Plastic and Our Oceans

Wherever you are. Look around you. I can almost guarantee there will be some plastic in view. Plastics are everywhere.

The first fully synthetic plastic, Bakelite was invented by Leo Baekeland in 1907. Since then, thousands of plastics have been developed, all with slightly different properties. Synthetic plastics can be moulded, designed to resist corrosion for durability and to have a high strength to weight ratio.

All of this means that plastics can help us to protect food, package items, produce lightweight, inexpensive products and even insulate our homes. However, the same properties which make plastic ‘fantastic’ can cause problems when synthetic plastic comes to the end of its useful life.

Synthetic plastics are derived from either petroleum or natural gas, both of which are fossil fuels. Although some plastics such as Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), commonly found in drink and water bottles are recyclable, only 1/3 of plastic packaging purchased by UK consumers is recycled, the remainder ending up in landfill. However, the problem of waste plastic is much bigger than the UK alone.

8 million tonnes of plastic enter the World’s oceans each year. Plastic in the oceans can be sharp, toxic and hazardous to marine life. Microplastics (small plastic pieces < 5 mm in size) can enter the marine food chain. Our fascination with the ocean, which is often seen as the World’s last wilderness, is reflected in the consumer passion and media attention which the rise in ocean plastics and impact on marine life is receiving.

Naturalist David Attenborough, who has just finished production of the latest addition to his iconic Blue Planet Series, has urged for action on plastics. Emotive images of wildlife caught in plastic bags, entangled in plastic wrapping and clutching plastic debris have captured the hearts and minds of the public. The recent discovery of 30 carrier bags in the body of a whale on the coast of Norway is one example, which highlights the emotive nature, and scale of the problem. By 2050, there will be more plastic, than fish in the ocean (by weight).

So, is it all doom and gloom, or can we make a difference?

Our reliance on plastic is enormous, and there are many benefits of plastic, helping to reduce food waste by prolonging the shelf life of food, for example. However, although plastic can be recycled, over 90% of plastics are currently derived from virgin feedstocks.

So, what are governments and other organisations doing?

• Legislation: The introduction of a plastic bag charge in the UK, saw an 85% decrease in plastic bag use, indicating that small financial consequences can initiate large changes in consumer behaviour. One leading supermarket have gone a step further, halting the sales of the 5p single use carriers and moving to offering only a 94% recycled plastic ‘bag for life’ at 10p.
• Legislation: Deposit return schemes are common place in many European countries; the schemes, where a small refundable deposit is added to the price of certain products with the money being paid back to the customer on the return of the empty packaging. Both Scotland and England are looking at the possibility of implementing deposit return schemes. Read more on our Return Scheme Blog HERE.
• Using ocean plastic: Ecover have announced that they will be producing a limited edition plastic bottle containing 50% ocean plastic to package their washing up liquid. In a similar vein, Proctor and Gamble have announced that they will introduce a new bottle with a mixture of post-consumer recycled and ocean plastic for its iconic ‘Fairy’ brand detergent. This new bottle will contain 10% ocean plastic and will reach customers in 2018. Both products with the aim of increasing consumer awareness.
• Lucozade received some very public criticism for its use of PET bottles with a plastic shrink outer which makes them very difficult to recycle. The company recently announced it is looking into alternative, more recyclable packaging solution.
• Adidas are making shoes from reclaimed ocean plastic.

What other solutions are out there?

• Compostable packaging – is completely biodegradable after use. Not suitable for every application, but becoming increasingly popular. Compostable packaging cannot be recycled alongside other plastics, so compostable and recyclable materials need to follow separate pathways after use.
• Bio-based plastics – originate at least in part from biomass, not to be confused with compostable packaging as bio-based plastics are not necessarily compostable at end of life. Mushroom based alternatives to polystyrene are already in production and can be composted at end of life.

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