Data, in support of institutional and individual behaviour change - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Data, in support of institutional and individual behaviour change regarding marine litter

African Waste Academy's Webinar Series

25/06/2019

Fiona Preston-Whyte and Dr Adil Bakir

Photo from: https://www.thesouthafrican.com/news/kzn-floods-plastic-pollution-durban- photos-march-2019/ 2019-03-12 Durban Green Corridor / Photo: Sifiso Mngoma

Monitoring of macro and meso-plastics as scientific evidence African Waste Academy's Webinar Series

25/06/2019 Fiona Preston-Whyte

United Kingdom Belize Vanuatu Solomon Islands

United Kingdom Belize Vanuatu Solomon Islands South Africa

Ocean Conservancy International Coastal Clean Up

Ocean Conservancy International Coastal Clean Up

Great British Beach Clean

Top 20 Beach litter items found in Vanuatu

• The sum of the top 10

items accounts for the 77%

• f the total items collected

and the top 20 items for the 88%.

• The most common items

are plastic and polystyrene pieces 0.5-2.5cm. These fragments represent 29%

• f all items collected.

Items Number collected Vanuatu Top 10 Polystyrene pieces 0-2,5cm 1646 Plastic pieces 0-2,5cm 1594 Glass broken 1463 Plastic pieces 2,5-50cm 1248 Crisp/sweet packets 906 Cigarette butts 467 Caps/lids 372 String and cord (diameter less than 1cm) 362 Polystyrene pieces 2,5-50cm 351 Food containers (including fast food containers) 231 Vanuatu 11-20 Other plastic 192 Lolly sticks 189 Foam sponge - Foam insulation & packing (whole and remnants) 171 Drinks (bottles, containers and drums) 149 Other paper items 140 Drinks cans 114 cutlery/trays 96 Other wood < 50cm 80 Cardboard 74 Other metal pieces < 50cm 74

Top 20 Beach litter items found in Solomon Island

Item Number collected Solomon Islands Items 11-20 Foam sponge - Foam insulation & packing 187 Plastic pieces 2.5cm-50cm 179 Plastic pieces 0-2.5cm 163 Straws 160 Plastic cutlery 141 Plastic bottle labels 136 Food containers (including fast food containers) 131 Other plastic 127 String and cord (diameter less than 1cm) 116 Burnt plastic 115 Item Number collected Solomon Islands Top 10 Foam sponge - Foam cups, food packs and trays 2160 Drinks (bottles, containers and drums) 759 Polystyrene pieces 0-2.5cm 530 Drinks cans 412 Cigarette butts 362 Crisp/sweet packets and lolly sticks 328 Polystyrene pieces 2.5-50cm 317 Caps/lids 274 Glass broken 265 Ice lolly plastic containers 246

• The sum of the top 10 items

accounts for the 67% of the total items collected and the top 20 items for the 84%.

• The most common items are

foam sponge from food packaging and plastic drinks containers.

Top 20 litter items found in Belize

Item Number collected Belize Items 11-20 Plastic Cups 335 Other paper items 300 Polystyrene pieces 2/5-50cm* 298 Packets/bladders/aluminium foil 295 Straws* 266 Polystyrene pieces 0-2/5cm* 250 Cigarette butts 237 Cutlery/trays 236 Other plastic* 210 Foam sponge (Foam cups/ food packs and trays) 0-2.5cm** 189 Item Number collected Belize Top 10 Plastic pieces 0-2/5cm 3575 Plastic pieces 2/5-50cm 1923 Glass broken 1240 Bottle caps 1143 Caps/lids 1054 Crisp/sweet packets 633 Plastic Bags ( e.g. Shopping) 472 Drinking plastic pouch** 389 Drinks (bottles/containers/drums) 350 Foam sponge (Foam cups/ food packs and trays) 2.5-50cm** 347

• The sum of the top 10 items

accounts for the 70% of the total items collected and the top 20 items for the 86%.

