes waste or pollution. It aims to do this by promoting the elimination of problematic or unnecessary plastic packaging through redesign, innovation, and new delivery models, encouraging the use of plastic packaging that is 100 per cent reusable, recyclable or compostable.
With all these things happening, our oceans may actually have a chance to be plastic-free within a generation.
Oon Yeoh is a consultant with experiences in print, online and mobile media. Reach him atoonyeoh@gmail.com.