Plastics in the ocean

[Bedford Roughyed]

Blue Planet is hammering it home, we are ruining this planet.

What are you going to do to stop using single use plastics?

Stop using plastic straws? Take your own reusable mug to the coffee shop?  Stop using glitter?  Or micro scrubbing beads?

[henage]

Ban single use plastic .

Ban micro beads in shower gels etc

Ban large chain coffee shops .

Give the people/firms that produce this stuff 1 year to find other materials for there produces .

Its disgusting full stop .

 

[Kayakman]

12 minutes ago, Bedford Roughyed said:

Blue Planet is hammering it home, we are ruining this planet.

What are you going to do to stop using single use plastics?

Stop using plastic straws? Take your own reusable mug to the coffee shop?  Stop using glitter?  Or micro scrubbing beads?

I've been on many long time solo kayak trips/expeditions all over...it always comes as a shock to me that no matter how pristine the wilderness I always find plastic.   The photo below is from just a beautiful magnificent beach that I camped on on Northern Ontario...beautiful and peaceful there...you guessed it found plastic.

You feel disgusted when you find dead wildlife that has plastic rings around the bill or chunks of plastic caught in the throat...deadly.

Although there is a new critical problem that only someone who spends a huge amount of time on the water and camping on isolated sea shores would notice.....MEDICAL WASTE...old needles and plastic sieves...operating room stuff and lots of it but its concentrated in a small area.  This stuff must cost big $$$$$$ to dispose of so someone is going to an awful lot of trouble trying to save an awful lot of money.  Its really shocking and disgusting to come upon.

[henage]

I have a friend that fishes for carp and works with the local association as a  bailiff  .

One of associations  lakes is along the banks of the Humber Estuary (saltwater/brackish/fresh/tidal) a few years ago the area had a tidal surge . Humber burst its banks and effected the local lakes , luckily the salt content just stayed below the level that would have killed the fresh water fish .

Big clean up was required , after many weeks of work from volunteers over 5 tonnes of plastic was removed from the lake and surrounding banks . Something needs doing but wont be holding my breath .

[Kayakman]

11 minutes ago, henage said:

I have a friend that fishes for carp and works with the local association as a  bailiff  .

One of associations  lakes is along the banks of the Humber Estuary (saltwater/brackish/fresh/tidal) a few years ago the area had a tidal surge . Humber burst its banks and effected the local lakes , luckily the salt content just stayed below the level that would have killed the fresh water fish .

Big clean up was required , after many weeks of work from volunteers over 5 tonnes of plastic was removed from the lake and surrounding banks . Something needs doing but wont be holding my breath .

Was in isolated area in the tropics and kayaking/camping...wind came up overnight...awoke to find this lovely site on my campsite.

I think we could modify the severity of this problem with continued public information campaigns...there are people who care (like you and your friends with the cleanup).  Most people do not understand the extent of the problem.

48 minutes ago, Bedford Roughyed said:

Blue Planet is hammering it home, we are ruining this planet.

What are you going to do to stop using single use plastics?

Stop using plastic straws? Take your own reusable mug to the coffee shop?  Stop using glitter?  Or micro scrubbing beads?

Reduce...reuse...recycle...RETHINK!

[Bedford Roughyed]

[henage]

12 hours ago, Kayakman said:

Was in isolated area in the tropics and kayaking/camping...wind came up overnight...awoke to find this lovely site on my campsite.

I think we could modify the severity of this problem with continued public information campaigns...there are people who care (like you and your friends with the cleanup).  Most people do not understand the extent of the problem.

Reduce...reuse...recycle...RETHINK!

Was beach fishing on Sunday .

If you change the rock for sand its the same picture .

I always take my rubbish home plus anymore I walk/come across .

[Mark S]

The problem is that nobody cares until it affects them. People who throw rubbish out of their cars would be the first to kick off when the local council puts up council tax to cover the cost of cleaning up. 

[Saintslass]

14 hours ago, henage said:

Ban single use plastic .

Ban micro beads in shower gels etc

Ban large chain coffee shops .

Give the people/firms that produce this stuff 1 year to find other materials for there produces .

Its disgusting full stop .

 

Micro-beads have already been banned in the UK haven't they?

 

[JonM]

1 minute ago, Saintslass said:

Micro-beads have already been banned in the UK haven't they?

Kind of. They will be banned in "rinse-off" products (eg soaps) and toothpaste, still allowed in "leave on" products like lipstick or sunscreen. The ban on sale comes into force middle of next year.

[Shadow]

Coincidentally this turned up in my Facebook feed today

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2J2qdOrW44

I'm displaying it as a link as it's quite unpleasant from the start

[Bedford Roughyed]

6 minutes ago, JonM said:

Kind of. They will be banned in "rinse-off" products (eg soaps) and toothpaste, still allowed in "leave on" products like lipstick or sunscreen. The ban on sale comes into force middle of next year.

They haven't passed the law yet have they?  Its due to put through in this year, but hadn't yet?

[saddleworth]

The problem being that the onus always falls on to the common man. Hows about legislating to the producers of all this garbage. .  In my childhood days, we took a large cloth bag to the local store, all items being wrapped in paper. Todays fare cannot be offered without the use of plastics unfortunately. Has anyone taken into account the dozens of gigantic cruise ships sailing the seas?. What happens to their millions of plastic items and don't say that they ship them all back to their ports of origin which involves tremendous costs and precious downtime. It all boils down to the fact that mankind will have to stop being lazy, inconsiderate sods and re-cycle in the correct manner.

[JonM]

8 minutes ago, Bedford Roughyed said:

They haven't passed the law yet have they?  Its due to put through in this year, but hadn't yet?

