Standards as a Tool for Reducing Plastic Waste

Standards are one avenue for addressing the problems caused by plastic pollution. By addressing quality and safety plus information and measurement, reducing variety and increasing compatibility, standards can help to drive the transition to a circular economy for plastic resources. The aim of this work was to classify existing plastic standards within a circular economy framework and to identify potential gaps and highlight where future standards development might be focused. Using desktop research on existing standards, 95 plastic standards were identified, only 9 of which are Australian standards. The majority of the standards cover recycling and compostable or biodegradable plastics. There are significant opportunities to develop standards pertaining to higher levels of the plastics waste hierarchy, such as design and reuse

Standards as a Tool for Reducing Plastic Waste

Standards are one avenue for addressing the problems caused by plastic pollution. By addressing quality and safety plus information and measurement, reducing variety and increasing compatibility, standards can help to drive the transition to a circular economy for plastic resources. The aim of this work was to classify existing plastic standards within a circular economy framework and to identify potential gaps and highlight where future standards development might be focused. Using desktop research on existing standards, 95 plastic standards were identified, only 9 of which are Australian standards. The majority of the standards cover recycling and compostable or biodegradable plastics. There are significant opportunities to develop standards pertaining to higher levels of the plastics waste hierarchy, such as design and reuse

Ingested Plastics Data

Cleaned plastics ingestion dat

Global analysis of anthropogenic debris ingestion by sea turtles

Ingestion of marine debris can have lethal and sublethal effects on sea turtles and other wildlife. Although researchers have reported on ingestion of anthropogenic debris by marine turtles and implied incidences of debris ingestion have increased over time, there has not been a global synthesis of the phenomenon since 1985. Thus, we analyzed 37 studies published from 1985 to 2012 that report on data collected from before 1900 through 2011. Specifically, we investigated whether ingestion prevalence has changed over time, what types of debris are most commonly ingested, the geographic distribution of debris ingestion by marine turtles relative to global debris distribution, and which species and life-history stages are most likely to ingest debris. The probability of green (Chelonia mydas) and leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) ingesting debris increased significantly over time, and plastic was the most commonly ingested debris. Turtles in nearly all regions studied ingest debris, but the probability of ingestion was not related to modeled debris densities. Furthermore, smaller, oceanic-stage turtles were more likely to ingest debris than coastal foragers, whereas carnivorous species were less likely to ingest debris than herbivores or gelatinovores. Our results indicate oceanic leatherback turtles and green turtles are at the greatest risk of both lethal and sublethal effects from ingested marine debris. To reduce this risk, anthropogenic debris must be managed at a global level

Modelling the relative risk of plastic pollution to wildlife when data are scarce: an applied approach in the Mekong and Ganges river basins

Plastic pollution of aquatic ecosystems is a growing environmental problem. Most plastic pollution originates from land-based sources and is transported via rivers, where plastic densities can exceed those at sea. Rivers in southeast Asia are regularly identified among those transporting the greatest plastic loads globally, yet are among the least studied major river systems. This is particularly concerning since they provide habitat for commercially, culturally and ecologically important species. We present a four-step risk framework to assess the relative risk to wildlife at different sections of a river, particularly where data may be sparse. We apply this method to a case study in the Ganges and Mekong rivers. The first step is to estimate litter density and abandoned fishing gear (ALDFG) to determine the relative level of pressure from ingestion or entanglement. Step two uses a risk assessment to determine the likelihood of a species interacting with a given item, and the further likelihood of a negative outcome of that encounter. Step three determines the overlap of the habitat of the species with the litter present in the environment, and the final step integrates all of these factors to present an overall relative risk to migratory species within each watershed. In the Ganges and Mekong rivers, entanglement represents the highest risk to species. The methods presented here estimate the relative risk to vertebrate fauna from litter interactions in rivers where empirical data are not available, aiming to determine (i) where in each river do we expect to find the most plastic and ALDFG and (ii) whether species suspected to be threatened by plastic pollution overlap with these predicted high-risk regions. This approach will aid decision-makers to make informed precautionary assessments bridging data gaps about relative plastic loads and associated risks in aquatic systems, until empirical data becomes available

Debris Surveys in Three African Cities Demonstrate Influence of Local Clean-Up Efforts

Plastic debris is a significant problem aesthetically, environmentally, and across food chains. Hence it is important to increase understanding of the mechanisms of how this debris is distributed and potentially managed, especially in areas such as Africa with relatively large populations and poor infrastructure. Debris can be derived from local sources (such as the resident population) or from further afield via wind or ocean currents. We investigated these by systematically measuring debris density in sites on land and on coastal sites in three regions around Africa (Cape Town, Durban and Mombasa), and compared these between and within regions. We then compared them to simulated flows of debris on currents in the surrounding ocean to hypothesize likely sources of debris. Comparisons of relative quantity and makeup of inland and coastal debris suggested different patterns at different sites. We expected the Agulhas Current (coming from Indian Ocean and east coast Africa) to be a strong source of debris and therefore have a strong effect on the arrival of debris in eastern coastal sites, and the Benguela Current (from the southern Atlantic Ocean) to have a weaker effect. However, the evidence collected here seemed mixed in support of this and was greater in support of debris coming predominantly from local sources