Exports of plastic waste are another threat to the seas

Published: 08/06/2021 – 12:39

Plastic pollution greatly affects the oceans. According to Greenpeace, there are currently about 12 million tons of plastic in our oceans. Plastic particles less than 5 millimeters are particularly complex if a quarter comes from the remaining fishing gear at sea.

« Microplastics and nanoplastics are a problem By the sea animals consuming them, Explains Agnes Le Rusic from Greenpeace Canada. These animals are often purposefulS first Human consumption and they are consumed by d‘Other marine animals in the food chain. Microplastics contain additives and persistent contaminants, most of which are called endocrine disruptors. So this causes a problem.There isFor wildlife health, marine life and human health. »

Environmental associations therefore consider plastic oceans to be one of the future dangers. If we believe that plastics are recycled as soon as they are placed in a sorting tank, they can actually be exported to the other side of the world in container ships.

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Ten million tons of plastic waste is exported every year

Every year, about ten million tons of plastic waste is dumped by boat into our planet’s oceans. For a long time, used food packaging, bags or even plastic bottles were shipped by major powers in Europe, the United States, Canada and Japan. Win-win »: Container vessels carrying goods made from China will load plastic waste to avoid empty circulation.

But in 2018 the situation changed. “ First China bans imports of plastic waste [cette année-là], Summarizes Charlotte Nietzsche’s Association for the Protection of the Environment Robin Hood, And In His collection is from Malaysia or L.A.‘Indonesiansie, plastic waste streams s‘Perspective towards Vietnam, TaIHeathland and the Philippines. A section extends towards the African continent, From Africa‘West, but also to North Africa, Turkey and Tunisia. If we take in a wider sense of all the waste that plastic contains, we see PhillyThere isRes to NikeRhea, Ghana, cTakes away d ‘Ivory and Benin. »

Undetectable

These waste exports are complex because recycling is not always recycled. Waste-receiving countries do not always have efficient recycling tracks and incoming waste does not need to be cleaned or sorted.

Therefore, if plastic waste is relatively detected until it arrives abroad, it is difficult to know what will happen next. So exporting plastic waste over long distances is, according to the Robin des Boise Association, a loss of control and a traceability.

« The main danger, Charlotte Nietzsche continues, c‘This waste is not reuseds, rItsWorkAge, retiree, and‘They end up in diceFee Open sky, without any protection of the natural environment, with pollution‘Including water‘Drinking water and‘Agricultural water is usedBy local people. Waste can also end up in the oceans. We have examples of dicepoAcross the wild ts riverEra and River: dès கு‘Heavy rain falls and the waste is filtered towards the riverThere isRe or river, or falls directly into the sea. Then they eat up a significant flow of plastic waste‘We can seeMarine environment. »

About 80% of the plastic in the oceans thus comes through rivers and streams. The invention is dangerous. Hence the call of voluntary charities to limit plastic production and create local recycling tracks. Fewer and fewer countries agree that they are “the trash cans of the world.” At the end of May, customs imposed on Tucker A fine of 3 million euros To a German ship full of illegal plastic waste.