Science Forward

Various types of plastic items, like shampoo bottles, water bottles and caps, bubble wrap and other types of packaging are in the largest category of land-based solid waste. Many of these items get introduced into water sources and eventually the ocean. Of course, the majority of fish, birds, and other aquatic organisms are not able to differentiate a tiny plastic bottle cap from their real food, i.e., other sea life. The ingestion of these plastics is extremely detrimental to the lives of the ocean creatures, causing all kinds of health problems and eventually death (as detailed in the previous section). Just as we have created this problem, so too can we solve it with some ingenuity and collaborative community efforts. There have been numerous efforts to diminish the amount of plastics that enter our oceans. For example, in 2006, an act entitled “Marine Debris Research, Prevention, and Reduction Act” was established, aiming to create a program within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the United States Coast Guard to “help identify, determine sources of, assess, reduce, and prevent marine debris and its adverse impacts on the marine environment…” Since the establishment of the act, the staff of the NOAA Marine Debris Program has worked in the U.S. to protect the marine environment, investigating sources of pollution and encouraging other organizations to help fund the process.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has also awarded grants to help with the ocean cleanup, a process that requires more than just removing waste that is already in the ocean. In 2012, the EPA awarded $214,000 in grants to reduce disposable plastic packaging as well as fund community action projects geared towards reducing sources of plastics. EPA’s Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest, Jared Blumenfield comments, “Reducing waste at the source, rather than just cleaning it up, is key to protecting our coastal waters.” [1]
The EPA also suggests that we should “reduce, reuse, and recycle” plastics to manage the pollutants that enter the oceans. For the first two stages (reduce and reuse) involve “source reduction” which can occur by altering the design, manufacture, or use of plastic products and materials. However, there are other problems posed by plastics that cannot be reused or recycled. The EPA states, “proper disposal and management of these used plastics is necessary to prevent it from being carried into waterways and the ocean.” [2]
It is imperative that the management of plastics in our ocean is dealt with sooner rather than later. One study, conducted by Jennifer Lavers at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies in 2013 suggests that the proportion of the shearwater population ingesting plastic has increased over four years. [3] Another study conducted by the US Academy of Sciences estimated that worldwide marine litter accumulates to approximately 6.4 million tons each year. [4] Scientists are not sure of the long-term effects that plastics will have on our oceans, but it is clear that marine life will continue to suffer if a group global effort is not made to limit plastic waste.

1. Yogi, David. “EPA Awards $214,000 to Reduce Sources of Ocean Pollution.” United States Environmental Protection Agency.
2. “Prevention, Control, and Reduction: Plastics.” United States Environmental Protection Agency.
3. Lavers, Jennifer, et al. “Plastic Ingestion by Flesh-Footed Shearwaters (Puffinus carnies): Implications for Fledgling Body Condition and the Accumulation of Plastic-Derived Chemicals.” Environmental Pollution 187 (Apr. 2014): 124-129. Web.
4. “Distribution of Marine Litter.” United Nations Environmental Programme.