• The most common items are

pieces of plastics and glass, metal bottle caps and plastic caps/lids

What changes can be made to reduce beach litter?

Improve careless throw away behaviour with

• utreach

campaigns Improved collection systems, container deposit return schemes Cigarette butts Glass bottle fragments and plastic bottles

What changes can be made to reduce beach litter?

Plastic drinks pouches

Behavior change or alternatives (e.g. seaweed based water pouches)

(reduce) Metal lids

Incentives, support of metal recycling

Improve careless throw away behaviour with

• utreach campaigns,

alternatives

Ice lolly sticks, lolly pop sticks

What changes can be made to reduce beach litter?

Plastic cutlery and straws

Refuse or bring

your own reusable straw

• r cutlery

(reduce) Small plastic and polystyrene fragments

Local burning and dumping in waterways

Regional cooperation and collaboration to tackle the source of the marine litter pollution together

Polystyrene - Reduce & Improve correct disposal

Foil and film packaging, ice lolly tubes & plastic beer labels – improved collection systems, non plastic alternatives

Flip Flops & Snorkels - Guidance for tourists and locals

The importance of complementary data

Top ten items in waste

Top ten items in waste

Municipal composting Nappy recycling/ compostable nappies Reusable nappies CDL with Recyclecorp and PRIF hub Expand existing plastic legislation

Plastic bags

Containers

Top ten items in waste

Organic 52.4%

Hygiene 9.5% Glass 7.5% Bags 6.6%

PET Bottles 4.4%

Organic 75.8%

Paper 7%

Plastic bags

Oth ther er Suggestions – Solid

• lid Waste

e Management

• Separation of waste streams needed particular with organics

and then other recyclables.

• Collection and transport systems need improving and extending

– reduce waste burning and toxic side effects.

• Extend recycling schemes for cans and glass.
• Introduce recycling/deposit return of plastic bottles.
• Already great initiatives underway – supporting them

Monitoring of microplastics in environmental samples as scientific evidence for policy making African Waste Academy's Webinar Series

25/06/2019 Dr Adil Bakir

Overview

• Microplastics, what’s all the fuss about?
• Where do they all go?
• Monitoring of microplastics: where and why?
• One method fits all?
• Science guiding policy or policy guiding science?

Photos: 1.oceanservice.noaa.gov 2.environmentaljournal.online 3.whoi.edu

Microplastics: What's all the fuss about?

• Despite an "explosion" in research on microplastics, a lot of knowledge

gaps remain

• Lack of a risk assessment for microplastics in the freshwater and marine

environment is making prioritization of research drivers difficult

• Shortcomings in data necessary for risk assessments due to:
• Lack of standardization and difficulties in comparison between

studies

• Laboratory simulations often based on unrealistic environmental

concentrations with lower particle sizes than the ones sampled and monitored in the aquatic environment (See discussion Topic 2: Plastic pollution: are we looking at the right size?)

• Gap in monitoring data
• How to deal with uncertainties?

Dris et al. (2016) Everaert et al. (2016) Koelmans et al. (2016)

Can microplastics cause "harm"?

Over 80% of the plastic entering the marine environment is coming from land- based sources [1]

Microplastics: Where do they all go?

Monitoring of microplastics: where and why?

• Understanding the source, pathways and fate of

microplastics to the marine environment

• Understanding the environmental distribution
• Understanding the impacts of plastics and microplastics
• Understanding Economic impacts of plastic pollution
• Behavioral change

Monitoring of microplastics: where and why?

• Baseline data for the abundance and properties of microplastics for the identification of "hot spots" of contamination
• Long-term monitoring to investigate any short to long-term impacts of best practices and new regulations
• Example of the UK and Cefas with 25 years’ worth of plastic trawled from the bottom of the sea to examine litter trends

in the waters surrounding the UK.

• Observation of a reduction of plastic bags found on the seabed following a reduction in use in plastic bags due to the

plastic bag levy (Maes et al., 2018). ➢ Sediment samples ➢ Biota ➢ Surface and water column

Monitoring of microplastics: One method fits all?