Correct. It was announced by Michael Gove before parliamentary recess and stated as coming into effect within 12 months, along with various calls for consultation with DEFRA on the issue, but then not mentioned in the Queen's speech. But no reason to doubt the word of a respected government minister like Mr. Gove, right?

[henage]

31 minutes ago, saddleworth said:

The problem being that the onus always falls on to the common man. Hows about legislating to the producers of all this garbage. .  In my childhood days, we took a large cloth bag to the local store, all items being wrapped in paper. Todays fare cannot be offered without the use of plastics unfortunately. Has anyone taken into account the dozens of gigantic cruise ships sailing the seas?. What happens to their millions of plastic items and don't say that they ship them all back to their ports of origin which involves tremendous costs and precious downtime. It all boils down to the fact that mankind will have to stop being lazy, inconsiderate sods and re-cycle in the correct manner.

I would hope the cruise industry not only saves its rubbish to dispose of correctly on land , but advertises the fact to its customers .

 

[Kayakman]

43 minutes ago, henage said:

I would hope the cruise industry not only saves its rubbish to dispose of correctly on land , but advertises the fact to its customers .

 

And their used medical supplies?????...too expensive due to the diseases et., al. to properly dispose of at next docking site.  Alot easier just to dump it....I think thats why I find it concentrated in small isolated beaches...I think it is being dumped from boats.

As a person actually told me about dumping manure into water supplies many years ago:  "The SOLUTION to POLLUTION is DILUTION!"-they thought they were being smart.

[henage]

Would it be possible to take serial numbers ? from the medical waste and trace back to suppliers .

Is anyone in authority interested if this could be done .

 

[Kayakman]

1 hour ago, henage said:

Would it be possible to take serial numbers ? from the medical waste and trace back to suppliers .

Is anyone in authority interested if this could be done .

 

Much of it is generic.e.g. needles and such. wish I had a photo but don't...there are used gauze pads with remnants of blood and everything (just slightly pink because of being immersed in water...surgery stuff...tape...generic health packaging....

To be frank I really try to avoid it at all costs because it is very gross and the needles are worrying...remember I'm on my own in the deep brush/wilderness  on these trips and a priority must be  lack of injury; especially burns and cuts.

I've included a photo of my approach to the nicest beach of all (very few know of it or have ever been there), the last of the great untouched dunes/desert from the last major Ice Age....untouched purity my friends!  The most beautiful and untouched Garden of Eden...many unique and endangered species of flora/ fauna (I was there, with permission as a Field Naturalist)... YUP!...you guessed it....found some plastic on the beach!

[damp squib]

On 20/11/2017 at 1:42 PM, saddleworth said:

The problem being that the onus always falls on to the common man. Hows about legislating to the producers of all this garbage. .  In my childhood days, we took a large cloth bag to the local store, all items being wrapped in paper. Todays fare cannot be offered without the use of plastics unfortunately. Has anyone taken into account the dozens of gigantic cruise ships sailing the seas?. What happens to their millions of plastic items and don't say that they ship them all back to their ports of origin which involves tremendous costs and precious downtime. It all boils down to the fact that mankind will have to stop being lazy, inconsiderate sods and re-cycle in the correct manner.

This is a really good point. In fact I read an article recently that discussed how lobby groups for various industries effectively hijacked green movements in the 70s to change the focus of environmentalism from industry regulation to consumer choices. Basically making it appear that saving the planet depends on you and I using re-usable cups etc. rather than changing the behaviour of huge, polluting industries.

Which is not to say that consumer choices aren't important (I'm your stereotypical yoghurt knitting hippy), but they're a microbead in the ocean compared to what major corporations do to the planet.

On a different note, after reading this thread does anyone else really want to go on a Canadian kayak trip with Kayakman?

[Bedford Roughyed]

42 minutes ago, damp squib said:

On a different note, after reading this thread does anyone else really want to go on a Canadian kayak trip with Kayakman?

Yes!

[Kayakman]

4 hours ago, damp squib said:

This is a really good point. In fact I read an article recently that discussed how lobby groups for various industries effectively hijacked green movements in the 70s to change the focus of environmentalism from industry regulation to consumer choices. Basically making it appear that saving the planet depends on you and I using re-usable cups etc. rather than changing the behaviour of huge, polluting industries.

Which is not to say that consumer choices aren't important (I'm your stereotypical yoghurt knitting hippy), but they're a microbead in the ocean compared to what major corporations do to the planet.

On a different note, after reading this thread does anyone else really want to go on a Canadian kayak trip with Kayakman?

Hey...hey...don't get the wrong impression...the Canadian bush is really beautiful and unsurpassed.   That why its such a shock to find the plastic/######...really out of place which makes the shock even greater but it is few and far between (but it seems always a little plastic hanging around somewhere if you look hard enough...sometimes not though).

Both of these beaches were totally pure and very isolated...all by me little self way out there...looking down from the space the top of my head would  have appeared to be this(.)  Had to kayak and camp for 25 days to get there though!

3 hours ago, Bedford Roughyed said:

Yes!

Got to watch out for the rattlesnakes though!  Buggers will sneak right up on ya!

[Wiltshire Rhino]

Earlier this year a few mates and I went surfing in Polzeth. On the Saturday evening we joined the local Surfers against Sewage guys to help with the beach clean. Couldn't believe how much plastic we collected. I asked when was the last time they cleaned the beach and they said "Yesterday". I was shocked to think so many beach users couldn't take their own rubbish away.

[Bedford Roughyed]

Well this will help...

 

[gingerjon]

14 hours ago, Bedford Roughyed said:

Well this will help...

 

An optimist would say that it could be the start of a movement to use less plastic ... 

[Bedford Roughyed]

15 hours ago, gingerjon said:

An optimist would say that it could be the start of a movement to use less plastic ... 

If only... says a pessimist...