Plastics industry tackles marine debris

Plastics industry tackles marine debris

By Editorial Staff, Resource Recycling

A new report offers updates on the efforts of plastics organizations to curb marine debris.

The Progress Report on the Global Declaration of the Plastics Associations for Solutions on Marine Litter highlights 140 projects that are either currently operating or planned by the 58 associations signing the declaration. Projects include several university-led studies to monitor debris flows and estimate volumes, education and outreach efforts on better recycling and waste management practices, lobbying for improved recycling and energy recovery programs and other initiatives.

An estimated 80 percent of marine debris is believed to originate from poor waste management, litter and other land-based sources.

"The plastics industry is firmly committed to the principle that plastics do not belong in the world's oceans and should not be littered — plastics should be responsibly used, reused, recycled and finally recovered for their energy value. I'm pleased that actions taken in 2012 and planned for 2013 greatly exceed our commitments from November 2011," said American Chemistry Council Plastic's Division vice president, Steve Russell.

The full progress report can be downloaded here [1].

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