Non-destructive techniques Destructive techniques

Micro Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy Pyrolysis GC/MS Micro _Raman spectroscopy Fluorescence tagging of polymers using Nile red

Moderately destructive techniques

Monitoring of microplastics: One method fits all?

Monitoring of microplastics: One method fits all?

Monitoring of microplastics: One method fits all?

Should science guide policy or policy guide science?

• Scientific evidence plays an important role in the policy

making process

• Well-informed and effective policy does require robust and

reliable scientific evidence

• Scientific evidence is peer reviewed and quality controlled
• How to take action when evidence is lacking ?

• Degradation rate of larger debris and their contribution to the presence
• f microplastics in the freshwater and marine environment.
• Fluxes of microplastics between environmental

compartments (i.e. sediments, water column and biota)

• Long term environmental safety of new "biodegradable"

plastics compared to conventional plastics.

• Environmental and economic implications of reduction/removal

strategies

• Extent of the issue of lost or discarded fishing gear in the marine

environment and their degradation rate

Examples of evidence gaps

Should science guide policy or policy guide science?

• Policy makers direct funding priorities
• Substantial funding to boost national, EU and

international research on marine litter

• Is funding war on plastic pollution

taking funding from other areas? Example of Climate change research

Relevant Policy Leads for Plastic Pollution

• Marine fisheries, and Environmental protection
• Waste and resources management
• Water quality environment and public water supply
• Protecting and enhancing biodiversity
• Marine management
• Chemical regulation
• Human Health and Safety

Thank you

Contact: Cefas Marine Litter Team

CLiP@cefas.co.uk Facebook: @CommonwealthLitterProgramme Twitter: @CefasGovUK

Topic 1: What data is needed in South Africa to support change regarding marine litter? What changes are needed?

Fiona Preston-Whyte and Dr Adil Bakir

Photo from: https://www.thesouthafrican.com/news/kzn-floods-plastic-pollution-durban- photos-march-2019/ 2019-03-12 Durban Green Corridor / Photo: Sifiso Mngoma

Figure: Map of South Africa focusing on population size and waste service delivery in three provinces

(Cefas 2019, CLiP South African background report) Figure compiled from the following references: Data: (Statistics South Africa, 2016a, 2016b) Satellite imagery: (NaturalEarth, 2018) visited on 12/09/2018 Map: https://www.vectorstock.com/royalty-free- vector/outline-south-africa-map-vector-1602127 visited on 12/09/2018

• Due to the dynamic nature of the currents off South Africa, the

magnitude of waste leakage from land, in South Africa, is often not captured.

• The recent Durban floods have highlighted the magnitude in peoples

minds.

• Census data (through service delivery and household waste collection

data) helps highlight the magnitude

• What change is needed: on a policy, individual, community and industrial

level?

Topic 2: Plastic litter in the marine environment, are we looking at the right size?

Fiona Preston-Whyte and Dr Adil Bakir

Too much focus

• n

microplastics?

• We previously discussed the importance of risk assessments in

the understanding of the potential for microplastics to cause "harm"

• Discrepancy between the sizes used in laboratory experiments and the
• nes sampled in the freshwater and marine environment used to develop

numerical models including transport models.

• Monitoring of microplastics typically use mesh sizes about 300 micron in

size

• Laboratory experiments, including dose-response studies, generally use

smaller sizes:

• nanoplastics (< 100 nm)
• 1.7 - 30.6 micron for zooplankton (Cole et al., 2013)
• 0.1 and 1 micron for phytoplankton (Cole et al, 2018)
• 2 and 6 micron for oysters (Sussarellu et al., 2015)
• > 60 micron for fish (Karami et al., 2016)

Thank you

Contact: Cefas Marine Litter Team

CLiP@cefas.co.uk Facebook: @CommonwealthLitterProgramme Twitter: @CefasGovUK